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Cold. Terror. Anger.
I was swept up in all three, blinking to try to focus, the blinding light creating intense pain behind my eyes. As I tried to shift, another moment of raw terror jetted through me. Was I paralyzed? What had the bastard done to me? Then I realized why I couldn’t move. Thick bands of steel were holding me down, my arms and legs spread wide, the bright light fixture swinging slightly over my head, the creaking sound stirring me from unconsciousness. I twisted my arms, trying to determine the strength of the shackles. There was no way I’d free myself.
My stomach was woozy, my head so fuzzy I couldn’t focus. Where was I? How had I gotten here? I remembered almost nothing but… A man. He’d bumped into me then… Blackness.
A whimper escaped my mouth and I fought against the bitter nausea to lift my head. When I did, another wave of terror swept through me. I was completely naked. What little I could see of the room indicated a facility or workshop of some kind. No, wait. What was on the tray? Medical instruments?
“No. No!” My scream was met with laughter.
“Hello, my beautiful Chasity. It was finally time to begin the rest of our lives together.”
I jerked up, flailing my arms, still moaning as I blinked several times. I wasn’t tied down. The room was warm, and I was covered in sheets. I slowly turned my head, fighting the disgusting images, willing them to fade away, never to return. Then I noticed I wasn’t alone.
What? Wait a minute.
Snake.
He stirred in his sleep, rolling over to face me. I remained where I was, allowing the ugly vision to fade as my eyes became accustomed to the dark. Then I basked in the fact he was in my bed in my house, and it felt right. So comfortable. In fact, I could get used to this.
I bit back a laugh. That is if we didn’t argue all the time.
Swallowing, some of the anxiety finally faded but I was left with an ache so intense my breathing was rapid. After a few seconds, I was able to slide under the covers again, lying down and twisting so I could cradle my body next to his. When he put his arm around me, I’d never felt safer. No one could ever hurt me if Snake was around.
* * *
Warmth.
My eyes were heavy as I tried to open them, the incredible feeling of utter warmth keeping me in a beautiful moment of bliss. A strange noise seemed so far away, yet it called to me as if I was supposed to awaken. Shifting, the warmth suddenly faded, a crisp chill trickling down one arm. Everything seemed heavy, including my eyelids, but I finally managed to open them, taking a few seconds to get used to the darkness.
My mind was still foggy, trying to process why every muscle in my body ached as well as what I was hearing. Then all I could do was smile. Every inch of skin was on fire because of the few hours spent fucking in almost every room of my small house before dropping into bed. I’d had wine. Snake had consumed bourbon. There’d been no small talk or fake attempt at romance, but the heated closeness of our bodies had been wonderful.
I rolled over, sliding my arm across the sheets, longing to feel the same heated connection. Then I realized he wasn’t in the bed. When I lifted my head, only then did I realize what I was hearing. My phone. After glancing at the clock, I exhaled. It was after three in the morning.
I didn’t care who was calling me at this point. I shifted further onto the other side of the bed, pressing my face into the sheets. The cool linen still smelled like him. When the phone stopped ringing, I dragged the covers up higher, enjoying the warmth. Given the slight heat remaining, he couldn’t have been gone that long. Why leave in the first place? He wasn’t the kind of guy to hang around after hot sex.
Maybe he’d called to say he’d gotten home okay. I bit my lower lip, half laughing in my sleepy state of mind as I closed my eyes once again. We hadn’t exchanged numbers. We were simply enemies with benefits. As soon as I started drifting off, the shrill sound of my phone dragged me all the way awake. Who in the hell was calling this time at night? Oh, God. What if something had happened with Shelly or one of the other girls?
I tumbled across the bed, fighting to get into the living room where I’d left my phone, managing to snag it on the fourth ring.
“Hello?”
“I heard a quote once that made me think of you.”
The whispered voice was one I didn’t recognize, raspy and unusual. I also couldn’t tell if the caller was a male or female. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
No. No. No…
“Angela Carter once said ‘A broken heart is never a tragedy. Only untimely death is a tragedy.’ So true.”
What? It wasn’t possible. There wasn’t a chance that… My arm started to itch from the rush of blood.
When the call went dead, I took a deep breath, pulling the phone from my face. A cold shiver trickled down my spine, not only from the words that had been said, but also from the fact the number on the screen came from my office phone. “What the hell?” My hand was shaking, my thoughts drifting to the roses. Had Snake told me he’d sent them? Had he confirmed it?
Oh, God. I wasn’t certain at this point. We’d been so busy being unable to keep our hands off each other that I couldn’t be certain at all. Was it possible the prank caller had spoofed my office number? Maybe. I guess. Hell, I wasn’t certain.
I glared at the screen for a few additional seconds then redialed the number. As usual, my voicemail came on after three rings. Had someone broken into the therapy offices? Given our unit was an actual wing attached to the hospital itself, the custodians had a key. Had one of them made the call? If so, why?
That was crazy. I glanced at the partially open blind and raced toward it, shutting it immediately then crowding the wall. The same fear that had exploded within me almost two years before had found a black hole in the center of my brain, and it wasn’t going away any time soon. Maybe I was still asleep. I knew better. As I started scratching my arm, I closed my eyes briefly.
