by M. G. Morgan
Paige watched him walk away. Her mind was in turmoil and her subconscious was screaming at her to run, to escape. Surely what she was doing was crazy? She hadn't told anyone about what was happening. What if she didn't come back? Would anyone really miss her... Surely work would... Or had Will covered that as well.
Picking the pair of stilettos up from their place on the floor she started to follow Will from the room. Dr. Costa put his hand on her arm and gestured for her to stop.
"Be careful. Everything is not as it seems and he is dangerous. He does not care for you..."
Paige's eyes widened in fear. "Who Will? Is Will dangerous?"
The doctor shook his head as the sound of footsteps approached. "Be careful... And remember to put this spray on the wound." He handed her the bottle and Paige shot him a confused look.
As she turned back to the door Aidan stood there, his hands on his hips as he watched her with keen interest. She swallowed hard and held her hand out to the doctor. "Thank you..." Was all she got out before Aidan cleared his throat once more.
When she turned back to him his eyes were slowly tracking up and down her body, taking in every curve. Paige felt uneasy and started to walk past him but his hand grabbed her elbow suddenly. "Nice choice with the outfit. You look like a proper whore."
His words felt like a slap in the face and Paige reeled away from him. She tugged her arm free and stalked down the hall towards Will. He stood waiting for her at the end of the hall near a large set of double doors. Once she reached him she slipped her hand into his ensuring that Aidan saw what she was doing. The look he gave her was truly chilling but she gripped Will's hand tighter making him smile at her.
***
Stepping outside Paige realised that they were at the airstrip. The wind whipped her hair around her face as she stood beside Will shivering. The jet in front of her was large and spacious and Paige found herself wondering if Will really owned all of these things. What had he been doing all those years that they were apart to make his so wealthy?
Paige knew no one else who had managed to achieve what Will had. when he tugged on her hand she followed him up the steps and into the plane. The interior was everything that the exterior had promised. Spacious and luxurious Paige found herself being directed to a large plush seat. The cold was gone, instead replaced by the warmth of the cabin.
Will took a seat beside her, his hands wandering across her lap. Paige watched him with large eyes as he reached across her thighs. There was no way he would try and seduce her here? Like this? With everyone watching? Will gave her thigh a soft squeeze before slipping his hand down beneath her. His fingers skimmed her ass and Paige's breath caught in her throat. When he pulled the belt out from beneath her and snapped it into place she released the breath in one long whoosh.
Will gave her a look that told her everything she needed to know. Yes he would seduce her here in front of everyone if he wanted to. And yes he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Paige gripped the edge of her seat as the plane rumbled to life. The sound of the captain's voice was little more than a drone as she thought over everything that had happened. Her arm stung and the tightness was still there. She glanced down at the gauze dressing and could only wonder how terrible the scar would look. How would she explain that one to her family when they next saw her.
"Yes mom I was chopping vegetables when I slipped and cut my arm open." It just didn't ring true, especially looking at the way the scar was positioned. She would need to be a contortionist to have done it to herself.
If you get home... The thought popped into her head unbidden. It was true. She had no idea what she had let herself in for but she could imagine that it wasn't going to be good. What if she never made it home? What would Will tell her parents? How would it be explained... Or worse what if something happened to Will?
Paige swallowed down the fear and nausea as she thought of Will getting hurt. It wasn't possible. He was tough and strong and he had certainly shown that guy that had attacked her what for... No Will would be alright... She hoped...
The plane began to coast and Will leaned forward and put his hand on her knee. "You look to be miles away... I hope it's nothing bad?"
She smiled at him. "No. I was just wondering how I would explain my arm."
Will took her hand in his, concern lit in his eyes. "How does it feel?" He asked as he turned her hand slowly over to gaze down at the clean white gauze.
"It stings and every so often I forget about it and accidentally lean against it... That tends to hurt." She grimaced slightly as he ran his fingers across the surface. It was barely a touch but it ignited all of Paige's nerves in her arm. Everything about him screamed desire.
She snatched her arm back out of his grip and crossed them gently across her chest, careful not to bump her injury. Will sat back and watched her with slightly narrowed eyes.
"You know I could make you succumb to me... I could give you no choice and make you do whatever I wanted..."
Paige nodded slowly and swallowed hard.
"Why do you keep fighting me? I thought we were past all of this?" He seemed genuinely confused and Paige felt guilty. He was right. There were past it. How many times would he have to keep winning her over before she would finally accept it?
"I don't really know. I want to just give in but..."
"But it's not who you are..." He finished for her.
Paige nodded and chewed her lip. "Anyway, aren't guys meant to enjoy the chase?" She laughed nervously.
Will smiled sadly for a minute. "Come on, Paige, be realistic. This isn't just a chase... It's more than that and you keep shooting me down... If you were any other woman I wouldn't have bothered as much as I have."
"Oh so all of this is just a terrible inconvenience is it?" She couldn't help the bitter tone that entered her voice. He made it sound so casual, so easy. It was far from easy.
