Chapter Twenty-Four
Sienna
My face was on fire.
I had the worst goddamn headache of my life, pain pounding against my skull, making it super hard to even think straight.
I wanted to reach up and rub my temples when I realized my hands were tied in front of me. My eyes snapped open, and adrenaline surged inside my veins, rushing through my blood.
My nose throbbed, pain radiating through my cheekbones. My right eye felt smaller than the other one, and there wasn’t a single inch of my face that didn’t ache.
Panicked, I pushed myself up on my elbows and scanned around the empty room. There was nothing but pale blue walls and a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The room wasn’t familiar at all, and terror tore through my chest. Something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones, how my body stirred with fear.
“Finally.”
“Oh my God.” I yelped and closed my eyes; my heart stuck in my throat. “Oakley.” I exhaled when I saw him sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall across from me. “Where are we?”
“When your mom is the richest realtor in town, you have access to a lot of fucking places.”
With one arm resting on his knee, he rubbed his other across the top of his head, back and forth. “I’m sorry about your nose.”
“What…what happened?”
“I didn’t mean to do this.” He sniffed, his eyes red and expression pained. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
I swallowed thickly, my brain still trying to make sense of what was going on. “Oakley, untie me, please.”
“I’m sorry, firefly.” His voice trembled, his cheeks flushed and tear-stained. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You. I can’t stop thinking about you, Sienna.” He knocked his fists against his skull, clenching his jaw. “You’re in my motherfucking head twenty-four-seven, and it’s fucking driving me crazy.”
Holy shit. This wasn’t happening.
I maneuvered my tied feet and sat up, leaning back against the wall. Panic squeezed my lungs, and I could hardly breathe. “Oakley, what the hell are you doing?”
Tears slipped down his cheeks, yet anger flashed in his eyes. “I just wanted things to go back to normal between us. I just wanted you back.”
“So you kidnapped me?” I snapped, jerking against the rope he had tied around my wrists.
“No. No. I didn’t kidnap you. I just wanted to talk, but you wouldn’t listen. You wouldn’t fucking listen. So, I…I…goddammit.” He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and jumped up to his feet. “I just wanted to fucking talk.”
I tried to push myself closer against the wall, pulling my knees up and leaning to the side. “You wouldn’t listen, so I thought…I thought I could bring you here, force you to take five fucking minutes and just listen to me.”
“Oakley, let me go.” I bit back tears as fear clawed at my spine. “Untie me, please.”
“No.” He shook his head manically as he paced. “No. Not until you listen to me. Not until you let me explain and give me a chance to make things right.”
“The only way you can make things right is by untying me. Oh my God, Oakley—this is insane.”
“Shut up! And just fucking listen to me.”
My eyes teared up, and I tried hard not to cry. But I was so fucking scared. Oakley had lost his mind. The way he paced, pulling his hand through his hair every five seconds, and unable to keep his gaze settled on one spot—he was unraveling. He was completely unpredictable, and I had no idea what was about to happen.
He stilled in front of me, his eyes downcast at the hardwood floors, hands on his hips. “I’m not going to hurt you, Sienna. I love you.” His wild eyes met mine. “I fucking love you, and I want you back.”
“Oakley—”