“Sir, I have your package here,” Tony says, handing him a small package wrapped in what looks like a brown paper bag.
Vance takes it from him. “Thank you, Tony. Have a safe drive back to the city.”
The city… Those words bring me back to reality. He’s abducted me. I glance around and see miles of land with hundreds of trees, and in the middle of it is a small cabin and what looks like an oversized garage behind it. That’s it. No other houses, no people. I am in the middle of fucking nowhere with a man I barely know. This is straight-up a scene from some horror movie, and I feel no fear. Maybe I am certifiable.
“Umm, Vance, how are we gonna get back without Tony?”
“We aren’t,” Vance says. His hand lingers on the belt still tied around my wrists. “At least not for the weekend.” He undoes the belt, tossing it around my neck. His eyes focus on my wrists. Two angry welts now replace the black leather. Vance frowns, massaging my wrists. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think I tied them that tight. Fuck.” He falls to his knees and places sweet kisses all along the insides of my wrists before turning them over and repeating the gesture on the other side. I can’t help thinking how incredibly tender the act is; a complete clusterfuck of emotions rage in me for this man. Most of them I am not even close to understanding, and I'm not sure I ever will.
I know what I am about to ask is stupid, but my voice cracks as I ask anyway. “I know I already asked this, but are you going to hurt me?”
Vance stares up at me, pain, anger, regret, and sadness flashing in his eyes before he masks them, locking it up in an impenetrable fortress so I can’t reach. “I don’t hurt innocent women. I definitely would never hurt you. I’d fuckin’ die before I let one hair on your head get damaged."
“Is it a sex thing?”
“No,” he whispers. “I want you, but no, I didn’t bring you here to make you my sex slave, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Then what am I doing here?”
“I just want you here.” He pauses for a moment, as if rethinking his words. “I need you here. From the moment I saw you, I was drawn to you; that’s never happened before. I don’t really know what to do about…” He trails off for a moment before he adds, “Feelings.”
“So you make it a habit of kidnapping women you’re attracted to?”
Vance shoots up off the ground, backing away from me. He doesn’t hide what he is thinking, his hands fists at his sides, his eyes burning molten lava. “What makes you think I’m attracted to you, Little Bird?”
His words feel like freezing cold water being dumped over my head. I am shocked at just how much they sting, but I refuse to let him see the pain they caused. “You broke a guy’s hand over a week ago, you did God knows what to that guy from tonight, you sent me groceries, you kidnapped me. You either want to fuck me or kill me.”
Vance ignores my question; instead, he takes the brown paper bag package out of his pocket. This time I really focus on it and notice drops of blood trickling out of it. “What the fuck is that,” I ask, my voice shaking with each word I utter.
Vance’s thick fingers unwrap the paper, and two cuts of steak peek through. He whistles, and two large Dobermans run out on demand. Vance doesn’t take his eyes off me. He holds up one of the two steaks and one Doberman jumps viciously, making me panic, thinking he might actually take out Vance’s hand with the steak. When the dog has his meat and Vance’s limbs are still attached, I calm down slightly, only to witness it happening again with the other dog.
“You’re fuckin crazy.”
Vance laughs, a genuine laugh, a laugh that comes from a place of joy, patting the dogs on their heads. “They’re well trained.”
I can’t help thinking how different he looks at this moment. Sure, he still looks like he could take on ten men by himself and is hard as hell, but he also looks like a boy next door—kind, caring, dependable.
Vance places his hand on my back, guiding me to the cabin. I can’t move. My feet won’t let me. I’m frozen, unable to do anything but look at the two dogs, who are glaring at me.
“Stand down,” Vance yells. Both dogs whimper before running away. “They won’t hurt you. They know your place and theirs.”
I nod and lean into him as we walk to the cabin. Vance opens the door with a gold key and holds the door open for me. I walk in under his arm, my body brushing against his, and heat pools in my center. My body’s reaction to him is ultimately out of control.