by Janey, C. S.
“Am I?” He squinted at the sign and then laughed. “You’re right, I am. Whoops.”
Focusing my eyes on his face, a sudden feeling of dread filled my chest. My gut instinct had to be mistaken. “Whoops? Turn around right now!”
I swear, his eyes twinkled right in that moment. I wasn’t one to believe such tripe usually, but his whole face lit up with amusement. “Absolutely not.”
“You’re going to miss your flight!”
He busted out laughing and I knew the joke was on me. “I never had a return flight, Ellie. I admit, you losing your job sucked but it was like divine intervention! When you said you’d drive me to the airport, I knew just what to do.”
“Do? Do what? Kidnap me?”
He threw me a look of admonishment. “Don’t be silly. You’re not a kid and you’re certainly not napping.” Then he winked.
Gaping at him, I couldn’t believe this was happening. I really couldn’t. The Stefan I used to know would have never dared this. Who the hell was this provoking man? I took a deep breath. It’s not like I could jump out on the highway so escaping wasn’t an option.
“Where are we going? I don’t even have any clothes!”
He didn’t look away from the road. “We’re going home. And of course you have clothes, they are in the trunk.”
“You little…,” I stopped myself, huffing. “When the hell did you pack me clothing?”
“When you were sleeping. I admit, I’m shocked you didn’t notice some of your clothes were missing.”
I felt my face heat. I honestly had so much clothing I didn’t even know what all the items were in my wardrobe. It was my only vice - and it was an expensive one. “What about my stuff? My apartment?”
He chuckled then. “All taken care of. The moving company will come tomorrow and pack up all the rest of your stuff. It will be delivered next week.”
“What? Did you pay them? Can you even afford that?” My voice rose with incredulity. “Why would you do this?”
He sighed. “Of course I paid them, quite handsomely I might add - which obviously means I can afford it.”
“And you did this because…you thought me so enthralled with you that you didn’t even stop to think I wanted to do it myself?”
“Nope. I’m not that delusional.”
I almost cracked a smile at that. Scowling to prevent it from slipping through, I tapped my hands on my legs. “Well? Why then?”
“Because I thought a road trip would be fun.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep!”
“You are so infuriating!”
“Thanks, so are you. Now sit back and relax because we won’t be stopping for a while.”
Crossing my arms over my chest in a fit of pique, I stared out the window and wondered what the hell I was gonna do now.
~*~
I opened my eyes as the car slowed. Rubbing the initial blurriness away, I noticed it was getting dark outside. We’d only stopped for gas and food once. Looking around, the brightness of the lights had me blinking rapidly as I looked down again. Great, now I was seeing stars.
“Where are we?” I asked with a scowl as I sat up straight. “Hopefully a place to rest. My ass hurts.”
“Yes, Ellie. You are so impatient,” Stefan replied with a chuckle. “I figured we could stop here and then in the morning, we will go gambling!”
“Gambling? Why?”
His eyes widened, staring at me as if I’d grown two heads. “Why not?”
“Plenty of reasons.” As I checked out the building, my mouth fell open. “This place is huge!”
“A hotel and casino all in one.” He shut the car off and climbed out before I could reply.
We were out of the car and into the hotel within minutes.
The lobby area was pretty empty. When Stefan walked up to the counter, I stood there, taking in the interior. The double doors straight ahead were closed and I could hear people cheering and laughing. Gathering that the doors led straight to the casino, I joined Stefan as the man handed him a key.
“Only one key? Where is mine for my room?”
Stefan grabbed my arm gently as the bell hop put the luggage we’d carried in on a cart and headed toward the elevator. We followed.
“We are staying in the same room,” he whispered, having leaned in close to my ear. “After all, weren’t you the one worried about my finances? Maybe I can’t afford another room.”
“Yeah, but I can!” I snapped at him, trying to tug my arm from his grasp and failing. “Let me go pay for my own!”
