The last few days had been rather pleasant, or at least the best it could be for someone who was being held captive.

Antonio had changed. He had made no advances towards me at all, there had been no inappropriate touching or comments. I occasionally would do something wrong or talk back and I could see him getting pissed off but somehow he had always managed to restrain himself before he snapped. Though despite his eerie change in personality I still felt like I was living with a time bomb that could blow up at any second. For that reason, I couldn't help but flinch when he rose a hand to brush my hair out of my face or even if he'd appear from out of nowhere behind me. I was constantly on edge. And he had noticed but remained calm. I could tell that he was trying to do better.

Antonio had indeed taken me shopping. I'd forgotten how much I adored such mundane activities but now that I no longer had that freedom every little outing seemed as though it was saving me from completely losing my sanity. He had let me pay for my own clothes and other stuff that I wanted but still insisted on buying our lunch. I wasn't worried about spending so much on my shopping spree because I wasn't paying for anything else anymore, I literally had no financial responsibilities now that Antonio had taken me and I was living under his constant care and protection.

Now we had arrived at Anguilla and it was stunning to say the least. We'd taken Antonio's private jet and were staying in a our own isolated house for the week. It was a cosy and decently sized wooden building that overlooked the sea. It had the most amazing view. The ocean was such an incredible and vibrant color that I was shocked it was even natural for something to be so beautiful.

(Please note that I do not own this image.)

I was stood outside on the porch that hovered above the tropical water below us taking in deep breaths. I loved how the sun beamed onto my body and I could already feel myself (both mind and body) being replenished by it's golden rays. It created a glowing warmth that radiated all around us, occasionally receiving a cool brush of wind in contrast.

I gasped from the sudden contact when I felt Antonio place his hands on my hips and pull me against his bare chest but soon melted into his body. Despite everything he had done to me, I still subconsciously found comfort in his sensual touch.

"What do you think?"

I closed my eyes again, willing my body to soak up the positive energy that swarmed the whole area.

"I love it."

His face was buried into my neck and I felt him smile, pleased with my response. How could anybody not love it here? It would have been perfect if it had been with somebody of my own choosing stood behind me, wrapping me in his embrace.

"Do you want to go for a swim?"

I turned around to see that Antonio was already changed into his swimming trunks, meaning his perfectly sculpted abs were out and displayed in all their shining glory. I never saw him work out yet his body was still so flawless, it was a miracle if you asked me, how one person could possibly be so gifted in life. He was handsome, rich and powerful. He truly seemed to have it all.

"Sure I'm going to go and get changed."

I had bought a lot of new swimwear for this trip. I had chosen everything out very carefully. I wanted to be comfortable because this was after all a holiday but I also didn't want my body to be dramatically exposed to him incase the sudden lack of clothing triggered something to reignite inside of him. That did make me feel guilty though, I'd always been a strong believer that a woman should and can wear whatever she pleases and it should always be the man's responsibility to control himself. Why should a woman have to cover up just because a man can't keep it in his pants? It was never, ever, ever the victim's fault when it came to sexual assault and I loathed the way that the media made it seem that way. However, despite my strong opinions on the matter, I had to do what was best for me and the extra clothing made me feel more safe and protected around Antonio.

For that reason, I'd mainly bought swim suits and the bikinis I did like were all high wasted. I also bought several cover-ups so that I had a bit of protection when I was lying around the beach. I tied my hair back into a messy bun so it wouldn't get wet and began to search through our luggage for the costume that I had in mind

I had picked out a basic black swimsuit and tied a matching wrap around my waist along with it. I wasn't one to really wear swimwear. I hadn't gone to the beach in so long and even if I had have gone with Ryan there would have been no way for me to wear such items because it would reveal too many bruises and unlike Antonio, Ryan dis care what other people thought about him.

Antonio was already in the water, facing the opposite direction when I climbed down the ladder to meet him. I hadn't expected the water to be so warm but it surprisingly was.

I let my body float on top of the water and took slow, deep breaths. My whole body relaxed and I let out an involuntary moan from the weightless feeling I was experiencing. I could feel the silky water circle itself around my whole body and I swayed slightly along with the ocean's waves.

My mind seemed temporarily disconnected from reality as I heard Antonio's deep chuckle but my brain didn't seem to register it. Though I did feel his hands being placed underneath my back to support me. Yet even when his hands wrapped around my waist and his thumbs traced the skin in a gentle rubbing motion, I made not effort to move or get away from him. Instead I only let out a content sigh which encouraged Antonio to continue in his actions. Though I hated to admit it....it was nice.

I stared down at Alice body as I held her just above the water, supporting her from sinking. She was so calm and seemed so peaceful. She was truly stunning.

