Finding Anna (Hidden Duet Book 1)

by LM Terry

  I regard him with genuine interest as he pulls himself together. “Let’s go back to the cabin. We aren’t done with our talk.” He puts his arm around my shoulders and leads me to the swing.

  “Rules. Rule one – never ask me to kill you again, not happening. Rule two - if you run from me again I will not hold back. Rule three – never say any of what happened is your fault. There are more rules, but this is a good start, I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

  I focus on his thigh and watch the muscle under his jeans as he pushes us on the swing. I don’t say anything. The feelings that have come over me are all new. I’m used to being by myself. All the human contact over the last few months is taking its toll.

  “Now where were we? Oh yes, I remember, Ramirez is your father. That explains a lot. You can’t pick your parent’s Anna, don’t blame yourself.” He rubs his hand back and forth over the top of my arm.

  “I hate him, and I hate Oliver,” I say vehemently.

  “I know, baby. I know. I hate them too, but hey that gives us something in common.” He stops the swing and tugs at my chin to force me to look at him. “I will help you Anna. You are not always going to like it but I’m going to help you. We start tomorrow.”

  I stare at him. For the first time in my life I think I can count on someone, I trust him. I don’t understand why but I do. It could be because he is Sophia’s brother or because of the way he looks at me. I believe him when he says he will never leave me, even after he just learned the truth. I start to cry again, damn tears.

  He brushes them away and leans down taking my mouth. He gently forces me to open for him. His lips are warm against mine. My head is swimming. The warmth returns to my core. He is in complete control. For once in my life I’m not afraid. I’m not sure about these new feelings, but they are as delicious as the meal he served. He pulls back and runs his thumb over my bottom lip smiling like the Cheshire Cat in Alice and Wonderland. I wonder what hole I have just fallen in.

  ∞∞∞

  Dylan

  I wish she was stronger. I would take her here and now. I will make her mine, but I need to be patient. I read the hospital record from her file. They didn’t hurt her, well they did, but they didn’t rape her. The thought of anyone touching a single hair on her head makes me murderous. At least they didn’t rape her, the report stated that she is still a virgin.

  The idea of being her first excites me. I will be gentle the first time, we will work our way up to the hard stuff. I am going to help her and in the process I’ll bind her, so she never wants to leave my side.

  I about lost control when she ran. There is something about the chase that turns me on, makes me crave to let go of all restraint. But I need her to be strong. I don’t want to break her. I want to heal her.

  All this crap of her wanting to roll over and die needs to end. I understand where she is coming from. She blames herself for the deaths just like I do. They are gone, and we are here. I get the guilt really I do. This might be good for me too. I don’t want to help her, I need to help her. After years and years of failure I demand something positive come from all of this.

  She is good, so very, very good. Hmm, her lips are soft. I loved the way she opened and let me explore her mouth with mine. When I grabbed her in the forest, I could sense her fear, but I also detected her excitement. The way her breath hitched, the way the hair on her body reacted to my touch. Yes, she liked it. I knew fate brought us together.

  She thought I would hate her, kill her. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I am going to rip Oliver Wright into a thousand little pieces and scatter him to the fish. I’ll call Liam and the guys. Get them working day and night to find him. I will set up the security myself. I’m feeling selfish, I don’t want to share Anna with anyone.

  I run my thumb over her beautiful full lips. “We should get some sleep. I didn’t sleep well in that shithole motel.” I stand and pull her up with me. She is in a daze from my kiss. She doesn’t look at me, I wonder what she is thinking. I can see that she is confused.

  I lock the door and turn off the lights as we head upstairs to the master bedroom. “I unpacked for you, your clothes are in the closet or the bureau over there,” I say pointing at it.

  She goes to the closet, hesitating as she notices that my clothes are hanging next to hers. She turns to ask me something but stops herself. She rummages around grabbing her clothes and heads to the bathroom.

