Seductive Truths (Seductive Trilogy) (8 page)

     Weak.

     Very weak.

     Drowsy.

    
I need sleep.  Want sleep.  Never wake up until this hell is over with.  Sleep.
    




    
‘
Wake up.  Wake up Alex.  Come on.
’

     Little pats of something against my cheek stirs me.

    
‘
That’s it Alex.
’

     I pull away wanting it to stop.

    
‘
I need you to wake up.
’

    
Leave me alone
.  I frown as I feel the beginnings of a penetrating headache.

    
‘
This is going to sting but I need you to keep your head still for me.
’

    
I just want sleep.  Let me sl…

    
‘
Ahhhh!  Jesus Christ, what was that?
’
 
Hold on, I can talk.  Nothing is restricting my mouth movement.

     I lick my chapped lips.  My tongue runs repeatedly over them, moistening.  They taste dry and salty.

    
‘
Stop that,
’
the man growls, the sound causing my insides to quiver.

     The tip of my tongue peeks out to lick again.

    
‘
I said stop.
’

     I immediately hide it at his demand.  However, I now start to suck my lips, alternating between top and bottom.  I can’t seem to stop.  Is it out of agitation?  Fear?  Or something else?

     I hear a grown too close for comfort then heated lips crash down on mine, hands grabbing either side of my face holding me in place.  It’s demanding and possessive.  The contact is rough but smooth.  It’s indescribable.

     I want to react.  I
need
to react, but I can’t.  I shouldn’t.

     I yank my lips away refusing to co-operate.  The desire left bubbling in the pit of my stomach says otherwise.

     He pulls away. 
‘
I told you to stop.  I warned you.
’

     My tongue goes to taste him on my lips, I can’t resist, but I do not get far before his descend once again.  His tongue slips inside my mouth, capturing, exploring.  This time my desire is so great I do not refuse and respond to his call.

     He tastes sweet but smells of spice.  Whisky residue clings to his tongue.  I drink him in, every last drop.  I consume him.  He consumes me.  We are lost in a battle of wills.

    
This is wrong, so very wrong
.

     Then the image of William’s kind face floats to the forefront of my mind and I rip my lips away from my captor’s in disgust.

    
I am acting like a cheap whore!  Why am I behaving like this?  It’s not me!

    
‘
Why?
’
I ask myself, not expecting a reply.

    
‘
Why what?
’
  His ragged breathing bounces off my cheek.

    
‘
Why…Why am I here?
’

     I sense him pulling away, distancing himself from me, like he is fighting his own inner battle.

    
‘
Your life isn’t safe,
’
his voice breaks the silence. 
‘
Your fiancé isn’t the man you think he is.  What you see, what you love, is only half of him.  He’s darker, far more dangerous than you’d ever believe.
’

    
What?  No, this can’t be true.  He doesn’t even know William.  How would he? 

    
‘
When I tell you the truth, nothing will ever be the same again.
’

    
‘
The truth?  What truth?
’

    
‘
The truth
about
your brother’s death.
’

    
‘
Wh-what?  No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.  You got it all wrong.  My brother died in a hit and run.  It was an accident.  Just an accident.  No suspicious circumstances.
’

     No reply, but I know he remains.  I feel his presence, hear his steady breathing.

    
‘
You’re lying.  You’re lying.  You’re just trying to scare me,
’
I ramble.

    
‘
Why would I scare you?  I get nothing out of it.  It would also defy the reason for bringing you here in the first place.
’
  I hear scuffling of shoes as I presume he moves to stand. 
‘
I need to gain your trust otherwise there is no hope in hell you will believe what I have to say.
’

    
‘
And you expect kidnapping will gain my trust?  Christ, you must be more deluded than I thought!
’

    
‘
It is the only way I know how.
’

    
‘
Well this sounds promising.
’

    
‘
What else was I supposed to do?  Let you carry on with your life blissfully unaware of how your brother died?
’

    
‘
Yes!
’
 
No.
 
‘
It doesn’t matter anyway.  It was a simple hit and…
’

    
‘
No it wasn’t!
’

    
‘
Just fucking tell me and let me go then if it means so much to you that I know the truth!
’

     I hear soft footfalls as he paces in front of me.

    
‘
I can’t,
’
he abruptly whispers into the tense atmosphere.

