Page 25 of In You
A small movement on the side of the room has the breath freezing in my lungs. Fear swells deep in my soul, and my lips tremble as my eyes flicker around.
I pin my stare to the dark haired man sitting in the corner of the room, lounging in a chair between the fireplace and the window, sipping a cup of coffee looking like he did last night, in all black. Hair a bit messy like he'd been running his hands through it, and his eyes are a bit red at the edges like he's tired, or been crying. My fear fades.
"Well, hello there, sleepy head," he says.
"I thought you were English?" I ask, so confused that I don't have any room for fear, I don't think.
He shakes his head once. "No. T'was an accent. How're you feeling, Camilla?" Devoid of the English accent, his voice is husky-rough with a slight growl.
I frown, my gaze shifting down this stranger. There's a bloodhound curled at his feet. "My name is Tamryn. What's your name?" I whisper hoarsely, licking my tongue out to wet my bottom lip.
He puts down his coffee with a thump, and leans forward to brace his elbows on his knees. He tilts his head, his eyes sharp on mine. "My name is Caleb. Do you… remember me from last night?"
I think hard. Shame floods me, but the hard set of his eyes forces me to nod once. "You told me I stink."
He blinks once, and his lips tighten. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to give you an excuse to take a shower."
"Oh," I furrow my brow. "Why?"
He frowns, his eyes flickering across my face. "Because you smelled like you hadn't had a shower in damn near a week."
"That…That doesn't sound like me. I shower every day." Looking down, I notice I feel clean, but I also notice I see the outline of my nipples through this thin tank I'm in. An item of clothing that isnotCalvin's. I panic and struggle to sit up, throwing wide eyes at him when he gets up, moving to help me."No!"I say sharply, coughing as my sore throat protests.
We stare at each other until he sits down, and I resume squirming around to find a comfortable way of sitting up against the pillows.
"I'm sorry. I only wanted to help you," he says in a strong, steady voice.
Calvin is going to hurt you when he finds you with another man…
I glance around the bedroom again, my heart pounding. "Where's Calvin?" I ask. "Why…why am I here?"
There's an uncomfortable pause as he stares at me. "I needed to get you help.You broke your arm."
I blink rapidly, inhaling sharply as I look to the side and see a glass of water next to me. Lunging for it, I choke it down fast.
His brow pulls low over dark eyes. "Tamryn,slow down-"
"My name isCamilla!"I snap, curling deeper into the covers, my eyes going wide as I clench the glass so tightly it's a wonder it doesn't break. "You…you killed them." Breathing hard, the water sloshes in the cup as bone deep fear makes me hot, and shaky.
"Did I?" He tilts his head.
I nod. "I saw you. Are you…are you going to kill me too?"
His eyes widen, just slightly, before his expression settles into what I would guess is normal to him. "No."
"Then why didn't you take me to the police for help?" I whisper.
"I got you a doctor right away, sweetheart."
My cheeks pinken. "Let me go."
"I'm sorry. But I can't." He heaves a slow, deep breath, keeping his expression the same. "You can't leave because you saw what I did, and now you know what I look like. I told you this last night, but I think you were in so much shock you don't remember."
There's a beat of silence. "I don't trust you. But you….you saved me from that house. From the Captor."
His head cocks to the side, and a dark brow arches. "The Captor?"
I nod my head.