As the elevator door opened, the bellhop entered and then held it open.
“There aren’t any more rooms. At least, not this late in the evening. Get in.”
Annoyed with his bossiness, I succeed in pulling my arm from his grasp as we got into the elevator. As I watched the numbers climb, I felt ill. “How far is it?”
He must have heard something in my voice. Pulling me into his embrace, he ran his hand over my hair as I closed my eyes to try and calm the panic climbing in my throat. It wasn’t that I minded elevators; in small doses, they were fine but this felt as if it were taking forever.
“Top floor. Damn it, I’m sorry. I forgot you have a fear of small places.”
Top floor? Well that would explain my panic. But…wasn’t that usually the biggest and most expensive room in a hotel?
I started to wonder then who this man was, focusing on my thoughts rather than the small enclosure. A room on the top level of a hotel - and one with a casino at that - was not cheap, even for only one evening. Not afford another room my ass. Looked as if he’d be answering some questions from me later.
Trying to ignore the fact we were on an elevator didn’t last long and I glanced up at the numbers as they pinged. When it finally stopped, I pushed Stefan away and darted off as fast as I could manage. Standing against the wall, I did my controlled breathing techniques to try and calm down as he opened the door to the room. The bellhop put the luggage inside and left after Stefan tipped him.
Stefan gestured for me to go inside ahead of him. I couldn’t resist a jibe as I walked past.
“You must have planned my abduction quite in advance. No way you got this room when we were just standing in—” My words were cut off by the gorgeous room in front of my eyes.
He chuckled behind me as he closed the door. “Nice, isn’t it?”
Yeah, it was. But I’d never admit that to him. Turning around, I waved my hand around lazily while flashing him what I hoped was a disinterested look. “It’ll do, I suppose.”
“See? Why don’t you take that attitude about me?”
Tilting my head to the side, I studied him. For a man who had been in the car all day, he looked fairly put together and not at all rumpled. The opposite of me. I felt disheveled and icky, which wasn’t helped by the fact I’d not showered that morning. I knew who I could blame for that.
Crossing my arms, I raised a brow at him. “I sure hope you aren’t serious.”
“Of course not.” He picked up two of the bags and headed toward the back of the suite. Assuming it was the bedroom, I didn’t follow.
The suite was huge. There was a kitchen and a living room right in view of where I stood. The furthest wall boasted of glass only, leading out to a lovely view that blew the one from my apartment window away.
“When did you reserve this room, Stefan?” I yelled to him in the other room. When he didn’t answer, I turned to go to him and saw him walking toward me. “Well?”
“You’re nosy,” he said with a scowl, only to ruin it with a smile two seconds later. “On the day after you lost your job. Before you say ‘oh my god, you planned this’ I will say…obviously. I had to.”
No wonder he’d walked outside so many times during his visit. Sneaky bastard.
Pretending I didn’t care, I flipped my hair over my shoulder and shrugged. “I have to get a shower. Where is the bag you packed for me?”
He pointed to the one by t
he door. “Right there, honey. It’s all yours. Enjoy your shower, I’m gonna make me something to drink!”
“Gee thanks.” I walked over to the door and picked up the bag as he went into the kitchen.
I couldn’t wait to see what kind of clothing he’d packed for me.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Wrapped in a towel, I searched through my bags for something not sexy to wear.
I wasn’t surprised by his selection. Lacy underwear, a silk nightgown, skirts, blouses, pantyhose and a few pair of high heels of assorted colors that also happened to coordinate well with all the outfits he’d put together in the bag. I’d give it to him; he certainly didn’t lack for a sense of style.
Then, I had a wonderful idea. Seeing his luggage that he brought into the room before I went to take a shower, I stalked over to his bags and opened them, a wicked grin on my face.
After getting dressed, I brushed out my hair and left it hanging to dry faster. It naturally curled a little when left to it’s own devices, which I usually helped along by putting it up in a bun.
