Page 20 of My Heart for Yours

“I live in Chicago, yes; this place is temporary. It belongs to my uncle and he lets me use it whenever I like so we can come back as often as you want.” I blink at him a few times the way girls do in the movies when they want to show interest or excitement, trying to convey how enamored I am with the idea, but it feels stupid, so I decide to go with words instead.

“I would love that. I could just stay here all year long and I haven’t even seen the whole place yet. Will you show me?” He narrows his eyes at me as if trying to read my thoughts, see the sincerity there. Shit, he doesn’t like that idea. Just as I’m about to say something to try and salvage the situation, Cole responds.

“Maybe a little later. I want to sit here with you and enjoy having you in my arms.” On some level I knew this was coming, but I’m still not prepared for the heat I see in his eyes and the warning bells from earlier have been replaced by a fire alarm from an actual firehouse. Deafening and relentless. It takes all my strength to push the warning aside and focus my attention on the man sitting next to me.

“I like the sound of that, but can we take it slowly? This is important to me and I want to do things right.” I don’t think he could look more pleased if I offered to take my clothes off.

“Of course, my angel, as long as you are here with me, everything is perfect.” With that he releases my wrist and takes my hand instead and it feels nothing like when Shane does it. I must really stop comparing these two men, but thinking about Shane is keeping me from losing my mind, so judgement shall be reserved until all this is over. “Come here.” He pulls me onto his lap and circles his free arm around my waist, his hand sliding underneath my shirt and stroking up and down my back. Then his mouth is at my neck, nipping and licking, while his hand that was holding mine lets go and covers my breast. His touch makes my skin crawl and I try desperately not to squirm, but I feel like I’m going to lose my mind, my senses screaming at me to make this stop. A groan leaves his throat and that’s it. This has gone too far; I can’t continue the act. I can’t do this to Shane.

Despite the way Cole is holding me, I manage to jump up off his lap, but he grabs my hand again, so I don’t get far. I’m sure he can see the panic on my face but right now all I can think of is getting away from him.

“I’m so sorry Cole. I … I think I’m just nervous. It’s been such a long time since the last time we were together. Could we just sit and talk for a while?” He doesn’t hide his frustration and his grip tightens on my hand.

“I’ll take you back to your room now. We can talk later.”

Cole

Why is my angel holding herself back from me? I brought her here to the perfect setting, a luxurious home isolated in the mountains, away from prying eyes and those who would try to keep us apart, yet she keeps pushing me away. I know she loves me; I can feel her reaction to my touch, see the affection in her eyes. I must just be patient, but it’s becoming more and more difficult, I want her so much. This is our time.

Chapter 10

Shane

Still no news. And another sleepless night goes by. I’m ready to get into my truck and just start driving, looking for her. Stupid idea, I know, but this waiting is killing me and I’m pretty sure my mind is playing tricks on me. I can hear her voice, calling me and begging for me to come and help her. Other times she whispers in my ear, telling me how much she loves me. I can tell my family is worried about me. Mom keeps coming over with food that ends up untouched in my freezer and my brothers stop by to check up on me as if they think I might do something crazy. I suspect there’s a schedule or rotation, but I could be wrong. And still there is no news.

Lisa

I need to get out of here, no more messing around. I’ve formulated a plan with the limited information available and will put it in action today. Play time is over.

Yes, I’m trying to psych myself up because I’m scared out of my mind and there is way too much I don’t know about my surroundings. It’s all fine and well to get away from Cole, but I have no idea where I am or how I’m going to get back to Shane. Thoughts of Shane keep me calm though; for him I will be strong and do whatever it takes. We will be together again. If Joe taught me anything, it was to fight for what I want. There aren’t always going to be people around to help or fight for you, so you need to be prepared to do it yourself. So that is what I’ll do.

Cole is late! At least, it feels later than usual and by that, I mean my bladder is about to burst and I’m starving. He wouldn’t just leave me here, would he? I know things didn’t go the way he wanted yesterday, but he claims to be in love with me, so he can’t just give up. Stop panicking and think! I consider shouting and calling out to him, but just as I’m about to, the door opens and he comes strolling in as if nothing’s wrong.

“Good morning, angel, Did you sleep well?” Hell no, you don’t get to act all normal after leaving me tied up for so long.

“Actually, I’ve been waiting for you. I really need to use the bathroom, Cole. Why are you so late this morning?” He seems taken aback that I would dare question him in such a manner, but I’m done playing the meek and mild captive. I glare at him and wait for his answer.