  “No locking the door,” I tell her. She pauses briefly but continues. I wait listening to make sure she obeyed. She did.

  I strip down to my boxers and climb into bed leaving only the bedside lamp on. The dimness turns the corners of the room to dark shadows.

  When she returns and spies me lying on the bed she says, “There are several bedrooms here, you can have this one, I’ll sleep downstairs.”

  She knows better. She waits for my orders. “Nope, hop in baby. This is the best bed in the house. It’s big enough for the two of us. It would be a shame if either of us missed out on its luxury.”

  She doesn’t respond instead she bustles around searching in drawers.

  “What are you looking for Anna?”

  “My books, I usually read before bed, it helps me fall asleep.”

  “They are in the trunk of the car.”

  She gives me an incredulous look. “Why are they in the trunk? They were in my bag.”

  I lock my fingers together and place them behind my head. I notice the way she licks her lips as she watches my movements, it pleases me greatly. “I locked them in there. I said, and I’ll say it again Anna, you are not hiding anymore.”

  She stands there with her mouth hanging open, unsure of how to reply. I watch as she slowly realizes what I am getting at. “I don’t hide in my books.” She crosses her arms across her chest haughtily.

  “No?” I cock my head enjoying her standing there for my eyes only.

  “Hmph.” She storms to the other side and pulls the covers high under her chin.

  I reach over to shut the light off, then I draw her close, spooning her in a protective cocoon. She doesn’t fight as much as she did at the hotel. I smile into her hair. My little Anna, all mine.

  “You are giving me the key tomorrow you know.”

  “Maybe we can make a deal. You give me something I want, and I’ll grant you one of your other worlds.” I inhale her scent locking every single detail about her into my mind.

  “What do you want?” she says shakily.

  “I’m sure I’ll think of something.” I won’t, I don’t want her running away from me even if it is to a fictitious place in a novel.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ∞∞∞

  Anna

  I wake up leisurely and stretch. But then I remember where I am, and I sit up straight. I look at the rumbled sheets beside me. He is gone. I hear pans bang down in the kitchen. I lay down, the smell of bacon and pancakes wafts up the stairs pulling at me to get up. I want to stay in bed all day. Or should I hide in the bathroom?

  Dylan is making me feel strange things, things I don’t know if I am ready for. He is all-consuming. I reflect to the kiss on the front porch, my stomach does a somersault. Damn. I sit up deciding a cold shower is what I need. I toss the covers back as I detect footsteps coming up the stairs.

  “Good morning sunshine.” The sexiest man alive stands in the doorway with a tray looking at me like he won the lottery. He is barefoot and wearing only a pair of sweats low on his hips that reveal a dark patch of hair over the seam. I turn my eyes away embarrassed by my brazen assessment of him.

  He walks over as I cautiously grab the blanket, pulling it back up. I need a barrier of some sort between us. He carefully sets the tray over my lap. There are perfectly shaped pancakes, bacon, eggs, fresh strawberries and a cup of coffee. I’ve never had anyone make me breakfast in bed. “You didn’t have to do this, I could have come downstairs.”

  “I wanted to. Another rule don’t question the nice things I do for you. You
have been through a lot, you deserve to be treated well Anna.”

  When Oliver did nice things for me it was always a trick of some sort, a way of messing with my head. I don’t suspect that this is what Dylan is doing, but it still makes me a little nervous none the less.

  “Thank you.” I pick up my fork and take a bite of pancakes. He sits down on the edge of the bed intently watching me.

  “I like you much better as Anna,” he says bending slightly to catch my eyes.

  I try to distract him from looking so closely at me. “So, what is the deal with my books?”

  “Oh, hmm, what could we barter? How about you tell me what frightened you most when you were with Oliver? Then I will give you a book, with one stipulation, you can only read for an hour a day.”

  “You can’t boss me around, you don’t own me.” I set the fork down with a clang on the plate.

  He stands up walking away. The deal off the table.

