Page 44 of Red Captive

Five minutes later, we land in the courtyard. Jen tries to pull her blouse closed. She is crying. Fuck! I hate that she is crying. Her mascara is running. Her eyes are red. Her nose, too. It doesn’t matter that I’ve heard her cry many times before; this is different.

“Is she okay?” the male guard asks as I hoist her into my arms.

“She will be,” I tell him.

“We will be sure to tell the general exactly what happened,” he says. “In detail. I heard much of what went down.”

“Good. Thank you.” I want to ask him his name, but it isn’t the right time.

Then I’m walking away, my strides eating up the ground. Jen has her arms around my neck. She isn’t crying as hard anymore. Every now and then, she gives a soft hiccup.

I fucked up.

I should never have let her out of my sight. Never!

The general has a lot to answer for.

15

Jen

“I got you,” Steel says. His arm is wrapped around me, holding me to him. His other hand is splayed on my back. “You’re safe now,” he says as he walks, going faster than I ever thought possible without actually jogging or all-out running.

I feel safe. I’m warm in his arms. His scent envelopes me. I’m okay. I’m fine. It’s over. None of what that asshole said is true. It isn’t! It can’t be!

“You saved me,” I whisper, choking out another sob. I can hardly believe that just happened. One minute, the duke was the perfect gentleman, and the next…he revealed his true self. I knew he was a player, but I never thought it would escalate to that. To him trying to…to him… I sob again, softer this time.

“We’re nearly there,” Steel says in his deep voice. “Stay with me.”

I hold him tighter. I push my cheek solidly against his skin. I’m trying hard not to unravel, not to fall apart. The things the duke said, they hit me hard. So hard. Was he right? No! I didn’tdeserve that. No one does. Screw him. Was he lying about the general’s plans?

He has to be lying.

Then the door is slammed shut. “I’m putting you down for just a second.”

I feel a pressure on the top of my head before he lowers me to my feet. Did Steel just kiss me there? No! I’m losing it. I swear I am.

He engages the lock on the inside of the door. I’m assuming he lost the key and that his bag is still at the duke’s castle.

He picks me up and takes me into my bedroom. He tries to lower me onto my bed, but I hold on to him.

“Don’t leave me, please,” I whisper. “Not yet. Give me a minute…just a minute.”

“Jen, I… Miss Harris…” He pulls in a deep breath. “Okay, fine, just a minute. Can I get some shorts?”

Oh! Crap! He’s naked, and I want him to keep holding me…in my bed. Despite everything that just happened, I feel a tightening in my lower belly at the thought. What’s wrong with me?

“Yes…of course,” I say quietly as I let him go.

Steel leaves, returning less than a minute later. He has a bottle of water, which he hands to me.

“Thanks.” I take a sip, realizing how thirsty I am. I start to gulp down the contents.

“Easy.” Steel swipes some hair from my face. My ponytail came loose at some point. I’m not sure when. He takes the bottle and puts it on the bedside table.

His eyes drop to my chest for a fraction of a second before moving straight back to my face. He frowns, looking like he wants to kill something. His eyes turn stormy, and his jaw tightens.

Shit! I realize that my torn blouse is gaping open. I grab the edges and pull it closed around me, my eyes stinging all over again.

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