Stepping out into the living room, I stopped and cleared my throat. “How do I look?”
Stefan’s wicked grin dropping to a frown as he saw my outfit was priceless. “What the hell? Why are you wearing my clothes?”
I wore a pair of his lounge pants and a baggy t-shirt. He wasn’t built but he was certainly bigger than me. I definitely wasn’t wearing anything I’d consider sexy and busted out laughing as his scowl deepened. “This is what you get for not packing me bottoms!”
Then the mischievous smile was back and he walked up to me with intent. Oh yes, it was clear in his eyes what he wanted.
“You think that wearing my clothes will make you less attractive? You could wear a trash bag and I’d still want to f—”
He was cut off by the knock at the door.
Saved in just the knick of time! Despite my curiosity about who was here, I took the opportunity to get away and went over to the couch, plopping down on it with moan of pleasure at the softness against my bottom. Sitting for hours in a car had never suited me; the lack of movement and ability to get comfortable never sufficed.
Turning on the television, I smelled the tasty scent of pizza at the exact moment Stefan took the seat next to me. Placing the pizza on the table, he rubbed his hands together with what could only be described as glee. As I bit into my slice, he bit into his and let out a moan.
I swallowed my piece, then laughed. “Why are you acting as if you haven’t had pizza in ages?” My memory clearly recalled a man who declared he ‘would die if he had to give up pizza’ so his delight at eating it amused me to no end.
“I haven’t,” he admitted, before taking another bite and winking at me.
“How is that possible? You were always so adamant that you’d never, ever give up pizza.”
He shrugged as he polished off that piece and reached for another. “People change.”
Indeed. I wanted to say something snarky but for once, I decided against it. We were stuck together for at least two more days and since this had become a free vacation for me, I didn’t want to ruin the peace we’d fallen into.
Scrolling through the channels as I finished off my slice of pizza, I grinned as I stumbled upon the perfect torture in place of the cutting retort just begging to be let out. “Oh look, honey,” I emphasized with a super sweet voice. “Dirty Dancing is on!”
He jerked his eyes toward the television, groaning as his eyes came into contact with Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze on the screen, practicing the dance moves. Baby giggling every time Johnny would side swipe her boob always made me smile.
“Please, turn it off!”
As he tried to snatch the remote, I jumped up and took off, squealing. Standing on one side of the table, I turned it up louder until the music was clearly heard across the room. Stefan stood at the opposite end, ready to catch me if I tried to escape.
“Ellie, turn it down!”
“No fucking way!” I swayed back and forth, holding the remote above my head even as I stared straight at him, grinning. “I see you have no qualms about sticking me in a corner though. Tsk tsk!”
I caught him trying not to smile even as he darted around the side of the table. I took off back toward the couch, laughing.
“You’re not the only one who got in shape, buddy!”
Singing at the top of my lungs, I danced with the remote even as the music ended and they talked on the movie. He still stood a bit away from me, his arms crossed over his chest. The sudden grin on his face made my heart speed up, his hands going to the buttons on his shirt and undoing them, one by one. I paused in my dancing and just watched, transfixed.
Dropping the shirt on the floor, he pounced at me. With a squeak, I dropped the remote and ran toward the bedroom. At the sudden silence in the other room, I slipped behind the door and waited for him to come through.
Entering the room, he must have realized my game as he didn’t turn the light on.
“Oh gee, I wonder where Ellie could possibly be,” he said in an exaggerated whisper. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
Nice try. I wasn’t gonna laugh and give away my spot.
The slightest bit of light gave me an advantage and I couldn’t help but ogle him as he headed toward the closet. Stefan seriously had to be the sexiest man I’d ever seen. Even if he wasn’t overly muscled, you could still see the strength in his arms and back from the small amount of working out he did. The sight of him shirtless made my body burn with anticipation.
Seeing my chance to surprise him, I moved out from behind the door as he opened the closet ones and ambushed him.
