Is Tav asleep now? Is it safe to go poking around for the keys?
There was only one way to find out, so she crept over the floor to check the hallway. The smell of Tav’s dinner touched her nostrils, and in spite of the meal she had eaten with Oliver, Lora realized that she was still a bit hungry.
If he catches me poking around downstairs, I can pretend I went to make something to eat, she decided.
Inch by inch, she padded across the floor, careful not to put her weight too heavily on any floorboard, lest she rouse a creak as she had before.
Lora made her way down the floating staircase to the main floor, and to her relief, she saw no trace of Tav. He had retired for the night, and when she entered the kitchen, Lora realized why. It was almost three-thirty in the morning.
The room was spotless, the dishes put away, even if the odor of meat and garlic lingered in the air, causing Lora’s stomach to growl more. The sound embarrassed her slightly, and she opened the stainless-steel fridge to look inside.
Startlingly, the appliance was fully stocked with a variation of nutritious and delicious looking foods.
How does he do this all himself? She wondered, noticing not for the first time how clean the house was. It defied logic that a man could not only look as good as Tav but be so good at life. Something had to be wrong with him.
He’s a kidnapper, she reminded herself sharply, squaring her shoulders and closing the fridge without withdrawing anything to snack on. Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry anymore. She needed to focus on getting out of there, not falling for this elusive mountain man who was holding her against her will.
Sighing, Lora moved back toward the living room, her eyes trailing over the dining room table and then the coffee table where Tav had left his laptop. Her eyes popped open with renewed interest as she sought out a phone, but Tav had only left out the laptop.
It’s better than nothing. Maybe I can find an email address for Oliver. If there was a tip line, there might be an email too.
She wasn’t sure how much she could tell Oliver about where she was, but she knew Tav’s last name and perhaps the IP address could be traced by the authorities.
Assuming that Oliver is working with the authorities. But Tav said he wouldn’t.
Again, she shrugged off what Tav had said. Oliver had not kidnapped her. Tav had.
But Oliver said some things that were inconsistent too…like Andrew being Adam?
Lora ground her teeth together so tightly, she was stunned they didn’t crack, and she reached for the laptop. There was no room for her doubts about Tav. His actions spoke for themselves. If Oliver were such a bad man, he wouldn’t have agreed to let her stay at the hotel and give her time.
But he didn’t. He guilted you into returning home.
A grunt of frustration escaped Lora’s lips as she tried to shut off the questions in her brain. Maybe Oliver wasn’t a good guy, but she couldn’t figure it out while being held captive. One way or another, she needed to get out of the mountain cabin and back into town where she could at least speak with the police about who she was and what was happening to her.
She hit enter and exhaled as the lock screen appeared.
Of course it’s password protected. The man is paranoid with his locks and keys.
Pursing her lips together, she contemplated trying to crack it, but whoever she was in her life before her amnesia, Lora was sure it was not a computer hacker.
The keys. I’ll focus on finding the keys.
She put the computer back where she had found it and rose from the sofa again, eyes darting about.
The keyring was in no obvious spot, and the more she searched, the more her frustration mounted. She found herself on the second floor again, this time standing in front of Tav’s bedroom.
Inhaling sharply, she reached for the doorknob, and the door opened in her hand.
Moonlight streamed through the double glass doors onto his half-naked form, barely draped in a sheet. For a long moment, Lora could only stare at his exquisite body, barely believing that hours earlier, she had been writhing in pleasure beneath him. Her pulse quickened as she cautiously tiptoed to his bedside, eyes widening as she counted his measured breaths, but Tav did not stir.
The urge to climb into the California king bed was almost overwhelming, but she reminded herself what she had come there to do.
I have to find the keys and get out of here.
Yet as she stared at him, the escape seemed less important, as if a trance had befallen her, and time stood still.
What is this weird hold that Tav has on me? It’s not right. It’s not natural.
And yet it felt both.
Lora closed her eyes and willed her heart to still, certain that the incessant pumping would wake her captor.
Then, without snooping in another spot, she spun and silently left Tav’s bedroom to hide herself away in hers where she remained awake for the rest of the night.
11
Tav had sensed her come into his room in the middle of the night but had not reacted. His well-honed sixth sense could feel Lora’s every move, her nearness filling him even without his lids parted. He had almost forgotten how much her scent aroused him in all the confusion. The desire to pop his eyes open and seize her, drawing her against his bare chest almost choked him, but he dared not. No matter what his feelings for her, he knew that Lora did not trust him, and he could not force her into seeing him with clearer eyes, no matter how much he longed for it.
The truth will come out in the end, he reassured himself. But in those moments, it did little to comfort him. He wanted nothing more than to be one with Lora again, yet he knew he had no choice but to keep himself under control.
It wasn’t until she retreated to her bedroom that it occurred to him that she had no business being there in the first place. She had not come to be intimate, that much was clear.
She was looking for something.
The realization made him slightly sad, but Tav knew he couldn’t take it personally. He had spent the evening looking up information on Oliver Church through his social media, but his privacy settings only let Tav see so much.
There must be someone who knows him, someone who can tell me his connection to Lora.
With Oliver in Colorado, Tav realized he could make a trip to New Mexico and do some digging around, but what would he do with Lora? He was sure that she was resourceful enough to get out of the cabin, no matter how much he tried to secure her. Short of tying her down, there was no way to ensure that she would be there when he returned. And Tav was not going to physically harm her, difficult as she was making things.
It was just one more obstacle to overcome, but he knew he would find a way.
Before dawn, he rose as he always did and showered to face the day.
Inside the steaming shower, allowing the water to spill along the crevices of his finely crafted form, Tav wished that Lora were in there with him. He had never felt so strongly about anyone before, not in any memory he had, and he wondered if he had found his mate in the confused but courageous woman.
That’s why I am so eager to protect her. She’s my mate.
The realization was stunning, awe-inspiring, and Tav’s eyes opened in more ways than one. All the doubts he’d had about what he was doing before flew out of his head, and he soaped himself more vigorously, eager to see Lora again. He decided that he needed to reach an understanding with her, now that his comprehension of who she was and how she had come into his life were so much clearer.