Page 18 of Mate

A shiver coursed down my spine, and my feet moved seemingly all by themselves as if they knew I should be fleeing past him. Before I knew what was happening, I was inside the bedroom. Then after a few abrupt demands, he closed the door, locked it—why the fuck?—and left me behind.

Good girl.

The memory of those two words curled up from the tips of my toes and settled like a deep pressure in my core. I pressed my fingers over the top of my belly, trying to push it away, and shook my head.

Would he say those two words if I climbed him like a tree?

What the actual fuckballs?

What was happening to me? I felt like a cat in heat, and I shuddered hard, almost as if shaking hard enough would make the feeling go away.

Spoiler alert. It didn’t.

I needed to focus. Right now, I had to figure out a way to get out of here. The car was already gone, but Ryker hadn’t stayed behind. I’d chanced a peek out the window, watching him as he climbed into the SUV. I’d stayed there until the vehicle had driven out of sight.

I looked around the room.

The canopy bed, draped in the finest violet silks and velvets, took center stage.

Sunlight, dappled by the heavy drapes hanging on the windows, cast a warm, honeyed glow upon the antique furnishings that filled the room. A grand fireplace, etched with intricate vines and leaves, added a touch of cozy charm to the room.

More oil paintings adorned the walls, only these weren’t like the creepy faces that lined the hallway. Someone had painstakingly painted the delicate landscapes of the surrounding swamps, a woodland scene, as well as the road lining the entry to this massive place.

Those weren’t going to help me, either.

I stood up and returned to the window, looking down at the ground. I was up on the second story, but because of the ridiculously high ceilings of the first floor, I was practically three levels up.

I wasn’t going to be an idiot and jump down from here.

Sure, I could tie the bedsheets together and climb down like a female version of Tarzan, but I’d rather not. I wasn’t the best climber, and my upper body strength left a lot to be desired. If anything, I’d probably slip and fall down and bust up my leg really good just like that drunk guy back on campus.

No. I wasn’t going to do that.

I looked around the room for any weapon I could use and found nothing more than a few older style wooden hairbrushes. The drawers were empty, and the only thing on the nightstands were two antique lamps. It was like no one had lived here in ages.

Someone was dusting the place, though.

I walked into the bathroom and saw a door… to another bedroom.

He had to have locked that bedroom door too, right? He couldn’t be that dense, could he? And there was no way he thought I’d stay here just because he said so.

Almost tentatively, I walked towards the door and reached for the handle, entering another opulent bedroom. I eyed the door leading out of it to the hallway. My movements were tentative, almost like I was waiting for the door handle to transform into some kind of knob monster and bite me.

Maybe I should sign up at the psych wardvoluntarily. Clap me up in irons, boys. Batshit crazy chic, here I come.

My fingers brushed against the door handle and the fucking thing turned.

It wasunlocked.

I’d spent all that time thinking about ways to escape when I could have just waltzed right out the door. I’d seen way too many movies. This wasn’tIndiana Jones and the Escape into the Louisiana Swamps.

For being a doctor, Ryker wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box. He fit the stereotype of big, dumb brute down to a ‘T’. I couldn’t believe my luck, but I decided not to question it and just get a move on.

Thinking I should set up a distraction to make them believe I was still up here, my mind raced through a few different options. I could stack the pillows under my covers and pretend I was asleep. I could leave the shower on and run up their water bill. I snorted under my breath. Sure, it would be petty, but it would serve them right for royally fucking up my day.

Eventually, my gaze settled on the bags that Grumpy had hustled into the room. Sticking out of the top of one was my Bluetooth speaker. I could run it off my school-supplied laptop and get the fuck out of dodge before they realized I wasn’t even there.

As quickly as I could, I flipped open my laptop and opened my Spotify account. For a moment, I contemplated what sort of music to play, and then I settled on Taylor Swift.

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