"You know exactly what I meant. You keep playing all of these games. And under normal circumstances perhaps they would be cute and endearing... But not now. Not with what is going on... Chris plays games, better than anyone I know... You don't want to be caught in the middle."
Paige sat back against the seat and shut her eyes. Everything made her so tired. She just wanted it all to be over and done with. The constant worrying and waiting for something new to happen was starting to eat at her. What if it dragged on? How would she cope and deal with it if it took days or worse, weeks to sort out?
"What are we going to do?" Paige asked, her voice small.
The sound of Will's belt being unbuckled had her opening her eyes. He slid onto his knees in front of her and took her hands in his. With his face just inches from hers he stared into her eyes.
"We'll get through it. He's not going to win."
"But what..."
Will cut her off with his lips pressing softly against her. "But nothing..." He whispered the words against her mouth as he kissed her softly. "Everything will be fine..."
Paige nodded slowly, her breathing shallow as he kissed her again. All thoughts of what would happen melted from her mind. The only thing she was truly aware of was Will kneeling between her legs and his lips softly caressing hers.
When he pulled back she opened her eyes and stared into his.
"I told you I could make you succumb... That I could make you give in if I wanted to... But I don't want to... I want you to chose me. It's important to me that you do. Call me old fashioned but I want the woman I'm with to want it too. Not just be coerced into it."
Paige smiled dreamily. "I do want it... I just... I don't know..." She shrugged and tried to kiss him again but he held her apart from him.
"No. When you want it... Then I'll know and it will be different. You told me last night that you trust me. Why can't you trust yourself? Am I really that bad that you would prefer to think you were tricked into your feelings for me? Rather than to own them for what they are and be proud of it?"
Paige shook her head, her blonde hai
r falling across her face. Tears were beginning to fill her eyes. "I don't know what I want... I think I do but how can I be sure? What if I'm wrong and everything falls apart?"
Will gripped her face in his hands. "Who hurt you so badly that you can't ever trust yourself and your own feelings? Whoever it was I'll kill him..." Will's voice was low and dangerous.
Tears slipped from Paige's eyes and dripped down onto his hands. "It was you... You made me this way... I loved you all those years ago and I was convinced that you would come back to me... But when you didn't and I had to accept that I was on my own. That there was no way you were coming back to me..."
Will looked shocked, his hands slowly dropping from where they held Paige's face. "But we were children... I don't understand... I know I loved you and I don't think it has ever left me... But it was different then... What I feel now for you is so different to what it was then... Deeper, more primal I guess..."
Paige pushed his hands away and snapped her belt open. She ignored the light overhead that told her not to do it and stood up. Will tried to moved with her but she pushed him away and moved to the other side of the cabin.
"I know it's different. Don't you think that thought hasn't occurred to me a million times already? I know we were children and that what we had... Well it was childish... But it shaped me... I loved you and I thought you would come back because you felt the same way... I waited for you and you never did..."
Will stood and faced her. "I did come back. I'm here now aren't I?" His voice simmered with anger.
"You're here because you have to be. If none of this had ever happened would you have come looking for me?" She was angry too. Her voice filled with years of unspent tears and disappointment.
"How do you think I found you so quickly? I've been looking for you for a long time... When I found you I found out about what was going on too. I didn't want to drag you into anything you didn't need to be involved in so I waited to see what would happen. But Chris was beginning to circle in and I knew the truth. I found you but I had to wait until the right moment to approach you..."
Paige stared at him in stunned silence for a moment. Could he be telling the truth? Could he really have gone looking for her?
"Then why did you behave so weird when you did approach me?"
Will smiled a small secretive turning up of his lips. "Because I could. Because I wanted to feel your body against mine. I wanted to know how you would react and I wanted to know if you remembered me... I soon found out that I hadn't exactly stayed on your mind...
"That's unfair. You knew me but how I was I meant to know you? It was years ago. You changed so much, you grew up and..." She cut herself off not wanting to share exactly what she had thought of him and how he had grown up.
He moved towards her and Paige froze. She wanted to move away. To step back from him and put some space between them but she couldn't. She was stuck like a deer in the headlights. Trapped there in his gaze as he slowly stalked towards her.
The plane lurched, sending Paige tumbling forward and straight into Will's arms. He caught her easily and held her there. Not moving just watching. Waiting to see what she would do.
"I can be patient but not forever. I will only wait for you for so long, Paige. Remember that and don't take too long to make up your mind about me... About us."
She stood there utterly frozen in his arms. She wanted to melt in against him but something stopped her. The words of the doctor before she had left. Who else could he possibly have been talking about but Will?
He released her suddenly as the plane righted itself once more. Even though the plane was warm she felt colder somehow without his touch. It seemed impossible but she was. How could one man have such an effect on her? Never before had any man caused such a reaction... Such a physical primal reaction. Will had mentioned the word primal. Was it instinct? Was she meant to be with him. Could her physical reaction to him mean that she was meant to be with him.
It seemed such a silly notion. One that you might see in a movie. A romantic comedy of some sort. But this wasn't the movies, it was reality. And if she didn't get a grip on herself very soon she was sure she would lose her mind completely.
