Page 37 of Love Me Carefully
Chapter Eight
Leah’s head hurt like hell. The simple act of lifting her eyelids was sheer torture. Groaning, she lifted her arm to cover her eyes and prayed the pain would go away. It was at that moment she realized she wasn’t in her bed. Snatching her arm down quickly, she braved discomfort and opened her eyes. Her heart beat frantically as she searched the room for some semblance of recognition.
She found none.
Wooden beams hung above her, heavy and forbidding. What looked like old furniture and boxes were stacked in every corner. An old picnic table and chairs sat at the far end of the room, and boxes of old vinyl records blocked her view of the steps. Where the hell was she? And more importantly, how had she gotten there?
A hand on her shoulder panicked her and she screamed loud enough to wake the dead.
“It’s just me,” Terrell whispered in her ear.
When she stared at him with eyes as huge as saucers, he gently stroked her arm until recognition dawned. “It’s okay. I’m pretty sure we’re alone.”
She spoke hesitantly, afraid of what the answer might be. “Where…where are we?”
“I think we’re in the basement of somebody’s house.” Finally sitting up, he turned to help ease her into a sitting position beside him. He’d been awake for some time now, coming to with a start at the unfamiliar surroundings, just as she had. He didn’t remember how they’d gotten there. His last memory was that of a big burly man telling him to drink a gritty tasting liquid from a paper cup. His mind was blank after that, until awakening this morning on the floor of a dark, cluttered basement.
Only a few moments before Leah awakened, he remembered the big burly man was Donald. The man his mother was about to marry.
“How did we get here?” Leah asked as she looked around. It was definitely somebody’s basement.
“I think we were drugged.” Bringing his fingers to his temples, he began to rub against the nagging pain.
“Drugged? By who? For what?” As she asked, the answers clicked into her brain. She remembered the sleazy strip club and what had happened in the alley beside it. “Donald.” She said his name in the faintest of whispers.
“Bingo.” Turning to her, Terrell surveyed her appearance. She wore jeans and a sweatshirt that shouldn’t have turned him on the way it did. Unfortunately, that sexy leather jacket was made more for fashion than for warmth. Her hair was a bit tousled, as if she’d been rolling around in bed with a man, with him. The stab of lust that soared from his brain to rest hotly between his legs was staggering and he hurriedly looked away.
Leah patted her side pockets, then her back ones and cursed.
“Yeah,” Terrell said with a nod. “They took our phones.”
“No phones,” she said slowly. “And we can’t get out, can we?”
“Oh my God! Can we get out?”
He smoothed back wayward strands of her hair. “I was just about to get up and look around. You sit still and let the grogginess pass.”
Terrell got to his feet, stood for a second, then followed the stream of light on the floor toward the door.
“Check all the doors. And check the windows.” Struggling to get to her feet, Leah felt a wave of nausea hit her and she stumbled into a table, sending an abundance of noisy items to the floor.
Terrell turned around, saw her condition, and hurried to her side, catching her in his arms before she fell. “Not only do you talk a lot, you have a problem following simple directions as well.” He looked down at her grimly.
“Oh shut up. And put me down, I can walk.” He was holding her in his arms as if she were a thirty-year-old baby. Her head, curse its betrayal, rested against his shoulder.
Terrell grinned to cover the fact that he was worried about her. Apparently, she wanted to show no weakness to anyone. “Yup. You just showed me how well you can walk.” He liked holding her close, liked the feel of her soft curves in his arms, but knew it was only a matter of time before she really began to protest. Besides, he needed to find a way out. He turned, looking for something he could set her on, and spotted an old lawn chair in the corner.
“I’m serious, Terrell. I don’t need you carrying me around.” He was walking with her now, his arm beneath her knees, his hand dangerously close to her butt. She squirmed, but he didn’t break his stride.Damn, he’s a lot stronger than I thought.She let her hands splay over his shoulders and back, almost groaning as she felt the flexing of rigid muscles beneath his clothes.
Before she could say another word Terrell stopped and released her legs gently, so that her body slithered down the front of him. Her eyes locked with his, and they both stood perfectly still.
The smoldering heat between them was instantaneous. His hands were trembling. He didn’t release her, and she looked up at him with those enticing eyes and licked her lips. Every drop of blood in his body rushed to his midsection and the throbbing began. He saw in her eyes the moment his erection pressed against her belly. He thought she’d pull away but instead she moved closer.
It was as if Leah were seeing him for the first time. His strong jaw was clenched, his lips drawn tightly together as his eyes smoldered over her. He held her in a tight grip as if afraid to let her go. She didn’t want to move, didn’t want to disturb the safety she felt there, wrapped up in Terrell. Her nipples tingled as they rubbed against his chest, and lust swirled in the pit of her stomach like a whirlpool, trickling slowly down to rest between her legs. Maybe she needed to re-evaluate what exactly was her type.
Before this moment led to something he wasn’t sure she was ready for, he knew he had to end it. Taking a deep breath, he slid his arms from her backside to rest on her hips, as if to steady her. “I’m going to let you go for just a minute while I pull this chair out. Then I want you to sit.” He looked at her intently. “Do you understand? Sit. Don’t move.”
Leah nodded, still tingling from their closeness.
