by Amy Deason
The walk to the cabin was more than half a mile and no easy task but stomping through the snow actually helped him. His swift movements forced his blood to pump strong through his veins and with his head down and arms crossed, he managed to maintain most of his body heat. He was actually sweating by the time he got to the front yard.
Stopping just short of the expansive front yard, he noticed no sign of light from the cabin. Or smoke rising from the chimney. Dropping to one knee, he immediately scoped the area. There were no footprints or any other sign of an intruder but with the way this snow was coming down, it was impossible for him to see much of anything. With his gun drawn, he walked cautiously to the cabin door.
There was no sound from the inside which only worried him slightly. If someone had managed to make it past the security system and had gotten inside safely, they might be lying in wait for him. Madison may already be gone or quite possibly, dead. For a split second, an icy finger touched his spine, making him draw a shaky breath of cold air into his lungs. But he quickly shoved that away. Probably the only thing he may have to contend with was a very angry and scared photographer and her ever futile, but interesting, attempts at escape. Either way, he couldn’t just stay out here on the front step like a dumb ass, waiting to see if anything would happen.
Unlocking the door, he quietly stepped inside, gun aimed directly in front of him, ready to shoot. His eyes adjusted to the darkness in record time, taking in everything at once. But it was the minute flicker of a flame that caught his attention, drawing his eyes toward the other side of the room.
Madison stood with a single candle in front of the window across the room. Dressed all in black, she seemed a part of the shadows that surrounded her. The faint candlelight danced across her face, making her dark eyes sparkle and her blond hair shine. Sufficiently caught off-guard by his sudden arrival, Seth read both the fear and relief on her face.
“Are you okay?” he asked, frustrated at the concern in his voice. Reluctant to put the gun away, he searched the darkened rooms for any sign of temperament. His infallible senses told him that there was no immediate danger and nothing seemed out of place save a few candles and a box of matches.
Madison recovered more quickly than he would have imagined. “How nice of you to ask,” she replied acidly. “As a matter of fact, I’m not fine. I’m trapped inside a dark, freezing-cold house in the middle of nowhere. Where the hell have you been?” Madison demanded, her voice filled with anger. “Is this how you treat all of your prisoners? Make them suffer before you save them?”
Biting back a smile, he was glad to see that she was as fiery as ever, even in his absence. The anger in her tone was one hundred percent real but he could tell that she was fighting with the relief that he had actually come back.
Putting his gun away, he walked toward the kitchen, removing his jacket as he went. “No, I only reserve this type of torture for very special prisoners. Are you telling me that you don’t feel special?” he asked, aware of what kind of answer he was likely to receive. And sure enough, he was rewarded with a series of brusque cursing that might have made a lesser man take pause. Fortunately, he was not a lesser man. And a few rough curses were definitely not his undoing. She, however, might be. But only if he let her get close to him. He was not about to do that. At least not more than he had already.
Opening a cabinet above his head, he retrieved two brass candleholders, and placed candles in them. With the quick strike of a match, the candles burned brightly, twin flames dancing wildly.
Her voice floated to him through the darkness, angry and defiant. “Well, I think you owe me an explanation.”
“Oh, I apologize. I didn’t realize I owed you anything. How silly of me,” Seth said sarcastically, moving away from the counter and into the open space of the living room. With no intention of explaining anything, he carried the candles over to the fireplace, setting one on either end of the mantle and hunkered down, throwing wood into the fireplace. It was freezing in here and from the looks of this fire, it had died out some time ago. But it wouldn’t take him long to get one started. There was absolute silence from the other side of the room with only the sound of the howling wind to break up the stillness but he knew she was there, watching him.
“I had to talk to Vance, throw him off of my trail, and yours, for a while,” he replied, surprised to find himself explaining.
“What did you tell him?”
Carrying an armful of cherry logs to the fireplace, he had a fire roaring to life in no time, the pleasant scent of burning wood filling the cabin. “It doesn’t matter. I just bought us a little time until I can figure out how to get you out of this mess.” And away from me, he thought silently.
Crouching down in front of the fire, he didn’t have to turn around to know Madison was approaching the fire slowly, cautiously as if he might bite her. Now there was a thought . . . The memory of her in his arms returned to him suddenly. The smell of her freshly showered skin, the way her body fit so perfectly against his, and the sweet taste of her lips, soft and hungry as they pressed against his. No matter how many times he pushed it away, it kept returning, waiting for him to examine over and over. Well, he’d be damned if he was going to let a meaningless memory distract him. Especially when the real thing was here, standing not three feet away from him.
Madison stood in front of the flames, eyes closed, relishing the warmth of the fire, giving him the chance to look at her. The firelight danced across her face, bathing her in a luminous glow. Her hair, turned to burnished gold, spilled over her shoulders and down her back like a rippling waterfall. Damn, she was beautiful. And the crazy, amazing thing was that she didn’t even know it. He hadn’t known it. But he did now. And he wanted her. Wanted her something fierce and more than he had wanted anyone in a long time. But that was the last thing he needed. But clearly, what he needed and wanted were two entirely different things. His senses told him to stop that sort of thinking before it was too late. He could still walk away. Even now, he still had a choice. But for how much longer, he didn’t know.