  “Wait.” I need a book. I want an escape from my reality even if it is just for a short while.

  He returns. “One thing but it must be what scared you the most about him.”

  I consider his question. “Everything scared me. I can’t name one thing that wasn’t frightening about my time there.”

  He runs his finger along the bruise on the side of my cheek. I turn away embarrassed by how it must look today, every day it turns a nastier color than the previous.

  “Did they hit you?”

  I shake my head. “No. I got this when I attacked a guard. I jumped on his back, he reared his head and hit me in the face.”

  “Is that how you got these?” He pulls my hand into his and rubs his thumb lightly across my palm.

  “Yes. I found a rope and surprised him when he came to get us up for the day. I killed him.” I glance away leaving out the fact that Sophia tried to talk me out of it. She would still be alive if I hadn’t killed him, she would have never had access to the gun.

  He turns my face back towards him. “My brave Anna.” He gazes into my eyes with true admiration. It warms me. He appears proud of me, something else I have experienced little. Liam gave me a similar look when I decoded my book for him. I turned over all the information I had overheard from my days spent with Oliver.

  “That makes you part of my team,” he says. I stare at him confused, and he explains. “My teams’ job for the last eight years has been taking out Oliver’s men. You got one. That should merit you a mulligan, so I will give you a book. You don’t have to answer my question, at least not right now.” He grins granting me a spectacular view of his pearly whites.

  Flip-flop goes my stomach. When he is serious he makes me melt, when he is frightening he excites me and when he smiles my heart literally explodes. If I don’t give myself space from him I am just going to end up hurt. Oliver is coming. I can’t forget that. Dylan says he won’t let it happen, I want to trust him. But, I know that Oliver is a patient man. Look how long he waited for me to slip. He will find me, he is waiting for me to slip again.

  He picks up my fork and hands it to me. “Your food is getting cold. I was thinking that I will run into town today. I need to pick up some things. We should set up security around here. I’ll also stock up on supplies. I would make you go with, but I can trust you to stay. Unless you want to that is.”

  “You are going to leave me here alone?”

  “You are welcome to come but I thought it might be nice for you to have time to yourself. To process things, explore your new home. I will be back Anna. I will never leave you, never.” He taps the end of my nose lightly. “If you are worried about Oliver, he hasn’t had enough time to locate you yet. You are safe. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t take off.”

  “Okay I will stay,” I say hesitantly. It’s a trap, he is wanting to see if I’ll run. Oliver used to set traps for me too.

  Dylan goes back downstairs and allows me to eat in peace. I shove the rest of my food down not really tasting any of it. He is leaving me alone. Should I come up with a plan to get away? He returns minutes later setting a book down on the table beside me. He leans over to ask if I want seconds then he picks up the tray.

  As he walks out he says, “Why don’t you go ahead and hop in the shower, I’ll be up in a second.”

  What did he say? I’m losing my mind. Did he mean he would be up to shower with me? He must have meant he will take his after I’m done. Surely he doesn’t expect to shower with me. Anna you are just hot and bothered, pull your head out and come up for air.

  I grab a pair of shorts and tank top out of the dresser. I’ll go for a walk today. My mood is slightly getting better at the notion of being able to move around without someone standing over me. I head into the bathroom and turn to bolt the door behind me, but I stop. He has made it clear I am not to lock the door. I think it’s to make sure that I don’t do anything stupid. After Sophia he is being cautious.

  I undress and enter the shower. I turn the handles and the spray from the twenty-four-inch rain shower head falls. This was one of the selling factors of the cabin for me. It is going to feel amazing. Just as I get the water set to the correct temperature I hear the door open.

  Dylan saunters in making eye contact with me through the glass. He slowly bends and pushes down his sweats.

  Somehow I break the hold he has on my eyes. What is he doing? My mind is reeling, fighting hard to convince itself that he is not Oliver. That this is different. It feels different but is it? He didn’t ask me if any of this okay. He demands all of it. He opens the shower. I quickly skitter to the corner farthest away from him, pressing my chest against the cool tile.