    
‘
Can’t?  Can’t?  So what has this all been for then?  For Christ sakes!  Tell me then let me go so we both can get on with our lives!
’

     In the quiet following I swear I just heard him mumble something.  It sounded like,
‘
I have no life,
’
but before I am able to think on it further, he speaks.

    
‘
I need you to calm down…
’

    
‘
Why?  You’re afraid someone will hear me?  Come to my rescue?  Discover you?
’

    
‘
No, but…
’

    
‘
Then I won’t stop!  I wouldn’t have anyway.  I have a right to shout, to scream.  I’m fighting for my life here!  Not knowing what you will do next!
’

    
‘
I told you I wouldn’t hurt you.
’

    
‘
That’s a lie for a start.  These strings digging into me hurt.  You whacked me around the head, knocking me out earlier.  That hurt.  And you’re hurting me now with these false accusations.  So why would you think I’d believe anything else that falls from your mouth!
’

     Heavy, frustrated sighs accompany his pacing.  The moment stretches out, precious seconds trickling away.  However, it affords me a chance to think, to regain my wits. 

    
It looks like I’m not going to get out of here anytime soon.  I need to co-operate if I want to get out alive, but I’m finding that task more and more difficult as he keeps pressing the right buttons to aggravate me.  It’s only placing me in more danger, but I can’t seem to help myself.  There’s something about him which ignites the dormant fire in my belly. 

     That’s another thing.  Why do I respond so passionately, in both cases?  It doesn’t make any sense!  None of this makes sense!  All I’m getting is question after question but no answers.  Questions that are constantly swimming around and around in in my head, never letting up.  They’re slowly driving me insane!

    
‘
Look,
’
my head snaps in the direction of his voice, which is surprisingly close once again. 
When did he stop pacing?
 
‘
You need to know the truth.  No, you
deserve
to know the truth and I will tell you, but not yet.  First I need to gain your trust, and yes, I know, this the wrong way of going about it, but I have no other choice.  Soon you’ll understand why.
’

     Losing the battle to argue I sigh, resigning myself to my fate. 
‘
So how are you going to go about gaining my trust?
’

    
‘
I need…I
want
you to get to know me, but unfortunately it’s not going to be a pleasant task.
’




    
‘
Here.
’

     I startle as something cold is
being
pressed against my lips.

    
‘
What is it?
’
I say turning my head away.

    
‘
Water.  You need to keep hydrated.
’

    
‘
How thoughtful of you,
’
I say sarcastically.

    
‘
Let’s get one thing straight.  I’m not here to kill you or rape you.  If that was my intention I would have done it by now.
’

    
‘
Reassuring thought.
’

    
‘
Are you going to drink this or not?  Doesn’t matter to me either way.
’

     I hesitate.

    
If I don’t die at his hands I will die from dehydration if I continue to refuse his help.  Try to think logically Alex.

     Giving in to survival, I slowly move my head back round, searching for the glass of water.  He places it to the edge of my lips and gradually tips it back.  I greedily gulp the water down till there is nothing left.  The coolness feels heavenly against my dry throat and chapped lips.

    
‘
Thank you,
’
I say.

     A grunt of approval replies, but nothing else is forthcoming.  

     My stomach growls in hunger but the very thought of food makes me want to be sick.

    
Now what?  Do I converse with him?  Ask him questions?  I have plenty to ask but where to start?

    
‘
Feeling better now?
’
he asks.

    
‘
As well as I can be under the circumstances.
’

     I shiver as my damp clothes begin to take a toll on my health.

     Rustling of material is heard and then something heavy and warm is draped around my quivering frame.  Instant heat seeps into my aching muscles.  I snuggle into the comfort provided, relaxing a little as my body grows accustom to the new feeling.

     The musky scent clinging to the jacket’s fabric eases my mind and I close my eyes, resting my head against the brick wall behind me.  Though tired and drained I force myself to remain conscious, weary of what could happen if I turn my back.

     A random thought pops into my head.

    
‘
Why did you kiss me?
’

    
‘
Not a question I thought you’d start off with.
’

    
‘
Nor me.  So?
’

    
‘
Hmm,
’
he exhales as he makes his way over to my side, then slides down the wall, his arm making contact with mine slightly, unnerving me.  I pull away fractionally but that doesn’t stop me feeling the heat radiating off him.  He’s like a walking furnace.  Everything he touches turns hot in a matter of seconds.

    
‘
For one, I am a red hot blooded male and can resist only so much.  You licking your lips did it for me.
’