His hand comes out of nowhere, and I flinch as he pinches my chin between two fingers, forcing me to look into his eyes. Dark black pools of nothingness reflect back at me.
If there is anything I’ve learned about Zane, it’s that he is unreadable. Like a lake, you can’t see the bottom, but you know there’s something there beneath the surface. Lurking in the dark, deep waters. You just aren’t sure what it is. That’s Zane.
Releasing my chin, he drags his knuckles over my cheek before he cups it. The gesture is gentle, kind, and it confuses me. I’d expected his rage, his anger, fury, but kindness? No way.
“It doesn’t matter what you do to me, Dove. I will never put my hands on you in any way to cause you harm. I will never hurt you.” He leans into me, so close that I can feel his hot breath on my lips.
This strange heat blooms in my belly, and my gaze darts from his eyes and down to his full lips and back again. I’m riding a teeter-totter of emotions and toeing the line between what is right and wrong. This is wrong, bad. I want to kiss him, to let him consume me, to taste his venom on my lips, but I don’t understand why. I’m terrified, but also curious. I shouldn’t let my captor kiss me or touch me, but a very strange part of me craves him.
As if he can read my mind, his lips descend on mine. Lifting my hands, I rest them against his chest. Do I want to stop him? My brain says, push him away, but my heart tells me to hold him close. My entire body trembles at the gentle brush of his top lip over mine before his bottom lip caresses mine.
Though the kiss is soft, nothing more than a whisper, the intensity of it steals the air from my lungs. It evokes an emotion from deep within that I haven’t felt for years.
Safe. Protected.
The smell of clean soap and the warmth of his body clings to me. My ribs are a cage, and my heart is a bird beating against it to break free.
Gripping onto the fabric of his shirt, I want to tug him closer, and I’m tempted to, but before I can, he’s pulling away. He breaks the kiss and presses his forehead against mine while placing his hands on either side of my head against the wall.
We’re both panting and out of breath. His chest rises and falls rapidly, like kissing me was running a mile uphill.
Licking my lips, the coppery tang of blood lingers on my tongue. It’s both shocking and alluring. How can I like this? It’s wrong…
“You’re everything, Dove. Everything. You have no idea the things I’ve done for you. The blood that’s covered my hands. The darkness I’ve endured, but that’s okay because now you’re mine. You’re here, and you’re mine, and it was all worth it in the end.”
Everything he is telling me confuses me more. Blood? Darkness? Is he telling me he’s hurt people for me? I don’t want to know, don’t want to ask, but I know, eventually, I’ll have to because deep down, I need to know.
“I’m going to put the groceries away and meet you in the bedroom. Take a shower, so we can get ready for bed.”
“Bed?” I croak. That’s when I remember what he said earlier when he showed me the house. He said we’ll be sharing the bedroom. I’ve been so occupied with trying to escape, that I forgot about that part, or maybe I just wanted to forget it.
He wants me to sleep with him. This insane man who drugged and kidnapped me is making me sleep with him.
“Yes, bed, it’s late, and you should rest since I had to give you that drug. It’ll take a little while to completely wear off. Now go shower.”
He puts some much-needed space between us, though it looks like it’s the last thing he wants to do. In fact, he looks like he wants to ravage me, consume me, breathe me in until there’s nothing left. Like watching a bad accident happen right before your eyes, you can’t make yourself look away, and that’s how I’m feeling right now.
When I don’t move, Zane gives me a dark smirk that gets the blood pumping through my veins. “Go, now. Before I strip you bare and take what’s always been mine.” The muscles in his forearms tighten, and his fists clench a little tighter, and it’s almost like he’s holding himself back.
Always been his?
That thought gets me moving, and I scurry away from him, practically running to the bedroom. Once alone, I finally feel like I can breathe. I touch a finger to my lips where the kiss lingers and wonder why I’m feeling this way?
Something is terribly wrong with me.
12
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I ignore the raging hard-on I’m sporting between my thighs. Fuck, it was just a kiss, but that little touch of our lips was like a lightning bolt of pleasure zinging through me, making my entire body come alive.
My skin tingles and feels hot to the touch. I feel so incredible, I couldn’t care less about my swelling face or the open cut on my cheek.
It’s no surprise that she’s fighting me on every corner, not that I expected anything less. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t bother the shit out of me though. I want her to trust me, want her to believe that I’m protecting her. That my intentions come from a good place. I mean, how can she still not see that? I guess she needs more time.
Yes, in time, she will understand. Soon enough, it will make sense to her. She will learn to trust me, see that I mean her no harm. I know she’s scared and unsure, so I need to give her more time to digest everything.
This place is so quiet that I can hear the shower running through closed doors and from across the apartment. Which, of course, doesn’t help my boner any. Immediately, my mind conjures up an image of Dove in the shower, naked, her skin covered in bubbles. Her delicate fingers slipping between her legs. Maybe touching her pussy at this very moment. Shit, this is not helping… thinking about her naked is not going to help me keep myself in check.
Looking down at my steel hard cock, I groan. Soon… very soon, but not today.
I make one more run upstairs to the car. When I come downstairs this time, I’m a little more careful. I wouldn’t hold it against Dove if she tried to hurt me again, she’s a fighter after all. She might not look like it on the outside, but she is stronger and braver than many people I’ve met. I doubt she’s giving up so fast. She’ll continue to push me, and that’s not her fault. It’s just not in her to give up, and I admire that about her. Her determination.
By the time I’ve put all the groceries and supplies away, the sound of running water has stopped, and I know she is finished with her shower. The ache in my balls has subsided a little, but having her so close, and yet so far away at the same time, makes the cravings unbearable.
Making my way back into the bedroom, I wonder if she is going to try and fight me on our sleeping arrangements. I’m sure she will. If she’s trying this hard to escape, I can only imagine what she plans to do to get out of sleeping beside me.
Stepping into the room, I find her standing in front of the dresser wrapped in a fluffy white towel. The long strands of her brown hair cascade down her back while beads of water cling to her skin. I want to lick them away. Lick every inch of her body until she’s completely spent and can do nothing but lay there as I take her over and over again.
Biting back a groan, I force the thought away.
“Nightgowns and Pajamas are in the second drawer, I believe,” I say, making her jump a good foot off the floor as she turns around.