Page 57 of Knight's Desire

“Open those lovely eyes, Hope. I know you’re awake. There’s no pretending with me.”

She froze, forcing herself to slow her breathing as she listened. The voice was close. The words were spoken in almost a singsong tone that was soft and friendly. It tugged at something in the deepest recesses of her memory, but her recall was fractured. It didn’t matter because she knew without a doubt she was in a place she didn’t choose to be, and she was brought here without her consent. She had to pull herself together and get out of here — wherever here was — before her captor was able to follow through with why she was brought here — whatever that reason may be.

“Come on, sweetie. Your eyes are one of my favorite things about you. They were the first thing that drew me to you. I looked into your eyes, and I knew we were meant to be together.”

Oh my God!

Her eyes flew open, and she winced at the bright light intensifying the pain in her head. She raised her hand to cover them, but her movements were slow and lethargic. Her stomach rolled, and she turned from her back to her side in case she tossed her breakfast.

Breakfast. Scrambled eggs and buttered toast with strawberry preserves. A cup of steaming coffee. Served to her in bed by a very sexy and very naked Brick.

That felt so long ago, even though she had no idea how long she’d been in this place.

“I’m sorry, darling. I forgot how bright lights can be after you’ve been unconscious. I’ll turn them down for you. I want you focused for what I have planned.”

The nausea passed, and she took stock of what her body was telling her. Was she drugged? She felt like it. But then… She raised a hand to the side of her neck and felt the soreness that would likely form a bruise if it hadn’t already. There was something else. Her foot. Did she break her ankle? Because it felt heavy and hard to move.

She gingerly raised up on an elbow, which was as high as she dared. She forced herself to take in deep breaths as the room spun around her. Once everything settled, and the lights had dimmed, she glanced down at her foot. Her eyes widened at the shackle affixed tightly to her ankle, and they followed the length of the attached chain until it affixed to the wall across the room.

“What…did you do?”

She watched a pair of expensive leather shoes move toward her, their smooth black surface shining even under the dim lighting. The hem of black slacks waved over the tops. The heels tapped against the tile floor, a thin layer of grim drifting up from the surface in a cloud of dust tainting the stale air. The shoes stopped close to her side, and their owner bent his knees deeply. Long, tapered fingers gripped her chin and raised her head until she stared into a familiar face.

“You,” she gasped. “It was you this whole time? The flowers? Running me off the road? The phone call? The vandalism? All of it was you?”

“I can’t say I’m surprised you didn’t guess before now. Our paths crossed so many times, and you looked right through me. But I didn’t take it personally. I knew when the time was right you’d see me and see we were meant to be together.”

“But…I don’t understand.”

His smile widened. “You will. All in due time.” He sighed and released her. “All the time we wasted. We could have been married and raising our children. We could be living the life we were meant to live. I couldn’t let obstacles stand in our way anymore. We belong together, Hope. I knew it the first time I met you.”

She could hardly think with the pounding in her head, but she had the presence of mind to know she needed to play along with his delusion until she figured a way out.

“Why didn’t you say something then?”

He laughed. “Oh, sweetheart, I was too intimidated to approach you. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I knew I couldn’t resort to typical flirtations and pick-up lines. You are too good for that, too pure. No, I had to woo you gradually. I had to charm you from afar until you became too intrigued to turn me away. My plan was working untilhecame along.”

She shivered when a chill shot down her spine. “What do you mean?”

She blinked, and his expression changed. His features hardened, and his eyes darkened. He started to pace the small space in front of her, his hand raking through his hair.

“Women always fall for bastards like him, but you were supposed to be different. You weren’t supposed to let your head be turned by guys like him. He has no class. He’s all muscles and no brains. He was supposed to protect you, but he can’t protect you like I can. I’m the only one you need, Hope. Forget about him. He’ll only break your heart. He can’t give you the kind of life you deserve.”

“What kind of life is that?”

He stopped. This time his frustration morphed into a leer that made her skin crawl. “You will never want for anything. I’ll give you anything you desire. All I want in return is you. You are all I desire. I’ve pictured you in my house, preparing a wonderful meal for us and our children. We’ll put the children to bed, and then we’ll spend the night making love. You’ll want no other once we’re married and share our marital bed.”

His hand flattened against the crotch of his pants and stroked up and down as he spoke. Bile rose in her throat, and she looked away.

“You like that, don’t you, baby? Just talking about us being together has you excited. Are you wet for me? We’ll be together soon enough, my love. The wait will only heighten the experience.”

He moved back in front of her and leaned over. His hand caressed her hair, then her cheek and her throat. When it traveled down to her breast and fondled her while the other hand continued to stroke his crotch, tears welled up in Hope’s eyes.

He moaned before dropping his hands and stepping away from her. “Rest now, baby. I have a surprise for you when you wake up.”

She watched him cross the room to a heavy door on the opposite side. He switched off the rest of the lights and left her alone. The windows were covered with paper that blocked out most of the natural light, but she could see she was alone in the wide, open room with no furniture or anything else that would give her an indication of where she was.

She crawled as far from where she laid as the chain around her ankle would allow, and she vomited violently on the floor. The stench would soon overtake the room, but she didn’t care.

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