Chapter 15
Madison sensed Seth rising from his huddled place in front of the fireplace and opened her eyes to see him watching her, his eyes the deep blue of sapphires. Her heart leapt in her throat. Why did he have to be so gorgeous? Why couldn’t her guardian be some hunched back toad of a man instead of this Adonis like creature? Surely rescue skills were not reserved only for the handsome and desirable.
Jerking her mind back to the problem at hand, she realized that she needed to get away from this man. Not to keep her life intact but to keep herself sane. She was becoming too interested in him and that terrified her. The last thing she needed was to grow some sort of emotional attachment to this guy. A man that said he didn’t even want her. She may get out of this alive but in the meantime, her pride was taking several hard hits. Nothing that she couldn’t overcome of course but she still didn’t want it happening.
He stood directly in front of her, the smallest of spaces between them. He was so close, she could reach out and touch him. Struggling against the insane compulsion, she crossed her arms tightly underneath her chest to keep from doing just that.
“Go to bed, Maddie,” Seth ordered. His voice was low and husky and it turned her insides to jelly.
Not what she had expected, she was taken back for a moment. Did he just order me to go to bed? Anger leapt quick and hot, drowning out the intense strength of desire that had her clutching her elbows in a desperate show of restraint.
“Wait a minute. Just who do you think you are?” she demanded, her voice bristling and harsh.
“I’m someone that is trying to keep you safe.”
“Safe?” Madison said with a rough laugh, staring at the tall, smoldering man in front of her. “Is this what you call safe? Stuck with you in the middle of nowhere in a cabin with no electricity?”
“At least you’re not dead,” he quipped lightly.
“How dare you?” she seethed, dropping her hands to her sides. “First I get kidnapped by you . . . twice, dragged around like I’m your own personal pet, brought to this godforsaken cabin, and now you’re telling me when to go to bed!” Madison said through clenched teeth.
“My pet?” Seth said, clearly taken back. The look of surprise that crossed his face was unexpected and totally genuine. But the emotion was gone as quick as it had revealed itself, slipping back under the carefully cultured surface.
“Trust me, you’re not anyone’s pet. If you were, you would listen and obey without bitching and we both know you’re incapable of doing that,” Seth remarked, dark laughter in his voice.
“You bastard.”
“So you’ve said,” he said with amusement.
God, how she hated him. More than anyone in her entire life.
“Now as much as I’m enjoying this bantering, I really think that we should go to bed,” he murmured softly.
She froze, hearing the words he just said and her heart lurched almost painfully.
Seth returned her stunned look with a disgusted one of his own, his blue eyes dark and unreadable, as usual.
“Don’t freak out, Maddie. I didn’t mean ‘we.’ I only meant that it’s late and we have both had a long day so we need to go to sleep,” he said patiently, as if he were explaining to a small child.
Of course that’s what he meant. Why would he mean anything else? Really, Maddie, you have got to get your shit together.
“I know what you meant,” she lied, her face burning as hot as the logs in the fireplace. Thank God it was dark enough in here to hide her embarrassment. Though he probably knew how she felt anyway. He was too damn smart and perceptive, and handsome . . .
“. . . the couch.”
Startled out of her wandering thoughts, she stared at him, confused. “What?”
“I said you take the bed and I’ll sleep out here on the couch,” Seth repeated, the patronizing tone still apparent in his voice.
“Why do I get the bed? What if I want to sleep in here?” Madison asked angrily. She actually preferred the bed but it was a matter of principle. He had, yet again, taken away her right to choose. And it infuriated her.
“Are you kidding me?” Seth asked. “I give you the more comfortable of the two and you still bitch about it. Amazing!” Seth turned, walking away from her. “And besides, I can’t have you trying to escape again now can I? Not after all the trouble I’ve gone through to keep you alive.” Sitting on the couch, Seth leaned back, his strong arms thrown casually over the back.
“Speaking of which, why have you kept me alive if I’m such a bother to you? Why not just let me go and let me take my chances?”
“Your chances?” Seth laughed. “If I didn’t protect you, you would be dead within twenty-four hours or at least you would wish you were. As for why I’ve bothered with saving you, I don’t really know.”
“Oh, you mean the great and wonderful Seth Reynolds doesn’t know something?” Madison asked, mocking him, intentionally prompting his wrath. She was sick and tired of his secret, manipulative ways.
“So, I’m great and wonderful? I didn’t realized that you had noticed.” His grin was playful, charming, and it annoyed the hell out of her.
Madison glared at him hotly.
“You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to try and escape again. I don’t know where the hell I am and besides, it’s snowing like crazy outside and I really don’t relish the idea of freezing to death.”
