Page 15 of A Captive Situation

“I’ll take herafter,” he snarled, looking two seconds away from putting hands on her. He didn’t. He kept them at his side, but the threat of violence was real with him. Then again, he’d been a cop so I shouldn’t have been surprised. His jaw clenched, he looked my way, and he forced his tone to soften. “Unless you want me to call that cab?”

My tongue weighed heavy in my mouth, and I shook my head.

Maybe I should’ve, but honestly, I had nothing else going on right now. Plus, I could add this to the tourist bucket list. Taking someone to rehab. I didn’t think this was necessarily a New York–tourist type of event, but it was an adventure and that was the premise of my bucket list. Doing things I normally wouldn’t. This was one of those things. Also, she was giving me distinct Mafia-princess vibes and that felt a very New York or Jersey-esque type of thing I wouldn’t get to do somewhere else.

This guy kinda scared me, but I also wanted to see what all was going to happen. I had tuned her out earlier, but I was tuned all the way in when it came to him. He was like no guy I’d met in my life.

Groan. Bad Sawyer.

Still, I said, “I’m good.”

“See!” Viv hissed at him. “She’s here for me.” She slapped at his chest, or would’ve. His hand moved like lightning, catching her wrist, and time slowed for a beat. It pulsed around them as the two shared a look. She tried to hit him. He stopped her, and his jaw clenched again, that promise of violence just there, swimming under the surface in him.

She paled again, swallowing thickly before she pulled her hand out of his grip.

I waited to see if she’d apologize, but she sniffed and flounced past him.

His eyes met mine, and that tension was still there. It switched to me, but along with it came some underlying heat. I felt it spear my belly, warming me. My tongue thickened again, but my body moved without me knowing. I stepped toward him. My hand began to reach out.

I wanted to ... I didn’t know. Reassure him? Comfort him?

Just touch him?

I ached with it, but so many thoughts and emotions were swirling inside of me. Compounding on top of each other. I’d never felt this way around Beck. I didn’t knowhowto react to this, and because I didn’t know, my body acted of its own volition.

My fingers ached to make contact with him, but before they could touch his chest, his hand found my wrist. Just like his cousin. But he wrapped his hand around me gently, holding me tight. Shivers raced through me, heating me up.

His thumb began to shift under my arm, and his eyes were smoldering.

I wanted more of this. More touch. More of him.

That scared me.

I yanked my hand back, a soft hiss on my breath.

His eyes shuttered, a wall coming down over him. I felt him pulling away from me, though neither of us moved a muscle.

I didn’t like the distance, but I knew it was because of my reaction.

He said, coolly, “I’ll give you a ride wherever you want if you endure my cousin for another couple of hours. The facility isn’t far outside of the city, but it’s still a drive.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ward off the chill from him.

I’d messed up. I wasn’t fully aware of it, but I knew I’d messed up. I’d pulled away from him, and neither of us wanted it, but now he was all the way gone. I wanted him back, but I didn’t know him. I didn’t know how to bring him back to me.

I was in that between phase where my body was having its own conversation with his, but my mind was still playing catch-up. It was a weird place to be, and my eyebrows furrowed, trying to make sense of all the undercurrents going on.

I said, wincing at how raspy my voice came out, “Yeah. Okay. I got nothing else to do today.”

He frowned at my words, but I moved forward. I didn’t want him to question me. I might answer him, and I didn’t want him to find out how I was just another person on the edge, seriously struggling with my current life because everything I’d known had been swept out from underneath me. If he got even a glimpse at how much of a mess I was, he’d kick me to the curb in a heartbeat.

I ached at that thought, at him leaving me behind.

And again, that left me dumbfounded. Never. I’d never felt such a strong and immediate reaction to anyone in my life.

I paused in the hallway, still hugging myself, my head folded down, because I didn’t know where I was going. Vivianna had marched on by herself. Jake cursed under his breath, going past me. He glanced back a few times, making sure I was following him, or seeing if I was still here? Did he want me to leave?

I half snorted to myself, under my breath, because good luck, dude.

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