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Chains had brought Lori her dinner an hour ago. He’d get her dishes and leave her some snacks.
He unlocked the basement door and took the stairs one by one. Lori was sitting on the bench reading one of the books he’d left for her. When she looked up at him, all his venom slipped away. “You all done with dinner?”
“I’m done,” she said.
He squatted near her. “What are you reading there?”
She rolled her eyes and set the book aside. “I don’t need the books.”
“It was just a question.”
“What’s going to happen to me, Chains?” Hearing her say his name was music to his ears. He wanted to hear her say it over and over again.
“I’ve already told you, I’ll take care of you. If you hadn’t been so difficult last week, you’d still have the run of the house.”
She frowned, waving an arm in the air. “I know, why don’t you put up some bars, and I’ll be like a monkey in a cage. You can feed me bananas through the cracks.”
Lori had been getting bolder each day. At least she had some fire. When he’d first taken her, she’d been broken and vulnerable. Her face was healing up nicely, only a light highlight under her eye where the worst of the punch had been.
“One day you’ll appreciate what I’m doing for you. Maybe you’ll thank me.”
“Thank you for kidnapping me?”
“For saving you,” he corrected. “You don’t have to worry about Carlton since I killed him, do you?”
Her mouth fell agape. “W-what do you mean?”
“I’m not following.”
“You said you took care of Carlton. Now you’re saying you murdered him? Are you joking?”
Chains was confused. She sounded upset. How could she have an emotional response for a man who’d beaten her and made her life miserable?
“I don’t understand why you’re upset. Or shocked.” He stood up and wandered around the basement. It had changed a lot since Lori arrived. He’d added more lighting, set up a twin bed, bookshelf, even a fake plant. Women liked that kind of shit. The bathroom only had a toilet and sink, so he’d let her upstairs later to shower or bathe.
“Murder? That’s not normal.” Then she got quiet, fiddling with her fingers.
Fuck! His intention wasn’t to scare her. He wanted her to trust him.
He sat beside her, and she shifted away. Chains grabbed her arm and held her steady. “Listen, little lady, I killed that asshole because he put his hands on you. I’d do it again if I had to. Nobody touches what’s mine.”
“Yours?”
He wet his lips. Chains wasn’t comfortable with emotion. He’d never been shown love or affection in the orphanages, and his adulthood was a mix of violence and distrust. But there was something special about Lori, and for the first time in his life, he had no desire for other women.
“Listen, I’m not going to kill or hurt you. I thought you’d have realized that by now.” He released her arm, his fingers grazing her thigh as he pulled away. “Anything you want, I’ll give it to you. Why isn’t that enough?”
She shifted slightly to the side, looking at him. “You can’t force someone to love you, Chains. Why would you want that?”
He frowned and stood up. “I never asked you to love me,” he said. He began his climb up the stairs. Before he reached the top, he turned. “But don’t be mistaken. You are mine.”
****
Lori watched the door close behind Chains. Part of her wanted to shout out for him to come back down. Even though she was used to being alone in life, being trapped in the basement with little social interaction was messing with her head. She needed to talk. Right now, she wanted to scream.
Her traitorous body lit up every time Chains visited her, to the point she swore she’d have a spontaneous orgasm. The man was built like a Greek god, all hard, lean muscle. His eyes, they held so much angst and darkness. She’d noticed it in the diner, but hadn’t paid much attention to it. Now, all she had was time.
She wanted to hate him. She should hate him. The man was a murderer. The saddest part was, her kidnapper had been the nicest man she’d ever met. Her own father had been cold and selfish, her boss a prick, and every other man either abused her or treated her like trash. Chains was different. He made her feel like a princess … locked in a basement rather than a tower. And he’d killed … for her.