Aidan moved into the cabin and sat in the vacant seats near where she had sat with Will. He watched her standing there for a few minutes with keen interest. His hawk like gaze taking in every aspect of her body and the clothes she wore. He seemed to be assessing her. As though she was little more than a thing that he could use to his own advantage.
Will caught sight of his looks and ushered Paige to a seat beside him. Once there he placed his hand across her knees in an almost possessive move.
"So what happens when we land?" Will asked Aidan. The other man's gaze flicked slowly from Paige as though he were loathe to lose sight of her. It gave her the creeps and she couldn't help but to shiver softly.
"We get settled in at the hotel. Chris I'm afraid is already aware that we are on our way. I have no doubt his little stunt this morning was to ascertain what our next move was. More than an attempt to really injure Paige. I have no doubt if he had wanted to he could have really done some damage..." The look he settled on Will was rather severe, practically a reprimand.
Paige glanced between the two men, uncertain of who would find the conversation more difficult. Neither seemed to flinch. It was like watching two alpha males come head to head. But who would eventually come out on top?
"After everything, Paige, went through I thought she would be more comfortable staying at her own apartment last night... You know it was the right choice. I know you do."
Chris seemed to take a minute or two to consider Will's statement before finally he nodded slowly and thoughtfully.
"From now on though, comfort is not really the issue. We cannot afford to jeopardise the mission. We agreed on that long before we started this. I won't let anyone ruin it..." He shot Paige a dirty look. "And I mean anyone. I don't care who they are..."
"So what role do I play in all of this?" Paige asked.
"None if I can help it." Will added hastily.
Aidan gave her a small cruel curve of his lips. Paige felt his disgust crawl down her spine like the slow drip of water. Whatever his problem was it was pretty serious. Paige was certain that he had never run into him before she met Will again. And she was equally convinced that she hadn't done anything that warranted his disgust.
"If I can use you to draw Chris out then I will."
Will attempted to intervene but Aidan held his hand up and stopped him. "No, Will. She is here for a reason. You agreed to this. You knew the risk. This is not just something that you can chose to change your mind about."
"If I can help in any way I want to..." Paige interjected.
Aidan smiled again. "You see, Will, Paige wants to help."
"I'm just not sure how exactly I can help?"
Will slid his hand further up along Paige's thigh and she sucked in a soft breath. The feel of his fingers as they traced small circles on the inside of her leg was extremely distracting. She wanted to close her eyes and drink in his touch.
"I'll be sure to tell you exactly what you need to do... But for now... Well let's just say you're here to look pretty."
"That's enough, Aidan!" Will stood his voice filled with barely restrained rage. "i don't know what your problem in but you need to get over it. We're both here helping you. You wouldn't have gotten half as far as you have without mine or now Paige's help. The mistakes you made in the past are not to be taken out on Paige, she is innocent in all of this."
Aidan stood and shot Paige one final dirty look before he moved to the back of the plane. "Well I guess we will all see just how innocent she really is..."
He moved through to the back of the plane and shut the door after him. Leaving both Paige and Will alone once more.
"What was he talking about? Paige asked.
"The hell if I know... He has been suspicious of you ever since I brought you in..." Will sat down beside Paige
once more. His hand automatically going to her leg. Slowly and carefully he slid his hand up the inside of her leg drawing a small moan from her lips.
"We can't not here... What if he comes back?" Paige let out a shaky breath as she tried to re-gather her thoughts. Will's hand slid even higher until his fingers brushed against the top of her thighs. She couldn't help herself and Paige quickly let her legs slip a little further apart.
Even though they argued and she couldn't fully grasp everything that was going on. Mainly because Will and Aidan spent their time keeping her in the dark. Paige was utterly helpless in the face of such blatant lust and desire from Will.
"He won't come back... And even if he did?" The look in Will's eyes was important. Paige could sense it. The answer that she would give him now would tell him everything he needed to know about her. And her feelings for him...
Could she trust him?
"What do you want from me Will?" She chewed her lip nervously as she waited for his answer.
He stared into her eyes, his gaze searching hers. Searching for an answer she wasn't sure she knew how to give.
"I want you. All of you. Completely and unconditionally. I want to own you... Possess you..." He gripped her chin with his strong fingers and tilted her face up to look into his. "Do you trust me?"
Paige hesitated. She could see the intense look in Will's eyes and it was enough to drive her to answer.
"Yes. I trust you."
The look in Will's eyes intensified. His hand slid higher until he brushed against the edge of her panties. Paige stared into his eyes and sucked in a slow breath. He pressed a little harder and her eyes opened wide.
He stopped and withdrew his hand. "When we land... I'm going to take you. I'm going to make you scream." He whispered the words against her ear before he reached across her body and slipped her seat belt into place.
When he withdrew from her Paige felt bereft. Part of her was relieved that he hadn't taken it any further. She wanted him and she knew there was no way she could resist him. If he had wanted to bend her over the seat and pull her skirt up. Slipping her panties down past her thighs and letting them drop around her ankles as he pushed himself into her. Paige knew she would have let him.