Chapter 25
Angie stared after North as he left.
Why did she feel the urge to ask him to stay? She was being ridiculous.
What she should do is tell Jared to go with him. But she didn’t think she could be here on her own with an IV line in. Weirdly, Jared made her feel safe.
“I think that you’re telling lies. You might think you’ve eradicated your Little, but you have two soft toys that say otherwise.”
“Lots of people have soft toys,” she pointed out. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
“True. But you can’t just wipe that part out of your life. It’s a part of who you are.”
Fuck.
He wasn’t wrong. And she knew that her Little was still a part of her.
“She’s still inside you.”
“She won’t come out,” Angie told him, hearing the frustration in her voice. “Not when I want her to. Only when I’m ill or scared. For so long I had to hide that part of myself from Fergus so he didn’t use it against me and after . . . I don’t know. It’s like she’s locked behind a wall.”
He shifted her around carefully so she was facing him. She immediately missed his touch. Wanted his arms around her. She started to shake and he frowned, then he reached down to grab a throw from the end of the bed, wrapping it around her. “I want you to look at me.”
She’d reached the end of everything she could take, she really had. Angie didn’t think she could discuss anything else.
Jared tilted her chin up, studying her face. “If you ever want some help setting her free, I can do that. While you’re here, that is.” That last bit sounded like an afterthought.
Did he want her to stay?
No. You have to be imagining things.
“Are you a Daddy to North?”
“No, North is my sub. Not my Little. Although that’s not something that many people know.”
“About him being a sub?” she asked.
“And about him being mine. Being mine puts him in more danger.”
She nodded. She could understand that. People might use North to get to Jared.
He leaned back against the headboard with her still in his lap.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Something I shouldn’t be. But sometimes life hands you a gift and you just have to take it.”
She really didn’t understand what he was saying. “Are you going to let me leave?”
“I will.”
Something swirled around her stomach. It should have been relief. But it felt like something else.
“When?”
“When I’m certain that Zander won’t retaliate against North.”
Because North’s safety was important to him.
“And when I’m certain you’ll be safe.”
She should argue. She should tell him that of course she was safe. Instead, she decided just to give herself this moment.
Of having someone care for her who wasn’t obliged to because they were sort-of family.
“Just rest. You’ve been through a lot. Let me take care of you. For now.”
The next morning Angie sat on the bed.
She’d showered and dressed in some of the clothes that North had bought for her.
How he’d known all her sizes and what she’d like, she had no idea.
That was North, though.
The guy was an enigma. And she wasn’t certain that she would ever understand him.
Jared’s words kept playing around in her head from yesterday.
How he could help her with her Little while she was here.
She glanced over at the wardrobe and shook her head as she hugged her toys tight.
Groaning, she lay back on the bed.
What she should be doing was planning her escape. Because she was still a prisoner. Even if Jared said he’d eventually let her go. Her stomach rumbled. Was anyone going to give her breakfast?
Maybe she should attempt to climb out the window?
Getting up, she heaved it open. Okay, she’d expected it to be locked. It didn’t open that far, but she was certain it was enough for her slip through.
She hesitated. What if Jared or North caught her? What if they punished her like Fergus had . . .
Angie pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She was great at stifling bad memories. It wasn’t healthy. Her therapist had reminded her of that several times.
But, hey, it meant she could function. And right now, she couldn’t fall apart.
There was one issue, though. Even if she fully got the window open, how was she getting down the side of the building?
She half-slid out of the window, peering around. The house was made of a light stone. It was prettier than she’d expected. It was also pretty hard to scale. There were no footholds at all to support her.
She was going to need rope.
Suddenly, she realized what a precarious position she was in, bent over out the window. What if she slipped?
She’d land on her head.
Then get off the windowsill!
Yeah. One slight problem. She couldn’t manage to get herself back into the bedroom. She was still weak from being ill.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“What the fuck?” someone said behind her before hands landed on her hips and she was pulled back through the window.
After a few deep breaths to stop her shaking, she glanced up into Jared’s stern face.
Oops.
“What do you think you are doing?” he asked in a low voice.
He looked like he wanted to yell at her. Maybe it would be best if he did yell. That would release all the tension she could see in his body.
“Well?” he asked.
“Um, would you believe that I was checking on the temperature to see what I should wear?” she asked.
