CHAPTER TWO
Keeping her eyes glued to the popcorn ceiling of her cell, Lexi let out a sigh and methodically wiggled her tingling fingers and toes.
She hated waiting more than anything in the world but was thankful that her captor had been gone longer than she expected.
It gave her mind an opportunity to formulate a plan of action, and her body a chance to recover.
Thankfully, she could now move her limbs without any extra effort and hoped it wouldn’t be long before the rest of her body followed suit.
The quicker she could fully move again, the faster she could escape.
Although Kade wasn’t physically in the room with her, she knew she was being watched.
The red blinking light in her peripheral vision told her so.
It took every ounce of control to not look into the white bubbled camera and tell her captor exactly what she thought of him.
How he was a pathetic, limp dicked motherfucker whose ass she couldn't wait to kick.
Soon, she thought to herself.
Tapping her fingers against her blanket covered thighs, she replayed the interaction with her abductor repeatedly in her mind.
It was obvious that he had done this before, but something told her that what he was doing with her was different.
There was something other than murderous intent behind his chiseled features.
He was too soft with her and looked at her too fondly.
Without meaning to, he had told her exactly where his weakness lay.
A stupid mistake on his part.
“Sloppy,” she said aloud, turning her steely gaze directly at the camera.
Within the span of a second, she heard a loud buzz followed by Kade’s honeyed voice echoing against the walls of her sparse cell.
“What was that my love?”
Painting a sugary smile across her chapped lips, she blinked innocently at the white bubble and shrugged her heavy shoulders. Yes, he was watching her indeed.
“Oh, nothing! I was just wondering when you were coming back. I’m getting lonely in here,” she said, pouting her mouth slightly.
A dark laugh came across the speaker of the camera. She couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or amused by her comment, she hoped it was the latter.
“I’ll be right there,” he promised before quickly silencing the speaker.
Taking in a deep breath, she pulled her eyes away from the camera and focused on the metal handle of her door. Soon, she heard the heavy lock lift, and something press against the hatch. My, wasn’t her captor an eager beaver.
“I’m sorry it took me so long, Sweetheart,” Kade said as he entered her cell, “I wanted to make sure that the sauce tasted just right.”
Using his foot, he closed the heavy door behind him and made his way to the small cot, carrying with him a mahogany tray that held a plate of spaghetti and meatballs and a glass of red wine.
Not bothering to lock the door, he instead sat down beside Lexi and gave her a warm smile.
He was so proud of her for accepting her current situation and intended on rewarding her for being so calm and reasonable.
“I made you your favorite spaghetti, the one you only make on special occasions? I even added a touch of brown sugar to the sauce. That's your secret ingredient, right?” he asked, placing the fragrant tray of food and wine at the foot of the cot.
“You really do know all about me, don't you?” she murmured, giving him a small smirk.
Gently pulling her into a sitting position, he carefully moved her against the wall at the head of her bed. Making sure she was strong enough to sit on her own, he scooted his large form to the edge of the cot before reaching back down to grab the wooden tray.
“That I do, but don't worry, I won't tell anyone about the sugar,” he said with a wink before picking up a fork and twirling a bit of pasta onto the utensil. “How are you feeling?”
Watching him intently, Lexi felt her mouth water as he lifted the filled fork and brought it towards her. While the spaghetti smelled delicious, she knew she shouldn’t consume anything her abductor gave her. She would rather starve than have him drug her again.
“I’m feeling fine, but no, no thank you. I’m not hungry,” she lied.
Noticing her hesitation, Kade turned the utensil and shoveled the pasta into his own mouth. Swallowing the food, he put the fork down onto the plate and moved the tray onto her lap. He couldn’t blame her for being cautious, but this wasn’t going to work if she didn’t trust him.
“I promise you, I didn’t put anything in the spaghetti that shouldn’t be there.”
Pursing her lips together, she pulled her gaze from his intense stare towards the glass of red wine on the tray.
“Nor did I spike the wine,” he said with a small sigh before picking up the wine glass and taking a deliberately large sip. If he needed to show her that her food and drink were safe before every meal, then so be it.
Licking her parched lips, she lifted her hand and carefully took the etched glass from him; gasping slightly as her fingers accidentally brushed against his.
