Page 13 of Pushed

“Damn it!” Throwing my head back, my chest heaved in despair.

“I take it you want it off?” The door clinked shut as he spoke, but I didn't hear him move. And I was listening, I made sure of that. “I don't blame you, the excitement must be killing you.”

Curling my lip, I barked. “Fuck you!” Jumping to my feet without even thinking about it, the floor was cold, the wood dry and cracked as I dug my toes into it.

They had taken everything from me.Everything.

I was left with nothing and almost completely bare, allowed to keep just my bra and panties. But I didn't feel cold or hot, I didn't feel more vulnerable because I was lacking anything to cover my body.

What I did feel was raw, it came in from a place I didn't know existed. I felt strong for not feeling fear, I felt confident for not allowing the stripping to tear me apart.

There was no doubt in my mind that they wanted to remove everything I had so I would feel weaker. It didn't work.

“Sit back down, you don't need to get up, I just came to talk.”

My teeth cut into my cheek as I bit down hard, while my heart sped up, playing a tune that only I could hear. “Fuck you, Asshole!”

“Sit,” he demanded, his tone low and fierce.

My body reacted instantly, dropping back to the mattress behind me before I could protest. It was as if all my muscles were in charge, knowing that they were useless without vision.

If I had my sight, I could run, I could charge him and break free. But being blinded and bound left me at his mercy. I couldn't open a door or climb a fence, I couldn't protect myself in any way.

I tried running already and it got me nowhere.

I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. There was nothing I could do. . .

Yet.

Machi's feet thudded against the hard floor, his presence unwelcomed and detested. I could smell the fragrance of his cologne as he stepped closer, and I wanted to hate it.

My brain was telling me to lash out, to scream and demand answers, to hit him and kick him and make him hurt.

But my heart drummed with sour and sweet, careening around inside my chest like a caged bird trying to be set free. I felt goosebumps explode over my skin as he grew closer and his cologne threatened to high-jack my body, making it do things that shouldn't exist in a situation like this.

That scent, it wasn't evil or angry, it wasn't concocted from someplace dark and meant to be hated. There were top notes of pink pepper and heart notes of dry cedar. He smelled toxic.

My thighs trembled, as if waiting for him to speak was exciting, my lungs devoured the tiny scent that remained, begging for him to move closer, while every nerve fizzled, anticipating his touch on my skin.

Inhaling a subtle breath, his scent hovered inside, morphing my hate for him into some strange, crazy lust I couldn't understand.

I didn't like it.

It made me feel sick to my stomach that even the smallest amount of desire would try and break through in such a devilish scenario.

It's just your emotions going haywire, that's all. It's not real.

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to come down from the clouds and stop letting his cologne make me think of him as anything other than a monster.

Because that's exactly what he was.

He kidnapped me, he tied me up and threw me in a trunk, tossing me into a room to wait; I was left waiting to learn more, waiting to find out what he had planned for me.

The hours leaked together, the seconds passed in flashes, blending this horrible night into one long, torturous event. Time didn't seem to exist anymore, it wasn't a part of this world.

All I wanted was to be set free.

The mattress creaked as he sat beside me, the heat off his body bristled my skin. I didn't want him near me, I wanted him to stay far away. But my nose wanted more, it betrayed me, allowing him to infiltrate my brain.

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