“Now, angel, don’t be mad. I was making arrangements for our trip home. We are leaving here this afternoon and heading back to Chicago. I thought that would make you happy. Come, let me take you upstairs.” He doesn’t stop to collect the blindfold, just unties my ankles and wrists, and leads me to the bathroom.

Holy shit, this is the break I’ve been waiting for. He must really be distracted to forget the blindfold, or maybe my change in attitude caught him off guard and he wants to win back my favor. Either way, I’m not going to get another opportunity like this. I stay close to his side to put his mind at ease that I’m not really mad, but also because I want him to relax enough to loosen his grip on my hand. Once I’m done in the bathroom, we walk out into the living space where I pause.

“Cole, I love that you’re taking me back to Chicago today, but I’d still like to see the rest of this beautiful home, will you show it to me?” I give him my best pleading look while holding my breath. He hesitates for a moment and I push a little harder. “I just know I’ll want to come back here again, maybe for a Valentine’s getaway. It would be so romantic, don’t you think?” That seems to win him over because he smiles, lets go of my wrist and takes my hand instead.

“You know I can’t say no to you, angel. Come, I’ll show you now.” He leads me from room to room downstairs, the dining room that could easily seat twenty people, another comfortable looking lounge with a massive fireplace, a theatre room that would make most men weep with joy, and the gourmet kitchen with gleaming appliances which are spotlessly clean and look like they’ve barely been used. In each new space, I try to look out the windows in an effort to make out what waits for me outside these walls, but I can’t make out much. All I see are trees lining what looks like the boundary wall, but that is some distance away and everything in between is covered in snow. Can’t worry about that now though. I must stay alert because the perfect opportunity could present itself at any moment.

We start to head upstairs and my excitement mounts. I can feel a similar energy in Cole but I’m pretty sure it’s for a very different reason. The staircase is wide and goes straight up but seems to have more steps than usual, probably because of the high ceilings on the ground floor, but this suits me perfectly. The landing opens up to another casual living space from which I can see the entries to at least six bedrooms. Bastard! All this space and he kept me locked up in the freaking basement! I allow this anger to fuel my resolve but hide it all behind exclamations of surprise and joy at the level of luxury and comfort we have at our disposal. Cole preens as if all of this belongs to him, a fake king sitting on a stolen throne. He leads me into each bedroom, every one with its own en-suite and dressing room, and I notice that he’s not using the master suite. His clothes and belongings are neatly stored in one of the smaller bedrooms which I find interesting. It’s almost as if he’s not supposed to be here and is making sure to leave as little sign as possible of our stay. Unfortunately, further thoughts fly out the window the moment we reach the master suite because he grabs me without any warning and pulls me towards the huge king-size bed. He jerks me so violently that I momentarily forget about fighting him off and we both land on the bed with him on top of me.

“Cole, no. Stop! Don’t do this, please?” My pleas fall on deaf ears and I start fighting him with everything in me. He doesn’t manage to pin my arms and I swing wildly at him, trying to scratch his face or stick my fingers in his eyes. I get in a couple of good shots to the side of his head as well and soon he’s rolling off of me, roaring in frustration. I jump up off the bed as well and make a run for the door, but he grabs hold of my arm again and pulls me back. The next thing I know, he strikes me hard across the face.

“You stupid girl! Do you really think you can string me along like this? I’ve been nothing but patient with you and yet you keep pushing me away. Is it because of your lover? Because I can put an end to that with no trouble at all. He won’t even see me coming.” With that he grabs my other arm as well and starts pulling me out the room.

“What are you going to do?” I’m still pulling against his grip, trying to buy some time and Cole’s rage seems to have him off balance so we struggle with each other while moving towards the open living space.

“I’m going to go to that ridiculous small town you seem to like so much and I’m going to end him. I told you I won’t allow anyone to interfere in our relationship. By the time we leave here today, he’ll be nothing but a memory.”

That’s it. What was left of my control snaps and I start fighting with all my might, kicking, boxing, anything I can think of to get away. The self-defense techniques Joe taught me come rushing back and I use all of it. By this time, we’ve reached the staircase and I know I’m only going to get one chance, so I need to get it right. I manage to twist my body sideways out of Cole’s grip and snake my leg around his ankle, effectively tripping him but he still has hold of my one arm and we both go tumbling down the stairs. Well shit, that wasn’t part of the plan.

Shane

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