He ran his gaze over her white pants and pale blue soft knit top. This thing was like being hugged all the time, it was so soft and cuddly.
“You’re already dressed. Or, if you weren’t sure, you could have walked outside.”
“How can I walk outside when I’m locked in here?”
Jared stared at her for a long moment. “The door wasn’t locked.”
“It . . . it wasn’t? So, I could just leave at any time?”
Why hadn’t she checked the door?
Was it because you wanted to stay here? Because you don’t actually want to leave?
Shit.
“I didn’t want you to feel like a prisoner. But all of the doors to outside as well as the windows have alarms that send alerts to our phones.”
“So I can’t leave?”
“You can move around the house, but no, you cannot leave until I know you’re safe. Why were you hanging out the window like that?”
She remained quiet, knowing better than to say anything. If he knew the truth . . . what would he do?
Angie swallowed heavily as she watched him.
Jared held out a hand to her and she stared down at it. Fear flooded her and she breathed through it.
If he hurt her, she’d find a way to get revenge. She was no one’s doormat or punching bag anymore.
Slipping her hand into his, she waited to see if he’d squeeze too hard or use it to pull her against him. Instead, he held her gently and studied her for a long moment.
“While I don’t like you putting yourself in danger, like hanging out of a window, I would never lock you up.”
North had though. She kept that to herself but he seemed to be some sort of mind reader as he raised his eyebrows.
“North will never do it again, either. Come on, you need to eat something. How are you feeling?”
“Wait. You’re not going to have someone bring me food? I really can move around?”
“I don’t say things that I don’t mean,” Jared told her. “We try to eat together in the dining room for breakfast at seven and dinner again at seven. I would like for you to join us.”
Right. Which meant she had to.
“Again, not my father. It’s not an order, but I want to ensure that you are eating.”
“Don’t want the prisoner to starve to death, huh?” she half-joked.
“I don’t consider you my prisoner.”
“Then I can call my sister?” she challenged.
To her shock, he nodded. “We’ll do that soon.”
Did he . . . did he mean that?
“Can we do it now?” she asked as he led her out of the room.
Jared shot her a look.
Right. Eat, first.
While he might not be like his father, Jared Bartolli still liked to be in charge. And that was something she had to remember.
They walked down the stairs.
“I don’t want to catch you risking yourself like that again, understand me?” he said firmly as they walked into a room with a small dining table.
North was already there, staring down at his phone. But he glanced up at Jared’s words.
“Risking herself?” North studied her. Was he concerned?
No, she doubted it.
“What did she do now?” North turned his gaze to Jared.
“What do you mean, what did I do now? You make it sound like I’m always putting myself at risk,” she huffed.
“She was leaning too far out the window,” Jared explained. “She couldn’t pull herself back in.”
North’s eyes narrowed. “That was foolish. You could have fallen and hurt yourself.”
Was he being serious right now? Whose fault would it be if she was injured?
But before she could say anything, Jared drew out a chair for her.
Weird. She hadn’t expected him to have manners like this. She nearly blushed as she sat. She couldn’t remember anyone ever doing this for her. How did she sit? What if she sat too soon?
Oh fuck, she was going to mess this up.
“What is it? Are you all right?” Jared asked her.
“Did you spank her for putting herself at risk again?” North asked. “She looks like she doesn’t want to sit.”
“No, he didn’t spank me!” she cried. “What sort of question is that? He’s not ever going to spank me.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Jared commented mildly. “And the truth is, I did think about putting you over my knee. But I hate how you keep staring at me like I’m a monster. So until you stop thinking that I’m going to act like him, I won’t be spanking you.”
Crap.
Why did she feel guilty? She shouldn’t.
No matter how he wanted to spin it, he was still holding her prisoner.
And you are just trying so hard to escape . . .
Stop it, stupid inner voice.
“But once you realize I’m not my father, then all bets are off,” he added.
What the heck?
“Um, no, that’s not what’s happening. You are not spanking me!”
“If you’re naughty, I will.”
“And if I don’t agree to that?”
Why she was arguing, she didn’t know. She was leaving as soon as she could.
There was no way he’d have the chance to spank her.
“You will,” he said quietly.
The arrogance of this man! It was unbelievable.
And sexy as hell.