by C. C. Wood
Understanding dawned on me as I listened. They were going to use me as bait. Excitement began to hum in my veins. This wasn’t the first time I’d played this sort of role in an operation, but it was definitely the most dangerous.
“If Asher has one of the prophesied Five in his possession, then he’ll have the key to the inner workings of the Faction,” Conner explained.
Asher interrupted. “Cornelius will be eager to get his hands on one of you.”
A chill ran down my spine and spread out to my arms and legs. I didn’t want to think about what Cornelius might want to do to me.
“Okay, so tell me the plan.”
“I would take you from the safe house sometime in the next few days,” Asher explained. “You would be my captive.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that.
“He could present you as his pet,” Conner suggested. “But that would require a lot of…acting on your part.”
I definitely didn’t like the sound of pet, but the idea of being locked up for days or weeks at a time was making my skin crawl. It appeared to be the lesser of the two evils.
“And then what?” They stared at me blankly, so I elaborated. “After Asher is back in with Cornelius, then what?”
“He gathers information about the Faction and we form a plan of attack.”
“So, in other words, that is the plan? Information gathering so we can make another plan?”
I saw the corner of Conner’s mouth twitch before he controlled it. Asher glared at me.
“Sarcasm is the last resort of small minds,” he grumbled.
“Actually, there are studies which have proven that sarcastic people function on a higher intellectual level than those who are not.” I crossed my arms over my chest and settled back into my chair. I didn’t care how sexy he was, that was an extremely rude thing to say. Maybe I’d been right to avoid him before.
Conner grunted, a strangely strangled sound, then cleared his throat before muttering, “Uncanny.”
I couldn’t help myself, I grinned at him. “I’m telling you, she’s a bad influence.”
“I’m beginning to believe she’s not the influence after all,” he retorted.
I shrugged, still smiling. “Will she know about this?”
Conner nodded. “I’ll need her help, so yes.”
“Who are you two talking about?” Asher snapped.
“Donna,” I shot back. “Now, if you’re done with your snit, we need to continue this discussion of your supposed plan.”
“Why?”
Asher’s eyes wandered down to my legs as I crossed them. “Because I have some questions.”
After a few minutes of asking questions and offering suggestions, Asher’s hostile attitude began to melt away.
“How is it you know so much about an operation like this?” he asked.
I glanced at Conner. “You didn’t tell him.”
“I mentioned it, but I don’t think he understood what I meant.”
Asher interrupted our side conversation, clearly annoyed he was being left out again. “You said she used to work for a security firm, Conner. You never told me that she was an operative.”
“I was more of an analyst. I didn’t go out into the field as often as operatives,” I stated.
Asher nodded. “Okay, but you’re still more experienced than the average human, and you have abilities.” He turned to Conner. “This may just work after all.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence there,” I mumbled.
Conner made that weird grunting noise again as Asher glared at me.
“Are you okay?” I asked Conner.
He cleared his throat. “Fine.”
“So when will we put this plan in motion?”
“In the next three days,” Conner answered. “Can you call Luca and Duncan downstairs? We need to talk to them.”
The second polite dismissal in two days. Conner was definitely a master.
I nodded and got to my feet. As I left the room and started up the stairs, I could feel Asher’s eyes on me until I was out of sight.
Chapter Four
Tonight was the night. Asher was coming for me.
To say Duncan and Luca were unhappy with the plan was an understatement. Their argument with Conner and Asher had lasted a long time and had gotten heated. Finally, I’d put my foot down and told them it was my choice and I wanted to do it.
I didn’t understand why they were so adamant I didn’t go through with this plan. As I told Duncan before, I didn’t like to invade their privacy, but I was tempted to try and get a read on their emotions.
Now it was three nights later and I sat cross-legged at the end of my bed, waiting for Asher to kidnap me. Earlier that night, I dressed in black yoga pants and t-shirt, and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I’d been waiting in the dark for what felt like hours, but a quick glance at my watch told me that it had only been forty-five minutes.
With a sigh, I stretched out on the bed and picked up my Kindle. I might as well read while I waited. As I read and the hour grew later, my eyes became heavy.
I didn’t mean to fall asleep but eventually I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. As I sank into slumber, the dream began. It was warm and dark, and a fragrance hung in the air. I didn’t recognize the scent but it was hypnotic and delicious. I wanted to wallow in it, absorb it into my skin so I could carry it with me everywhere.
Out of the darkness, a hand cupped my hip, squeezing slightly. I shifted beneath it and sighed with pleasure. The touch was firm but searching.
Suddenly, I was rolled onto my stomach and my arms were yanked behind my back. I came fully awake with a sharp gasp. I sucked in the breath to scream, but a strip of fabric was shoved between my teeth and tied snugly around my head.
Thrashing beneath the weight of my attacker I tried to shriek, but the gag muffled the noises. As quickly as I’d been turned before, I was flipped onto my back. In the dim light seeping around the curtains, I could see the sculpted curve of Asher’s cheek. My fear faded, replaced by anger. What in the hell did he think he was doing?
