Page 14 of Noah

There was a box of food and two bottles inside when he opened it. They were being fed like animals in cages.

It was a wonder he didn’t attack anyone who walked into the room. Then again, he already had, she thought as she touched her throat. He’d been robbed of his freedom, his dignity, and his voice—the only thing Noah had left was his unspeakable rage.

Seeing the box filled with food and Noah’s familiarity with it showed Noah had likely been locked up in the room for a long time without human contact. If they tried to escape, she feared what would happen.

Her throat panged, reminding her of the pain. She could feel the small welts on her throat where his fingers had gripped it.

He growled when he saw her massaging her skin. She dropped her hand. “What? You didn’t expect it to be marked. Bruises are to be expected when you squeeze someone’s neck.” She shrugged. “It’s nothing.” She smiled weakly. “It’s just a reminder. A lesson: never trust anyone.”

Noah growled at her, and she grimaced. His understanding of the words may have been limited, but he understood her tone, and he didn’t like it.

Her words were unkind. It wasn’t his fault. Not really. She looked away and sighed. “It’s okay, it’ll heal.” She sat up, brushing off her clothes.

Glaring at her neck, his hands twitched as if he wanted to wrap them around her throat again.

Since she didn’t want to end up strangled, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

Would she be able to make him see her as friendly? Putting her hands around the neck of the person or persons who threw her into the cage might make him see her as an ally.

Adrienne didn’t know what to do so she watched Noah work out again. While doing sit-ups, his back muscles bunched up, and his stomach muscles clenched. His body rolled up and down like a machine.

The sight of him working up a sweat made her core heat up, and she clenched her thighs.

What was wrong with her?

Looking away, she heard his grunts as he curled up, and her attention returned to him.

Inexplicable heat and arousal rushed through her, a desire to see his muscles bunch up and sweat drip down his spine while he was gloriously naked. She wanted to feel the heat radiating off him as they moved together, to get lost in the moment and succumb to her primal urges.

He turned towards her, and her heart skipped a beat. His eyes burned with lust, and she could sense her desire growing with each passing second. She wanted to feel his warmth and strength beneath her fingertips.

She shook her head and bit her lip as images danced through her mind, figuring she must have lost it to feel so aroused.

There were so many inane and confusing thoughts racing through her mind like she couldn’t believe she had almost died or that she found Noah attractive. Although that made sense, he was handsome in a wild he-man kind of way.

That thought immediately made her frown. There was nothing normal about this and she shouldn’t treat it so blithely.

“For god’s sake what am I doing here?” she screamed at the ceiling where she thought the mic was hidden.

Then there was a low growl. Was he annoyed or worried? Hmm, difficult to tell.

She forgot about him in her anger. Immediately, she ducked her head and wondered if he would hurt her or kill her.

Suddenly, he appeared with his big feet stopping by her bedside and a clawed hand swinging. With his sharp nails, he could rip her shoulders open and split her skin, but instead, he crouched.

His head suddenly pressed against her thighs, and she shrieked as he sniffed deeply and began to rumble. Grabbing her skirt, he started gently pulling it up. When she tried to hold it down, they struggled.

As a new fear overtook her, “Stop! Stop!” she screamed. What if he tried to take what she wasn’t willing to give?

Why hadn’t she thought of this before? Perhaps that’s why the person said she had a month since getting between her thighs wouldn’t take that long.

Adrienne sobbed loudly. She thought they were on the same side. By caring for her, he proved that he wouldn’t hurt her.

He may just have wanted her awake to see her terror as he used her.

Pulling back to look at her face, he let the skirt fall into her lap and stopped trying to lift it. He frowned at her salty tears and tried to touch it. She flinched, but he followed her anyway.

With the back of his knuckles, he gently stroked her cheek.

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