Page 26 of After Our Kiss

- Chapter Nine -

Georgia Mary King

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His abrupt exit gave me the chance I needed to remove the jagged piece of mirror. Crouching, I decided to hide it between the wall and the right leg of the bed frame. I could reach it easily there.

Sitting on the bare mattress, I hugged myself, shivering. He'd left me with my flats and my panties; that was all. No bra, not even the dumb flesh-colored pasties. Not that being naked should have mattered... but after seeing Conway's reaction to touching me, it did.

Shutting my eyes, I relived the encounter. His stare had been shining with lust... with greed... and all of it was meant for me. The desire we'd had for each other as teenagers was a ghost in comparison. It worried me.

Itexcited me.

Gliding a hand upwards, I palmed the back of my neck.It was good that he saw this. It made him leave.Who knows how far we would have gone. Or how far I'd have wanted him to.

Stop being so ridiculous,I warned myself.If he's attracted to you, good. You'll use it against him. Don't be flattered by it. Don't you dare start desiring him.Conway meant me harm, I needed to remember that.

And Lonnie... holy hell. I didn't expect to see him working with Conway. Last I knew, they didn't get along. Whatever was going on, their father had to be the glue between them. It really was like old times.

Back then I'd escaped because Conway had helped me. He wasn't going to save me a second time.

I had to believe someone outside this island would be looking for me.Chelsea will. She'll go to the police.Conway might be right about no one seeing him at the party, but the guy who'd tried to rape me in the guesthouse would remember being attacked.

Had he seen Conway's face?

Could he recall what he was wearing?

It was messed up that I had to pray my would-be rapist would talk to Chelsea or the cops, helping them form a pathway to finding me. But I didn't have the luxury to wish for heroes with pure hearts.

Whoever knocked my door down and brought me home was good enough for me.

Because whatever happened... I wasn't going to give up.

****

“Georgia.”

My eyes snapped open. I'd fallen asleep with the lights on. Conway was standing by the door, dressed in midnight blue jeans and his brown jacket. He looked—fresh. His stubble was cleaned-up. He'd taken a shower and shaved. The wicked tension that had strung between us was gone; he was back to wearing his mask.

Covering my chest, I sat up, glaring his way.Did he see me? Did he look?“What time is it?”

“Breakfast time.” I hadn't noticed the paper bag in his left hand. He tossed it towards me; it landed softly on the end of my bed. “Get changed.”

Warily, I peeked into the bag. There was a pair of black yoga pants and a loose white sweatshirt. No bra or new underwear, though. Facing away from him, I stuck my head through the sweater's neck hole. “Are you here to tease me about food, starve me like good ol' daddy did?”

“We're going on a walk.”

Suspicion made me move slower. I took my time getting the pants on, trying to see if he was leering at my body. Conway hadn't stopped watching me, but his expression was unreadable. “A walk to where?”

He opened the door, motioning me out. Fear skittered up my spine, but I was eager to get out of this room. Following him, I walked a half-foot behind, trailing him down the hallway. Instead of going towards the front door, he led me down another route.

I saved my questions, unsure how many he'd even answer. I'd find out where we were going regardless of if I stayed quiet.

Conway stepped down into a small mudroom. Opening the door, he went through. I could see the milky-gray sky behind him. With my pulse going erratic, I walked out into the open air. I hadn't expected him to let me leave the house.

Shielding my face from my hair in the wind, I looked around quickly. There wasn't much to see. Other than a few sparse trees, the island was just rocks and flat gravel. It couldn't be more than half a mile across, if not less.

“This way,” he called, waiting for me.

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