I tried to kick him, but he blocked it. His blue eyes flared in the dark.
“Stop,” he hissed.
Though I couldn’t do that freaky eye glow thing, I glared at him in the dimness, knowing he would see it. The bastard never said one damn word about tying me up. We’d decided I would play dead, well, unconscious. Why in the hell was he changing the plan?
He moved off me and plucked me from the bed as though I weighed nothing. I grunted as he settled me over his shoulder, the joint digging into my abdomen.
Hitching me up further onto his shoulder, he exited my bedroom and ran down the hall, moving so quickly that my head spun. My stomach lurched sickeningly because my hands were tied behind me and I couldn’t use them to brace some of my weight as he jogged down the stairs.
By the time he had me out the back door and through the gate in the back yard, I felt nauseated. I focused on breathing through my nose slowly. With the gag in my mouth, I would choke if I threw up.
It was too dark in the alley between the houses for me to see where we were going and I was completely focused on holding back the sick feeling.
Finally, he stopped moving. I hadn’t regained my equilibrium when he removed me from my position on his shoulder and set me on my feet. I could see the vague shape of a car in the darkness before he opened the back door.
I didn’t have the strength to fight as he maneuvered me into the backseat. Within a few seconds, he was behind the wheel and we were weaving our way out of the development where the safe house was located.
When my stomach finally settled down, I wiggled around in the back seat, dragging my cheek against my shoulder and shoving at the cotton in my mouth with my tongue. The gag finally rolled out of my mouth and down over my chin.
“What the fuck, Asher?” I rasped, coughing because my throat was dry.
When he didn’t answer me, I moved around
some more and managed to work my hands around my legs. Since Asher used zip ties, I couldn’t get my hands free.
“Where are we going?” Again, he didn’t answer me. “Asher!”
“What?” he snapped.
“What in the hell is going on?” I yelled. “I thought this whole kidnapping thing was supposed to be a fluke, a fake!”
“You never know who will be watching,” he answered calmly.
I stared at the back of his head and imagined bitch slapping him. It made me feel a little better.
“Okay, I understand that, but don’t you think it would have been a good idea to give me some warning that you were changing the plan?”
“It wouldn’t have looked as authentic.”
I gritted my teeth at his words and a low, animalistic sound escaped my throat in an effort to control my desire to scream.
“Did you just growl at me?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“It was either that or strangling you.”
He didn’t say anything, but I could feel his amusement radiating from the front of the car.
We were on the road for close to an hour. My hands had been tingling for a while, but I would be damned if I would complain. Though I was still angry, I had it under control.
As soon as Asher parked the car in the garage, I tried to open the door, but he must have had the child locks engaged. I glowered at him as he climbed out of the car and opened the back door.
When I tried to step out, he scooped me up and draped me over his shoulder again.
“I can walk, Asher,” I insisted, pressing my numb hands against his back to brace my upper body.
“You’re not wearing shoes.”
“Yes, I am. I—”
His hand cupped my sock-clad foot and I realized he was right. My shoes must have fallen off during the struggle.
“Well, shit.”
His shoulder trembled beneath me.
“Are you laughing at me?” I asked, my voice shaking with anger.
“No,” he lied.
I grunted as he trotted up the steps to the house. “I’d be careful if I were you,” I mumbled.
“Why?”
“Because I have to pee.”
This time his laugh was audible. I’d never heard him laugh before and was shocked to find that I liked the sound. Then I remembered that he was a jerk and I wanted to knock him into next week.
“You’re an asshole,” I muttered under my breath.
“I know.”
He didn’t even have the grace to sound as though he regretted it.
He maneuvered us through the front door, surprisingly careful not to hit my head on the jamb. As soon as we were inside and the door was locked behind us, he put me on my feet.
Lifting my hands up, I commanded, “Take these off.”
His eyebrows lifted at my tone.
I shook my hands at him. “I have to pee, remember? Unless you want me to drop trou and go right here?”
Asher pulled a knife out of his pocket and flipped it open. In two quick strokes, the plastic fell from my wrists. I gasped and tried to jerk my hands away when his thumb smoothed over my raw flesh. Contorting in the back of the car to get my hands in front of me had abraded my skin more than I realized.
The light in the living room came on and Asher lifted my arms.
“Damn, I didn’t think I had these on you so tight. Are your hands numb?” He massaged my hands gently. “I’m sorry, Shannon.”
Suddenly, I felt self-conscious. I wasn’t used to a man babying me, especially after he’d been such a jerk earlier. I tried to pull my hands out of his grasp.
“I’m okay,” I insisted, tugging harder. “It happened when I moved my hands in front of me.”
He shot me a glare, his eyes burning like blue flames. “Move your fingers for me. I want to make sure there’s no permanent damage.”
Scowling at him, I wiggled my fingers, then flipped him the double bird. “There, satisfied?”
He shook his head but released me.