She was rewarded with a victorious smile. “Then it’s settled. You’re sleeping in the bedroom and I’m sleeping out here.” Leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, Seth stared at her, an intense look she couldn’t identify lurking just below the surface of his eyes. “But you know, if you feel bad about taking the bed and you want to share . . .” His suggestion hung in the air.
Madison felt her face burn. Oh, what would it be like to share a bed with this man? But he was just playing with her. He had no interest in her and yet he continued to torment her mercilessly. The bastard. Even as she wanted him, she hated him. “Absolutely not! You can have the couch,” she growled.
“Well if you insist . . .”
Oh God, she had to get out of here before she completely lost her mind. Whirling around, her hair flying wildly, she stormed off to the bedroom.
“Hey, Maddie, could you be a dear and bring me some pillows and blankets?” Seth called from behind her.
“Get them yourself,” she retorted, not even bothering to turn around. Slamming the door, she stood with her back pressed against it taking deep breaths to calm herself. That guy had some nerve. Asking her to bring him a pillow and blanket. Really, who did he think he was? His personal servant? More like his own special court jester. Ordering her around, amusing himself with her unfortunate circumstances. He really was an asshole! A gorgeous, frustrating, mysterious asshole.
Pushing away from the door, she decided that if she were being forced to go to bed, she may as well change into something more comfortable. She walked over to the dresser and withdrew a pair of warm cotton sleep pants and a T-shirt. They looked so soft and comfortable, she sighed softly to herself. When she got out of here, these were exactly the kind of pajamas she intended to buy. Right before she locked herself in her apartment for a very long time.
She had the shirt halfway over her head when the door abruptly opened. Yanking it back down, she stood there in only a blue T-shirt and panties.
“Do you mind?” she screamed at him, pulling her shirt down as far as it would go to cover herself.
“Not at all,” Seth said, barely looking at her as he strode in. Passing her, he went to the closet and grabbed a couple of blankets and pillows. “Correct me, but you did tell me to get them myself, right?”
“You could have at least knocked,” Madison grumbled.
“Yes, I suppose I could have but it’s not like I haven’t seen your body before. Only this time with a little more clothing,” Seth said smoothly and without any pretense of apology. “By the way, how is your back feeling? Would you like me to take another look?”
“It’s fine. Just get out and leave me alone.” Truthfully, after he’d applied the mysterious cream to her wounds, they stopped hurting almost immediately. After the burning, of course.
“Gone,” he replied before shutting the door loudly behind him.
Face burning with both embarrassment and anger, she released a pent-up breath and tugged on the pajama pants. She drew the drawstring tight and stomped over to the bed. Yanking back the soft quilt, she all but collapsed onto the firm mattress. Well, at least that settled one of life’s more interesting queries. Chivalry is most definitely dead.
Turning onto her side, she wrapped her arms around the pillow, drawing it against her. Curling into a tight ball, she stared at the door, eyes wide and still. She forced herself to take deep breaths, she was able to bring her anger to a somewhat more manageable level. Gradually, most of the irritation bled from her body, leaving in its place a dull, aching sorrow. How had things gone so terribly wrong in such a short amount of time? It was enough to make her head spin.
If only she would have been more adamant about not covering Vance’s stupid party, none of this would be happening right now. She would be at home, safe and sound, listening to Robert bitch at her for ruining his date wit
h Felicia. But that was impossible now. Robert was gone. No, not gone. Dead, she corrected. She saw it all again in slow motion. His shocked expression before he fell to the cold, wet pavement like so much unwanted trash, the blood pouring from him in a sudden flood.
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She had hoped to mourn the loss of her best friend alone and in complete privacy where she could give him the proper respect he deserved but it seemed as though that may never happen. And just like that, all the sorrow and anguish hit a crescendo and broke the dam holding back her tears. Aw hell, I guess now is as good a time as any, she thought, burying her face into the pillow in an attempt to stifle the sound of her cries.
Seth lay back on the couch, his arms crossed under his head, listening to the crackle of the burning logs. The shadowy flames moved across the ceiling in a secret, sultry dance. His eyes followed the slow, easy patterns, letting his mind wander leisurely around Madison. No sound came from the bedroom but he had serious doubts that she was sleeping. If he had to guess, she was quietly planning a way to claw his eyes out with the first chance she got.
He smiled lightly, almost against his will. He hated to admit it but he admired her fighting spirit. Most people in her situation would have broken down completely, refusing to fight any longer. But she was different. Mouthy and bitchy, she was also beautiful and smart. The simple fact that she had rescued a stray cat gave a small inkling that she had a soft heart. Most hardened people, such as himself, would have just kept walking, leaving the animal to its own devise. And she had a fair amount of self-preservation although it appeared to be a little off-kilter as of late. Not that it mattered. He intended to do whatever he needed to in order to get her out of this mess alive. Somehow she had unknowingly convinced him that her life was worth saving and now her safety had become essential to him, a development he was not comfortable with. But what the hell, he did well with uncomfortable situations all of the time. This one was no different. Bullshit.