Chapter 6
Catherine
It had been Twenty minutes of sheer terror. I closed my eyes, willing myself to control the heavy anxiety making it difficult to breathe. The air in the oversized SUV was oppressive.
Maybe because of the company inside.
Broad.
Muscular.
Lethal.
Dangerous.
The four words continually reverberated in my mind.
A question also continuously played out like a broken record.
Who in the hell did Alexander think he was to kidnap me from a government building?
The man had balls. What confused me was that even though I’d been yanked like property, my life disrupted, I continued to steal looks in his direction.
And that he’d been protective of me.
His features were far more defined than I’d realized. With his square jaw adorned with at least a three-day stubble, his thick hair lightly tousled from the chase, he was perhaps the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on.
More so than when I’d met him a week before. He’d been dark and brooding, so serious in his expression and body movements that he’d seemed like a statue. Godlike, yes, but untrusting of anyone. But the way he’d looked at me, his eyes darkening in the late afternoon sun had kept me intrigued.
Now he was totally different, a man possessed.
Or maybe the correct term was obsessed.
He also had a weapon in his hand, casually placed in his lap and it was difficult not to remind myself how much danger I was in.
I’d felt his attraction when he’d driven his groin against my bottom, his cock hard and throbbing.
Instead of being disgusted, something had shifted inside, a warmth that I hadn’t felt in far too long.
However, being this close to him inside a vehicle boosted the anxiety. Beads of perspiration were likely staining my silk knock-off blouse. He was decidedly calm yet red-hot heat radiated off his body.
The driver made a turn leaving the city. Where was he taking me? I did my best to pay attention to every turn, every twist in the road, but focusing was difficult. He’d done that to me, which was exactly what he’d intended by playing the intimidation game after the hearing.
In the harsh glare of the afternoon sun, his expression was unreadable, but his features and the cold look in his dark eyes were mesmerizing.
The sirens had faded, police cars no longer racing toward the scene and with every mile driven, a sense of hopelessness replaced my earlier defiance. Would he hurt an officer of the court? He had to know there were cameras inside every courtroom. They’d see us together. Unless they’d been hacked.
Whoever had gotten into the bowels of the building had skill and balls.
I realized Alexander was watching me carefully and as I’d experienced before, the trickle of heat between my legs increased. His dominating gaze alone made me weak in the knees.
“There’s no reason to be frightened of me, Catherine. I have no intentions of hurting you.”
“You’ve already kidnapped me so why should I believe anything you have to say?”
He nodded as if accepting what I said, but the burn in the back of his eyes remained liquid fire.
Maybe the rush of adrenaline was wearing off or maybe the sense of fight or flight had kicked in. Whatever the case, as soon as the driver pulled up to a traffic light, I acted out of fear instead of common sense.
My fingers were wrapped around the handle of the door, forcing it open before I knew what I was doing.
With speed and strength reserved for someone highly trained, he had his hand wrapped around my throat while leaning over and slamming the door in a split second. Shock tore through me initially from another wave of terror then with a crackle of electricity that threw me.
Leaning in, his face was suddenly only a couple of inches from mine, so close I gathered the whiff of some mint he’d had while sitting in the courtroom. With his nostrils flared, he squeezed until there was enough pressure I was forced to realize he could easily do anything he wanted with me.
His silence was just as threatening as if he had done so verbally.
“I thought you were going to be a good girl.”
“I lied.”
When he remained where he was, I was certain he was going to kiss me. A twisted part of me wished he would. Where had that come from? He finally released his hold, but not before allowing me to bask in his hostility. Yet not toward me. He was furious with being caught off guard.
Only when he’d eased back against the leather seat did I manage to take a deep breath.
“Don’t try that again, Catherine, or I will be forced to punish you.” His expression turned me to stone.
His words dripped of innuendoes, not violence.
In response, my pussy began to throb. I hated my body’s reaction, the betrayal very unlike me.
The silence continued, another form of punishment.
Even the man driving the vehicle refrained from saying a single word.