“Got ya!” I whooped as I put my arms around his shoulders and he stiffened. “Now you are my prisoner!”
“Yeah?” His voice came out deep, silky. “And what are you going to do with me?”
I heard the smile in his voice, both of us knowing it wouldn’t take much for the tables to turn. He could overpower me with ease. Yet he didn’t move a muscle, standing there in my arms. I’m sure he tried to anticipate my next move, so I decided to shock him.
Circling him in a slow, deliberate manner, I traced his shoulder with one finger, going down his arm as I stopped in front of him. Running the hand down his chest, I heard him suck in a breath as it stopped on the button to his jeans. Unsnapping the fly, I slid my hand in just enough to tease and laughed.
“Already excited, I see.”
“Told you the clothing wouldn’t put me off. You’re sexy in anything,” he ground out. I could only imagine how much self-control it took for him to just stand there, with my hand kept just out of reach to where he wanted my touch most.
I enjoyed every second we stood there, both still as stone, breathing heavily.
Then, I moved, placing a hand on each side of his face and went up on tiptoe. Our lips inches away from each other, I whispered.
“Bedtime.”
~*~
Within seconds, Stefan’s arms were around my waist, his mouth on mine.
I knew he wouldn’t let me escape. He’d caught me in his web, his strong, warm arms like a cocoon I never wanted to leave. As he tried to gain entrance to my mouth, his hands slid under the shirt to cup my breasts in his hand. I sighed and let him in.
This is why I didn’t like to let him touch me. Once he did, my heart screamed to stay while my brain yelled for me to get away. And my body, my body was the biggest betrayer of all. It was in cahoots with my heart and I wasn’t happy about that.
Not because he was untrustworthy or because he had walked away.
I’d done that to him. I was the one who couldn’t be trusted to act like an adult.
In my fear, I’d pushed away someone who loved me and had stopped loving myself.
The thoughts send a wave of nausea as my head began to spin. I knew what was happening. I was having a panic attack and I didn’t want him to witness it.
Yanking my lips away from his, I pushed on h
is shoulders. “Let me go! Right fucking now, let go!”
He backed away, his hands up even as I could see the concern on his face. “What’s wrong?”
Taking deep breaths, I bent over, feeling as if I’d just taken part in a marathon. Hoping the feeling would go away. But it kept hitting me and as my hand continued to spin as my stomach roiled, I turned and ran to the bathroom.
“Ellie! What the hell!”
I heard him yell even as I closed the bathroom door, locking it. Sliding down to the floor, I tried to calm down.
Why now? I hadn’t had one in several years. It was worse than I remember. But maybe it was because my past was on the opposite side of the door, voice full of worry. It seemed like all I did was cause him to worry.
I didn’t want to tell him the truth. I didn’t want him to look at me and think how disgusting I was for what I’d done. Maybe he wouldn’t have cared. Maybe he would have been believed me when I said I’d been raped. I couldn’t remember for sure though and that irritated me. I knew I had been while knocked out and I also knew I’d been blessed to have no memory of it. That didn’t calm me, however, and never had.
Feeling the tears stream down my face, I rocked back and forth as I sobbed.
He pounded and pounded on the door, but I just cried.
Cried for the girl who thought she’d done the right thing.
For woman who had chosen to deal with it on her own.
And for the man on the opposite side of the door who had no clue what I’d gone through. Who I’d pushed away because I hadn’t known how to deal with my own feelings about the situation.
Who still loved me, even after the way I’d treated him.
And as the knocking continued, I cried harder.
“Please Ellie, let me in,” he begged. “I don’t know why you’re crying and you don’t have to tell me. Just come out and let me hold you.”
Was that all it would take?
“Come out honey. I’ll even watch Dirty Dancing with you if you want.”
I laughed through my tears, which only fell harder.
I hated that I needed him right that moment, that he could make me laugh through my tears and even after he’d walked away from me, he was the one I dreamed about. The only man I’d ever loved.