Page 24 of Liberating Lily

After using the toilet, she washed her hands, still studying the bandages.

Every other time this had happened, nobody had ever given her answers. But Harvey might. He had to know what had happened, right? She was thinking more clearly than she had been. And she was determined to get some answers.

So when she stepped out of the bathroom, she gave him a look that she hoped proved she meant business.

“I want to know what happened to me.”

He raised an eyebrow as he stared at her. “I want to know that too.”

What did he mean?

“How do you not know? Weren’t you . . . weren’t you here?” She wrapped her arms around herself. Had he left her here alone? Or had someone else been in the room with her?

Oh, God. She was going to be sick.

“What? I think we’re talking about two different things. I want to know what happened to you ever since you got engaged.”

Huh? What did he mean?

“When you said that you wanted me to tell you what had happened to you, what were you talking about?” he asked.

“These.” She held out her arms and turned them over. “And this.” She pointed at the bandage on her inner elbow. “When I went to sleep, I didn’t have any of this, and when I woke up, I did. I want to know why.”

“I can see why that would be scary,” he said.

Yes. Well, what he didn’t know was that it wasn’t the first time it had happened to her.

“What happened?” she asked as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

“Whoa, baby. Are you all right?” He reached out and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close against him.

That did nothing for the dizziness washing through her. Although this became a different sort of light headedness.

He smelled so good. Lily found herself leaning in against him, unable to keep herself upright any longer.

“You need some dinner. Come on, it’s nearly ready. Let’s get you downstairs and fed, and then I’ll talk to you about what happened.”

She should insist that he tell her first, but she found she didn’t have the energy.

She hated feeling this way, so weak, so useless.

He lifted her up against him and carried her out of the room.

That was something else she should protest. The way he just picked her up and took her wherever he wanted her to be. He didn’t really have any right to do that.

Like he’s going to care about your thoughts on that. He kidnapped you, and he’s holding you prisoner. Carrying you down the stairs isn’t even going to rate with him.

As he carried her into the kitchen, the smell of something cooking made her mouth water.

“What is that?” she asked as he sat her on a stool at the kitchen island.

“It’s just spaghetti bolognese,” he replied. “I’m not a bad cook, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of time away from you preparing anything more complicated.”

“Spaghetti bolognese sounds amazing to me. I can’t remember the last time I ate pasta.”

He started dishing it up. “You don’t like pasta?”

“Oh no, I love it.”