He was as impeccably dressed as Alexander as if they were nothing but upstanding citizens going about their day-to-day business.
Instead of falling into the labyrinth of unwanted desire, I forced images of the horrible murder into my mind.
The horrific, very vivid photographs were something I wouldn’t soon forget and I’d prosecuted at least two dozen heinous murders in my career.
Was this man capable of such abhorrent violence?
Images of his damaged knuckles were never far from my mind, especially since they were just as bruised as before. What did he do, beat his enemies before killing them? I closed my eyes briefly, trying to shove aside the terror so I could think clearly.
My thoughts drifted to envisioning him taking me to some warehouse in the worst part of town where no one could find me.
The driver made a series of turns and I quickly realized my assumptions had been without merit.
Strangely enough, we were headed into the most expensive neighborhood in New Orleans.
Audubon was a location where only the wealthiest need apply for a mortgage.
Every house was a mansion, some nearly as old as the city itself and all were gorgeous in detail and design.
Alexander’s chuckle brought another pang of angst. “What were you expecting, Catherine? That I had plans on keeping you locked in a crate or perhaps in an abandoned building owned by me or my family?”
Did the bastard honestly think I was going to answer him?
“You’re not my prisoner. At least not yet.” Everything about him oozed power and dominance, including his deep, husky voice. While nothing about him screamed rough around the edges, I sensed deep inside he was a caged lion ready to stalk his prey.
The emotional pull of the afternoon and the terrible experience was starting to get to me.
A knot had formed in my stomach and I felt wetness on my cheeks from a few fallen tears.
Being emotional in this way was very unlike me.
The last thing I wanted to do was to show weakness in front of a man like Alexander Prince.
He was suddenly close once again, far too close.
Even though I shrank back, involuntarily pressing my hand against his chest, that didn’t stop him.
He curled his knuckles, tenderly wiping away my tears.
There was tremendous frustration on his face.
I sensed he was doing everything he could to keep some unwritten resolve.
Whatever the chemistry we shared was, he wasn’t used to experiencing it.
Or maybe it was the way I pushed back at him.
The man was even more arrogant than I’d first believed, acting as if he owned everything he touched.
“There’s no need to cry, sweet angel. I’m not the man you think I am.”
I wasn’t given an opportunity to fully form an ugly retort before the driver pulled in through a set of stone columns, heading down a long driveway. Magnolia trees flanked both sides of the ornate aggregate, thick foliage behind providing a sense of privacy.
With a scowl on his face from my lack of reaction, he returned to his side of the SUV, his body tenser than before.
The uneasiness increased as the vehicle was brought to a halt.
I peered out the window at the massive house.
It was incredible, something out of a magazine depicting the finest Southern mansions.
With huge columns, a stone walkway, and blooming shrubs creatively softening the features, I was impressed how stunning the layout was.
There were also other vehicles parked as if in formation off to the side. Since they weren’t parked in the five-bay garage, I doubted any belonged to him. Then again, he was a man of mystery; that little I’d learned in such a short time barely acknowledging his complexity.
Yes, I’d easily learned he was rich and powerful, also highly respected in several industries.
He had no previous record, although he’d been arrested at eighteen for basic vandalism, then again at thirty for another murder.
In both cases, the charges had been dropped.
That told me his family had friends in high places. Something else I couldn’t stand.
What the black and white information hadn’t scratched the surface on was his intelligence and cunning. Both were highly attractive, almost as much as the debonair package that came easily to him.
Alexander was already out onto the pavement, walking behind the SUV to my door. I remained where I was when he opened it. Did he really think I was going to give in so easily?
His hand suddenly appeared, beckoning me with his fingers. “Come out, Catherine. You’ll find it much more comfortable inside my home.”
Of course I knew I had no other choice. While I tried avoiding touching him, he was having none of my insolence, grabbing my fingers and yanking me from inside.
I was suddenly crushed against him. As I’d done before, I pushed my hand to his chest. Even through the fabric of his linen suit and the crispness of his shirt, I was able to feel his rippling muscles.