There was an immediate spark between them that caused a shiver to race down her spine.
Fuck. Now was not the time for her to form an attraction to the man that was holding her captive.
“I’m fine re---”
“Please,” he interrupted, his voice shaking slightly. “Eat and drink, Sweetheart. I know you’re starving.”
Pausing a moment, Lexi carefully weighed her options.
Her captor wouldn’t be stupid enough to ingest the meal if he had slipped something into it.
Not only that, but it would be counterproductive on his part if he lied to her about it.
He wanted her trust, and it was in her best interest if she let him believe he had it.
Deciding to play the game, she picked up the fork with her free hand and began to stuff the homemade spaghetti and meatballs into her mouth. Pausing every so often to wash the food down with a gulp of sweet red wine, she couldn’t care less that her attractive captor was watching her like a hawk.
Savoring the moment, Kade patiently waited as she ate her supper. Awe danced on his masculine features while he listened to her happy moans. It boosted his ego to know that she was enjoying what he had made. She was so beautiful when she allowed herself the pleasure of caving into her cravings.
“Good?” he asked, arching a dark brown brow.
Swallowing a bite of perfectly seasoned meatball, she nodded her head. She hated to admit it but had to hand it to him. It was truthfully the best spaghetti and meatballs she had ever had.
“Mmmhmm, it’s so good,” she murmured. “Who taught you how to cook? Your mom?”
Within a split second, his otherwise warm face took on a hardened facade. Clearing his throat, he shook his head once and met her widening gaze.
“No. She didn’t,” he said, his tone icy and curt. “And you’re to never ask about my mother ever again. Do you understand, Alexandria?”
Fuck, Lexi thought , she didn’t expect that reaction. He clearly had some unresolved, deep-seated issues towards his mother. Mentally tucking away the tidbit of information, she scooped up the last bit of sauce ladened pasta and brought it to her lips.
“Yes, I understand. I won’t mention her again,” she said softly before taking the last bite of her meal.
Pleased with her response, he took the empty fork from her grasp and lifted the wooden tray from her lap.
Now was not the time to lose his temper with his beautiful guest, especially now when her behavior was exactly what he had hoped it would be.
She was a fast learner, of course she would understand that she would fare better if she followed his direction.
“Good girl,” he praised while placing the tray on the cement floor of the cell.
“Thank you for lunch, it was delicious,” she said, her cheeks speckling pink from a combination of wine and the wolffish gaze he was suddenly giving her.
Not paying attention to her words, Kade instead focused on a smearing of red spaghetti sauce at the corner of her mouth. Leaning in, he resisted the temptation to kiss the sauce from her lips, opting to use the pad of his thumb to wipe it away, instead.
“What a messy little thing you a—"
Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, he was silenced by the shock of her grabbing his wrist and holding his long arm still.
With a furrowed brow, he watched in stunned awe as she took his thumb into her mouth and swirled her wet tongue suggestively over his digit.
It was blatantly obvious that she felt the same, animalistic attraction he had felt since the first moment he laid eyes on her two years ago. Why else would she be doing this?
Smiling to herself as she watched his brown eyes darken with want, Lexi gently released his thumb from her mouth. He looked like he wanted to eat her alive. Maybe this plan she had hastily thrown together would work. It certainly couldn’t hurt to try.
“Mmm, thank you. I’m not used to someone taking care of me. I’m feeling lucky right now...and really, really warm. Do you...do you think you could help untuck the blanket a little bit? I would kick it off, myself, but my legs aren’t really working, yet,” she lied.
Snapping himself back to reality, Kade blinked his eyes and paused a moment to gather his thoughts. She wasn’t the only one feeling hot after her little flirty display. He couldn’t help but wonder how his now aching cock would feel inside that pouty little mouth of hers.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah...yeah of course, Sweetheart. Here, let me take care of that for you.”
Quickly standing from the cot, he grabbed onto the hem of the blanket resting on her hips.
Pulling the faux fur from her slim body, he mentally stopped himself from staring at her toned thighs.
She was wearing his favorite pair of leggings, the ones that hugged her ass so perfectly.
How many times has he fantasized ripping them down just enough so that he could worship her with his tongue?