“Bathroom?” I asked.
“Down the hall on the right.”
I hurried down the hall and took care of my pressing business. After I was done, I washed my hands and the abrasions on my wrists, then turned off the hot water and let the cooler liquid run over my skin, soothing the burn.
The brisk knock on the door startled me.
“Shannon? Is everything okay?”
I rolled my eyes and opened the door. “I’m fine. If you’re feeling badly about how you treated me earlier, don’t worry about it. I’m a big girl, I’ll get over it.”
Asher stood before me, his jaw tight and his eyes glowing slightly. “I am sorry you were injured. It won’t happen again.”
“Apology accepted.” I paused. “Can I have some water? That gag dried out my mouth.”
The muscles in his cheek jumped as he ground his teeth together. “Of course. But first…” He reached up toward my face.
I flinched. I couldn’t help it. He moved quickly and I was still irritated with him, so it was a natural response. One I hated.
“Don’t be afraid of me,” he murmured, his hands hovering in the air near my cheek.
I shook my head. The truth would salvage at least some of my pride. “I’m not. I’m still annoyed and you move so fast. I just reacted.”
He nodded. “I understand. I’m going to remove the gag from your neck,” he stated.
“Great.”
I stood perfectly still before him as his fingers tugged at the material he’d tied around my head earlier. My heart picked up speed as his skin brushed mine. I hated that I couldn’t control my body’s response to his touch, that I found him so attractive.
Usually a man with his personality deficiencies would lose my interest quickly, no matter how good looking he was. However, every part of me leapt at his nearness, even now. It was like my hormones had short-circuited my brain.
I glanced up when the fabric slid away from my neck and found Asher’s eyes on mine. As I held his gaze, the blue in his eyes flared and his pupils expanded until the glow of his irises surrounded them like an azure corona.
When I felt a sudden surge of desire, it took me a moment to realize that it had come from Asher. Until I experienced it, I hadn’t realized how closed off he was from me. Now, I felt as though I were drowning in his emotions.
Unable to handle the lust wrapping around me, or the way my own body suddenly filled with arousal, I stepped back, my hip bumping into a table in the hallway.
Just like that, the spell was broken.
“I’ll get you some water. The living room is back down the hall,” he stated woodenly.
When he disappeared from my view, I placed a shaky hand on the table I’d bumped into. I wasn’t sure what confused me more; his mercurial behavior or how quickly I’d gone from disliking him to wanting his naked body all over mine.
Chapter Five
After I drank the water he brought me, Asher showed me to the room I would be staying in and I tried to ignore the padlock on the exterior of the door.
He must have noticed my eyes wandering to it because he said, “It’s for show.”
I shrugged. “I understand. It has to look good, doesn’t it?”
I walked further into the room and looked around. There were two doors, one ajar to reveal a bathroom. I opened the other to find a closet. To my surprise, there were clothes hanging inside.
“Are these clothes for me?” I asked, glancing over at Asher.
“Yeah. Donna told Conner your size and I had these delivered.”
There were two pairs of shoes lined up beneath the clothes as well. “Uh, thanks.” I didn’t want to thank him after the way he’d behaved, but good manners had been drilled into me by my parents my entire childhood.
“You’re welcome. If you don’t need anything else, it’s after two. You should probably get some sleep.”
Aloof Asher had returned. I wasn’t sure what to make of him. One minute, t
he heat in his eyes was practically melting my underwear and the next he acted like a polite stranger.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I also had some other clothes and things delivered. They’re in the dresser,” he murmured, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him.
I walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer, unsure of what to expect. Inside, I found bras and panties in an assortment of colors. At first glance, they looked utilitarian and plain. I picked up a pair of navy underwear and marveled at the cool satin. They must have been insanely expensive. I ran my hand over another pair of panties and lifted them up. They were made of black cotton so soft that it almost felt like silk and edged in black lace.
These were the sorts of undergarments I would buy for myself. I loved the feel of high quality fabrics against my skin and the subtle sexiness of simple satin or a little lace.
Once again, Asher had done something to confuse me.
I opened the drawer beneath them and found camisoles and matching shorts. Donna must have given Asher suggestions on what to purchase for me because they were similar what I wore at home in my own bed. As I picked up the first top on the stack and saw the sheerness of the fabric, I realized they weren’t exactly what I bought for myself. They were much sexier and more revealing.
I searched through the drawer until I found a black top and shorts that weren’t see-through. I tossed them on the bed and headed into the bathroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth with the toiletries that Asher had thoughtfully provided. It didn’t surprise me to find a plush bathrobe on the back of the bathroom door. Considering how well-prepared Asher was for my arrival, I was close to forgiving him for scaring the shit out of me earlier. Close, but not quite.
His thoughtfulness surprised me and I didn’t want to appreciate it, but I did in spite of myself. He had gone out of his way to make sure I would be comfortable when I got here, even going as far to find out what sorts of toiletries I liked and my exact clothing sizes from Donna.