Page 31 of Kidnapped in Dark Waters
She reached out and turned off the lantern on the nightstand. He then pulled her into him, spooning around her back while she snuggled into him.
Torture. It was sheer torture to have her so close against him. Her scent filled his head as her bottom wiggled into him. He tightened his arm around her, wanting her to feel as safe as possible as she fell asleep.
Meanwhile, he prayed sleep would come quickly to him as he fought against another wave of desire. “Luke?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“No need to thank me,” he replied. What she needed from him now was a sense of safety after the assault, and that thought doused his desire. “Good night, Dominique.”
“Good night, Luke.”
He knew the moment she fell asleep. Her body went completely limp against his and her breathing became slow and rhythmic. Unfortunately, sleep was elusive for him.
His mind whirled with everything that had happened from the moment he’d gotten the frantic phone call from her until now. It had been such a wild day.
He hoped that tomorrow she wouldn’t regret sleeping with him, and he hoped that she wouldn’t realize she’d made an impulsive jump into his arms because of the terrifying incident she’d suffered earlier.
It had been a very long time since he’d cuddled a woman in sleep. In his last relationship, the woman had hated being touched at night. She stayed on her side of the bed and he had stayed on his. That had been over a year ago and since that time he hadn’t dated or tried to cuddle with anyone.
He must have fallen asleep as he awakened to the sound of raucous loud music coming from Dominique’s phone. To his surprise, they were still in the position they had been in when they’d fallen asleep.
She stirred and he removed his arm from around her and moved away from her as she reached out to grab her phone. The music stopped and she let out a small groan. “Is it time to get up already?”
“Your phone says it is,” he replied.
She sat up and turned on the lantern against the darkness in the room. At five in the morning, there was no sign of the morning sun. “If you want to, go back to sleep,” she said as she got out of bed.
“Now that I’m awake, I’ll just get up and get dressed,” he replied.
“Why don’t you go ahead and get in the bathroom while I’m getting my clothes together,” she replied. As she turned onanother lantern on top of the dresser, he slid out of the bed, grabbed his clothes and then headed to the bathroom.
He should have time to get home, take a shower and then head to the café for breakfast. Hopefully all of Dominique’s regulars would show up this morning and he could get a good look at them all.
You will belong to me. As he thought of the note she’d received along with the attack on her, his biggest fear right now was that another attack would come—only this time the perp would be successful.
HE AWAKENED EARLY, a wild disappointment still raging through him. He should have been able to take her yesterday. It had been so perfect. She’d been alone on the narrow path and hadn’t heard him creeping up behind her.
When he’d managed to get the bag over her head, he’d been so sure of his success. He hadn’t counted on her having a knife and he also hadn’t counted on how hard she would fight against him. It had been like trying to contain a hellcat in a paper bag.
He sat at his kitchen table, the eggs he’d made himself for breakfast growing cold as he stared out the nearby window and thought about her.
Dominique Santori. Her very name sang in his heart. She was the woman of his dreams and all he could think about was getting her into his house where he could enjoy her company forever. She would fill up the dark, lonely hours that had become his life.
He gazed down at the nick in his skin. The little knife cut was now covered with a small bandage and would heal up fairly quickly. But it was a reminder of his failure.
He got up from the table and dumped his eggs in the trash and then went down the hallway to the door that led into the room he’d prepared especially for her.
The walls had been soundproofed and were painted an eggshell beige. The twin bed was covered in a pink, frilly bedspread that nearly hid the ropes that fell to the floor on either side. He’d have to tie her down until she became obedient and understood that she was where she belonged.
He could just imagine her sitting at the vanity table in front of the aluminum mirror and brushing her long, beautiful hair. Then he would take his turn and brush through the silky strands.
The room also had a small table with two chairs. They would eat their meals there until the time came when he could trust her outside of this room. There was also an en suite bathroom for her to use.
He believed he’d thought of everything. There was nothing sharp in the room that she could use as a weapon and he had everything he needed for her, everything that would keep her here forever.
Oh, it was going to be so wonderful. He closed the door and returned to sit at the kitchen table. His life wouldn’t be complete until he had her in it.
