Page 65 of A Captive Situation

I gulped. “Don’t call me that.”

“Lunatic,” he clipped out.

I huffed. “That’s better.”

His hand slid around to the back of my neck, cupping me. He angled my head up to his, and closed the distance between us, his chest pressing to mine. “If you ever think a killer is in your closet, you run, you scream, or you get me. I’d prefer you run and scream first.”

Oh, god.

Also, he wasn’t answering my question.

I drew in some air, and my chest rose against his.

He felt so good there.

His power, his strength, that I knew he would and could kill, that he was here. A part of me relaxed, knowing I was safe, and I hated registering that part of me. Because I had to admit that the same part of me had been on edge, knowing I was away from him, fearing for my life and my family’s.

I was in such trouble.

I half muttered, freaking out more that a part of me trusted him, “And if you’re not available?”

His hand tightened on me as he leaned down until there was an inch separating our lips. He drawled, “If you can’t run. If you can’t scream. If I’m not available, and you have to open that door, you get a gun. You hear me?”

My heart skipped a beat.

He was against me, every inch of him.

I felt a bulge between my legs, and my body was remembering the last time we’d been in the same room. The feel of his fingers pumping inside of me, and the need to feel the rest of him filling me up.

Arousal began spreading through me, making my breathing grow more shallow. My pulse sped up. My mouth started salivating.

“Gun,” I croaked. “Got it.”

I eyed him, tension edging in.

He saw the switch and angled his head back so he could see me better. His mouth went flat. “What?”

Another part of me twisted because if my body was already trusting that it was him, that he made me feel safe, then that meant the kidnapping had been what he actually said. I was still muddled up, but I whispered, “You really did kidnap me for my safety, didn’t you?”

His eyes and mouth immediately softened. He brushed a hand over my forehead in a gentle graze. “Yeah, babe.”

Babe.

My heart fluttered. That felt right.

Oh, boy. I was in so much trouble here.

“You were hoping you’d imagined the whole thing?”

The final ring of truth from him was the final nail in my coffin. God. It was all true. Tears immediately came to my eyes, with terror swiftly behind them. Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, gooooood. My family. I had called my cousin. My aunts. They were all here and so was I.

“Hey, hey.” Jake pulled me away from the wall, going to the bed, and he tugged me onto his lap. “Hey.” He caught my face, tilting up my chin so I was looking directly at him. He said, firmly, “Stop.”

I did. I stopped thinking. I stopped feeling.

In that break, he cupped both sides of my face, his thumbs rubbing under my ears on my neck. “I fucked up here. I’m sorry I took you in the way I did in the first place, and I’m sorry for locking you in the room. I—that’s on me.”

I closed my eyes, my heart squeezing. Jesus. It was all true. Resting my head against his, I breathed out, in a whimper, “My family is here. They’re like moms to me. Ijustmet Graham, and he’s the sweetest. Oliver too.”

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