Reclaimed(7)
Author: Diane Alberts

“May I come in?”

She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Isaac got thrown violently to the side. He crashed into a tree, and she tried to run toward him, but couldn’t move.

Her legs wouldn’t move. She was…

Frozen.

***

She awoke terrified of something—or someone. But she couldn’t remember…. Oh God, her dream. Isaac had been hurt.

No, no. It had been a dream. Not reality.

He was okay. She felt fine, too. All remained good in her world.

Right?

She checked the clock, groaning in dismay when she saw it was only two o’clock in the morning. She punched her pillow and tried to relax and seek more sleep.

Eventually she found it, in the form of dreamless slumber.

***

Sabrina attempted to keep busy by writing her latest book. Even so, it seemed the past two days had been more along the lines of two weeks, since they’d passed unbearably slowly. She couldn’t stop thinking about Isaac. Even now, one word sat alone on her computer screen.

Isaac.

The reason she couldn’t stop thinking of him? Simple. They had a date tonight. And she couldn’t seem to think about anything else, no matter how hard she tried to focus.

Marie had called yesterday, and she’d filled her sister in on her new love interest. Perhaps she had been too enthusiastic in her descriptions, while trying to be, at the same time, cryptic in how much information she revealed. She had been forced, as well, to repeat the whole conversation that had occurred over the phone between her and Isaac verbatim to her sister. She smiled, remembering.

Her phone had rung, and she immediately knew it would be him, even before she had looked at the caller ID.

“Hello, Sabrina. It’s the man you ran over yesterday. Isaac, in case there’s more than one of us.” His unique chuckle had washed over her to whisper of pleasures to be had at his hands. “I’ve called to cash in on that date we spoke of.”

“Hmmm. Sabrina? Nope, I think you have the wrong number,” she said.

“Mm. Nice try. I’d recognize your American accent anywhere.”

“Betrayed by my heritage, huh?”

“Yup,” Isaac replied. The amusement in his voice made her smile. “So, you run me over, promise me a date, and then try to get rid of me. You Americans are ruthless. It’s not just a rumor, is it?”

“No, it’s definitely true. We’re a rough, merciless lot. You’d better remember it in the future,” she replied. Giddiness came over her and she realized she felt like a teenager again. Heck, she hadn’t even been this excited when the school football captain had asked her to prom. “So, now that you found me, what are you going to demand from me for recompense?”

“Oh, you think you’re so tough. You haven’t met a wronged Brit. You’ve got no idea what it is we’re capable of anymore.”

“Uh oh. I’m quaking in my, uh, slippers.”

“Slippers, huh? Are they fuzzy bunny ones?”

She laughed out loud before glancing down at her slippers, which were, indeed, fuzzy. “That’s none of your business, sir. There are numbers you can call if you want to know what I’m wearing.”

“Ouch. You’re cruel, you truly are. You certainly have a talent for crushing a man’s ego, don’t you?”

“And running over them, as well. We can’t forget.”

“Okay, you’ve put me in my place. Now, we must move onto the punishment, as you call it.” He paused, and she tapped the fingers of her right hand on the table as she waited for him to continue. “I’m thinking dinner. Also some wine, maybe conversation, and soft candlelight? Does it sound too horrible to you, lass?”

“Oh, well, now that does sound pretty horrible. Horribly wonderful. I love it.”

“Great. How’s Monday night for you? Are you free? Not working, I hope?”

“Oh, no. I’m free. I usually have a flexible schedule.” She rushed to assure him while frowning at the blank page in front of her. The cursor blinking rapidly taunted her and she flinched. Maybe she sounded too eager.

“Sounds good to me. If you give me your address, I’ll pick you up at eight.”

After providing him her address, they’d hung up and time had proceeded to stand absolutely still. She gave up trying to work on her current manuscript and closed her laptop.

Her characters were giving her a hard time. Her hero wanted to leave her heroine, and she couldn’t allow that. But they were fighting her…and winning.

Her writing wasn’t going nearly as smoothly as she would like.

Kind of like her life.

***

Isaac glanced in the mirror one last time when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket as he sighed and answered without bothering to look at the caller ID. Only his friends had the number to his cell, so he knew the call would not be a professional one.

“Hello?”

“Hey, remember the problem we discussed on Saturday?” Connor asked. His voice came through urgent, yet hushed, as if he were afraid of being overheard. The clanging of pots in the background confirmed Isaac’s suspicions. Connor called him from work.

“Mmm-hmm,” he murmured.

“Tonight, at one in the morning.”

He glanced at his watch, noting he needed to leave in five minutes to pick up Sabrina. “Okay, I’ll be there.” He hung up his phone and paced. He kicked the couch and cursed at having not acted fast enough. This could have been avoided if he had been more proactive. But instead, they were embroiled in a tangled mess, disturbingly familiar, and he didn’t like it one bit.

Isaac ran his hands through his hair and finished his preparations for the evening before leaving for Sabrina’s house on time, despite the addition to his post-date plans. It wouldn’t do at all to be late since he couldn’t afford to get off on the wrong foot. It remained imperative he’d get as close to her as possible.

***

At eight o’clock sharp, Isaac knocked on Sabrina’s door. It swung open a few seconds later, and he drew in a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding in.

She looked gorgeous. Too bloody gorgeous.

“Hello, Isaac.” She answered the door smiling, dressed in a black T-shirt and tight jeans that clung to her hips like a second skin.

God, he’d pay anything get into those jeans. Hell, to be her jeans.

“Hello, Sabrina. You look wonderful.”

His hand had been behind his back, but he brought it forward to hold out a bouquet of lavender roses for her. Something crossed in her eyes that looked like apprehension, but it melted away as she smiled.