  “Don’t fight this Anna. You want it too. I won’t take you today, we will go slow, but I need to touch you. I need to feel that you are real and not some figment of my imagination. I want to know you are alive.” His voice sounds heavy with need, but he doesn’t reach for me.

  I turn my head slightly and whisper against the tile, “I don’t know what you want me to do Dylan.”

  He comes close, his heat radiates into me. Gently he tugs at my shoulders and pulls me until the spray streams along my spine. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

  He coaxes my head back under the stream and lets the water run through the strands. I smell the familiar lavender scent of my shampoo as he massages it into my hair and scalp. His fingers move down to my neck gently caressing the knots away, I moan as he finds them.

  My muscles relax. He fills his palms with more soap and begins where he left off working his way down my arms. He works harder on the tender areas, making me let out more sounds of approval. He gets to my lower back and slides his hands around to pull me closer into his body. The slickness of the soap glides between us. His erection gently pokes into my spine.

  I tense, he breaths into my ear, reminding me he will stop. I just need to say the word. Hesitantly I relax against him, blindly trusting. I should stop him. My brain tells me to, but my body quietly whispers it desires this. It demands his gentle touch. It requires him to work out all the pain and wash away everything that has happened until this moment.

  His strong hands roam over my stomach. Climbing to my ribs, he leaves nothing untouched. He forces every cell to life under his fingers. He moves higher yet, lightly running his hands over my breasts. My breath hitches. He groans in my ear. His voice so deep, it fires the sound that escaped him to vibrate right down to my pussy.

  He cradles my tits in his palms and brushes the pad of his thumb over each nipple. I lean my head back into his chest lost in the new sensations that my body is experiencing. The outside world melts away. He pinches my nipples, shooting a brief signal of pain to my brain but just as quickly soothes his hands over them making the sensation turn to pure bliss. He does this repeatedly, pinching and smoothing until I can only concentrate on the fire burning between my legs. I find myself silently willing his hands to move, to touch me lower.

  I swear he can read my mind as he leaves my breasts giving them
a sweet reprieve. He pulls me in tight to him with one arm around my waist while the other hand finds its way down, rubbing lightly over me. I drive my hips shamelessly and grind into his palm seeking something more. I need more. More what I don’t know but I need it. More pressure, more pain, more pleasure.

  He is like a musician and I his instrument. He seems to have insight on where and how to touch my body to make me moan. He wrenches little noises from me as he slides his fingers deeper between my folds finding my clit rubbing, pinching just like he tortured my nipples. A flash of pain rewarded by the sweet tingle of pleasure.

  Something builds inside me. I struggle to break away, but he holds me tight and whispers in my ear, “I got you baby, let yourself go, I got you.”

  I’m climbing, climbing and then I tumble. I cry out, closing my eyes, bracing myself against Dylan’s hard torso. I grab his hand and still it on me, riding the shock waves that come as I fall into the heavenly bliss of nothing but pleasure. My body and his pressed together seamlessly.

  Dylan moves his arm up and hugs me around the waist, he presses kisses against my temple. We stand there for the longest time the water falling over our naked bodies. “You okay, baby?”

  “Yes.” I turn to stare up at him. He towers over me, he looks worried. God, he is beautiful. I reach up and run my fingers across the stubble of a beginning beard, watching water droplets fall as I do.

  He grabs my wrist to halt my movement. “You don’t have to do this Anna,” he says with his serious look plastered on his face.

  “What if I want to know you are alive too? I thought everyone was gone.” His features soften, and he closes his eyes, releasing me. I trace my fingers along the scar on his forehead and drop them down his neck. He is so big. I think back to the hotel when he asked if I wanted to strangle him. It would take someone much stronger than me that is for sure. I rub my thumb over the hollow of his throat watching his face intently.