I gently stroked her sides with my thumbs and watched her in awe as she just lied there, floating. It amazed me how someone could possibly be this perfect without trying. Alice had been through so much, a lot of which was from my hand, yet still was immaculate. There was something about her that just called out to me and awoke a possessive quality within me. I wanted to protect her from everyone who could cause her harm, but also myself. I knew that I'd broken her and hated myself for it. That guilty feeling was rare for me. I never was one to feel remorse or even regret but couldn't help it when it came to Alice. I wanted to fix her. I knew it would take time, work and sacrifice but I had to do it.

My gaze shifted back down to the girl in my arms and I did nothing but stare. We stayed like that for a whole hour, neither of us doing anything but enjoying the relaxation and presence of one and other.

There was a restaurant and spa that was joined to our little hut. All we had to do was call a boat to pick us up and we could be there within minutes but tonight I figured that we could cook something together. I knew that Alice was tired from the trip and probably didn't want to get all dressed up to have a fancy meal, but she would never say anything. To be honest, I didn't want to go out this evening either. The thought of spending the next few hours eating a posh meal wasn't particularly appealing to me when I could be spending the extra time hugging and snuggling with my girl.

I had originally wanted to cook with Alice, expecting our holiday to be like a romantic comedy film but she had already fallen asleep on the coach. So instead I had fired up the barbecue that was rested outside in the porch. I had people fill the cupboards and fridge before we arrived so finding the food to cook wasn't really an issue. I'd cooked us some burgers on the barbecue and tossed together some salad.

I had plated it all up and wandered back over to the lounge area to find Alice still peacefully sleeping. I placed the plates down on the table and carefully began to wake her up.

"Alice...."

I spoke in a gentle tone, brushing her face slightly while I spoke.

She slowly peeled her eyes open and smiled at me before stretching out her limbs and letting out a groan to accompany it.

"Hey..."

She sat up straight and moved over, allowing me to sit next to her.

"I made us some food."

I gave a plate to her and her eyes instantly lit up as she took her first bite. I chuckled as she murmured a quick thank you, her mouth full of the food as she did so.

"So obviously we don't need to be on a super strict schedule for while we are here but I was wandering if you had a rough idea of what you wanted to do while we're on vacation?"

Her brows knitted together, a clear look of confusion crossed over her face.

"What do you mean? I thought we'd just stay here and swim."

By now we had finished our food so were just trying to find our way away from the awkward small talk that often drowned us.

"Well we can actually go to a beach...one with sand, they also have a load of tours we can take around the towns and there's a rain forest. We can even go snorkeling or diving if your up for it. Anguilla is pretty famous for their coral reefs."

I could tell that she was excited but was trying desperately to hide it from me, probably not wanting to come across as too eager from one of her kidnappers suggestions.

"I'd love to do all those things."

I smiled and nodded at her. I knew she'd want to and for that reason had already booked us VIP tickets for everything. I recalled that Alice had told me that she'd never left America before so I wanted to make this a real adventure for her. I had to replace all the bad memories she had of us together with good ones. Amazing ones.

"I've got a surprise for you, come on."

She hesitantly stood up with me and followed me back outside to where the barbecue was.

"I thought we could make smores."

She laughed. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I'd ever heard. But despite how amused she was by the idea she nodded her head and moved over to where I had already put the marshmallows on the skewers.

I was so caught up in staring at Alice, mesmerized by her in fact, that I had completely lost all focus on my marshmallow.

"Antonio, quick it's gunna fall off!"

I quickly snapped out of my day dreaming like state and drew my attention back to the barbecue where sure enough, my marshmallow was slowly melting off of the wooden stick.

"Shit."

I muttered to myself as I hurriedly scooped it up and trapped it inside of the biscuits after placing a piece of chocolate on it. I left it at the side while I helped Alice with her own smore.

"Mmhh"

She let out a moan, expressing her approval, as she bit into the smore.

"Good?"

I smirked. I already knew the answer from her readable response but mainly just wanted to hear her say something else. Her voice was so addictive to me, it was alluring.

She barley glanced up at me, her attention all on the sweet treat as she nodded her head frantically.

We finished our dessert which was shared with giggles of joy from Alice and I as we struggled to eat without making a huge mess. The two of us had defiantly managed to prove that there was no delicate or presentable way to eat a smore. But they sure did taste good and it was all worth it when my gaze was drawn down to Alice's mouth. She had melted marshmallow and chocolate coating the corners of her lips.

I let out a laugh and bought my thumb to her face to wipe it off for her. Her face went red as I did it and I swear that she almost fainted from embarrassment when I licked my thumb clean. It was adorable.

This was what our relationship was meant to be like.