Illusion (Swept Away #1)(8)
Author: J.S. Cooper

“What did you say?” His voice was gruff, and I felt his hands gripping my waist as he shifted.

I remained silent and waited to see what he was going to do next. I could hear a loud throbbing sound, and the smell of fuel surrounded my nostrils. I rubbed my forehead, wishing that I could make sense of where I was. The man behind me shifted again, and I felt his hands higher on my waist this time.

“Get your hands off me.” I pushed him away and hit my head against something hard. “Ow!” I shouted, and he groaned.

“Please tell me that you’re not going to be like this all day and night.”

“I hope not to be here with you all day and night,” I retorted back, and then sighed. “Not that I even know where I am.”

“We’re in some sort of vehicle.” He spoke matter-of-factly, and once again, I felt irritated.

“How do you know?”

“Feel the vibrations? We’re moving, and whatever’s beneath us isn’t smooth.”

“Okay, Einstein.” I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see me. I lay there for a moment and paid attention to everything around me. He was right. “So you think we’re in a car or something?”

“Who knows?” He sighed. “I’ve never been kidnapped before.”

“Kidnapped?” I screeched, and I felt his hand move to my mouth.

“Be quiet,” he whispered into my ear. “You’re being too loud. We don’t want them to realize that we’re awake.”

“Who is the ‘we’ you’re talking about?” I whispered back, fear suddenly setting in. I wasn’t sure what was going on here. Who was he? And why were we in the car together? Something had gone terribly wrong, and all I could think about was Rosie and if she was okay.

I was disoriented, tired, and extremely scared. I took a couple of quick breaths and then started panicking again. What if the oxygen ran out? Was I about to die? Who would kidnap me? I had no money. I wasn’t a spy. There was nothing to be gained from kidnapping me. Then I remembered the plan. I knew that I had to expect the unexpected. This was the unexpected. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves. At least I wasn’t alone. I froze for a second. Why wasn’t I alone?

“I don’t know who.” He sighed. “I don’t know why anyone would want to kidnap me.” His voice sounded tired and sincere, like he really didn’t know why he was here. He also didn’t sound familiar.

My breath came a little easier then. I didn’t know who he was, but I was pretty certain that he wasn’t one of the men I’d heard earlier. I tried to remember what my father had told me when I was younger and feeling uncomfortable.

Talk out your worries, Bianca. No one can make you uncomfortable unless you give them the power. That was just one of many pieces of advice he’d given me. He’d been scatterbrained and focused only on his work most of the time, but he’d always had a wise word to lend me when I’d needed it. I missed him every day.

“I really want to scream right now.” I tried to move away from him, still uncomfortable.

“Don’t scream.” His hand flew to my mouth again. “If they realize we’re awake, they might do something drastic.” His fingers pressed against my mouth, and my body stilled as I wondered if he was trying to cut off my oxygen supply.

“Drastic like what?” I mumbled against his palm as he pulled it back.

My tongue accidentally tasted his skin, and I swallowed hard as I realized just how close together we were. His skin was salty and sweet and reminded me of honey-roasted peanuts. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of my thoughts. I shifted as his smell overwhelmed my senses again. I felt a slight chill run down my spine as I waited for his response. Goose bumps were popping up on my arms and chest, and my whole body was awakened in the most instinctual sense possible.

“What do you think?” He sounded annoyed, and I felt an urge to slap him. “Lean into me,” he whispered into my ear.

“What?” My eyes widened at his words. My body jerked back at the breath of air that filled my eardrum. I felt tense and aware of every inch of his body next to mine as my skin tingled from the contact. I was mad that I was oddly turned on by this crazy situation. I didn’t even know who this man was or what he was going to do to me.

“Lean into me. My body will provide warmth and will help to calm you down,” he repeated slowly, as if speaking to a fifth grader. “You’ll go into a panic if you don’t.”

“You don’t know me.” I glared at him. My eyes had adjusted slightly to the dark, and I could make out the outline of his face. He was definitely not anyone I remembered seeing before.

“Listen, lady, I’m trying to help you so your body doesn’t go into shock.”

“What are you? A doctor?”

“Just shut up for a minute.” He pulled me toward him and pushed my face into his shoulder.

At first, I panicked and tried to pull away, but then I realized that he was right. It was oddly comforting to be held in his arms. His body was warm and hard, and I felt protected. I closed my eyes as I snuggled next to him and tried to pretend that he was someone I cared about. Someone I actually knew. For a moment, he was actually someone I wanted to be snuggled next to.

It had been so long since I’d actually been intimate with someone. All the guys I’d been talking to recently had seemed obnoxious and annoying, aside from David, who hadn’t been someone I’d had thoughts of being with for a long time. Though, of course, he hadn’t known that in the beginning. We had broken up because he hadn’t been a fan of my making him wait for sex. And as a result, he hadn’t been a fan of mine. We’d argued so much toward the end of our six-month relationship that I had just ended it to be done with him. I’d been happy that I didn’t have to pretend anymore, yet I’d been scared to trust him with part of the truth. Sometimes I wondered if that hadn’t been a mistake. Maybe telling him part of the truth and asking for his help in getting to the bottom of my mother’s death hadn’t been the right way to go. I’d gone with my gut, but I had wondered many times if he could be trusted. Especially in moments like these when I was scared and lonely in the back of a truck. Being kidnapped with a strange man made me doubt that I’d made the right decision.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered softly. “We’re in the same position here. We need to support each other.” His tone had changed, and I felt my body relax slightly. His tone was soothing, as opposed to sinister. I didn’t feel like this man was going to harm me. At least not now.