Chapter 8
The day commenced with the biggest standoff of my life.
He brought in lunch, opened that little dreaded box, and then promptly shut it and left without a word after I said no.
The same thing happened at dinnertime. He wouldn’t budge, and he refused to engage in conversation despite my pleading, so negotiating was out of the question.
Most disturbing of all? He didn’t touch me, even though the heat in his eyes told me how badly he wanted to.
His restraint said it all. I was screwed.
He was being stubbornly serious about this, and I’d lost our battle of wills before it had begun.
When it came to Eve, I’d already proven I’d do anything for her.
The sound of his entrance the next morning made my heart speed up.
“You can eat breakfast down here by yourself, or you can join Eve and me. It’s your choice,” he said as he pulled the ring box from his pocket. “Are you ready to say yes?”
No, not even close, but being away from Eve was killing me, and I couldn’t stand the thought of how scared she must be wondering where I was. I’d do anything to get to her, even let Gage put a ring on my finger if it meant he’d let me out of this damn room.
“I’ll marry you.”
I was unprepared for the grin that widened his mouth; it wasn’t smug, triumphant, or even cocky. I felt that unrestrained smile in the pit of my stomach. My answer made him happy.
Genuinely so, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
His hand slid along mine as he pushed the ring onto my finger, and God, it was gigantic. The diamond, a princess cut, sparkled in a beautiful antique setting. He gathered me into his arms and buried his nose in my hair.
“I can’t wait to get you in bed underneath me. I’ve missed you so damn much.”
I sucked in a breath and held it. He finally released me, took my hand, and pulled me toward the stairs.
Eve’s eyes lit up the instant she saw me. She hopped into my arms with her usual exuberance. “I missed you. Are you all better now?”
I sent Gage a confused look.
“I explained to her how you weren’t feeling well.”
“Yeah, baby. I’m better now.” My eyes stung as I held her tight. I was so much better now that I had her in my arms.
“Come see my room!” She slid down my body, and her feet pitter-pattered across the sheen of hardwood.
I sensed Gage’s presence behind me as I followed her down a hallway, past the master bedroom I couldn’t bring myself to look into, and when I rounded the door frame to the next room, I stood motionless, my mouth hanging open.
The room was a four-year-old’s dream come true. A canopy bed enclosed in filmy tulle sat along one wall, and shelves upon shelves of toys and books took up another. Every nook and cranny overflowed with the princess theme.
The bastard had bought my daughter, but what really unsettled me was the evidence in front of me; he’d planned this.
I clenched my hands and tried to contain my anger. I couldn’t compete, and she’d be so disappointed to go back to our life, assuming I could find a way out of there in the first place.
“Do you like it, Mommy?”
“It’s very…nice.”
“Look at the pretty tea cups!” She shot across the room to a table in the corner and lifted a dainty cup from its saucer. “Will you play tea party with me?”
“I will in a few minutes. I have to talk to Gage first.” I backed into the hall and moved out of earshot of Eve.
His presence filled the narrow space, and the shadows the early morning sun hadn’t yet chased away only added to the threatening undertone of this situation, this moment.
I made myself stand tall as I faced him.
“How dare you!”
He moved toward me, and instinctively, I backed away until my spine hit wall. “How dare I what? Make her happy? Give her things? She’s had a blast since she’s been here, despite missing you.”
“You know I can’t give her all of that.” My voice shook, so I took a deep breath. “How will I explain all of this after we…”
“After you what?” He aligned his body with mine. “Leave? Entertaining thoughts of skipping out on me, are you? Even though you’re wearing my mother’s ring.”
His words carried special weight, as if they meant something…something I was supposed to understand? But I didn’t. I was floundering in a sea of turbulence, the waters deep and murky so the unknown remained just that.
He brought my left hand to his mouth and kissed the ring. “You’re not going anywhere,” he murmured. He pulled away but flattened his palms against the wall on either side of me.
He was right. I wasn’t going anywhere, not even from this hallway.
“How long do you plan to keep us prisoner?”
“As long as it takes.”
“You can’t keep us locked away forever. Eve needs to be in preschool, and she’s in remission. She has appointments—”
“You think I don’t realize that? I’m aware you have obligations as a mother, but if I have to, I can hire someone to transport her.” He leaned closer. “But I don’t think it’ll take long. I think you’re exactly where you want to be.”
“You’re overly confident,” I snapped, focusing on his chest even though I felt his gaze burning into me.
“And you’re in denial.” His hands smoothed over my cheeks before slipping into my hair. He tilted my head up. “You wouldn’t have sent him away if you didn’t feel this too.”
My lids closed to the softness of his tone because the sight of him amplified everything. His lips pressed against mine, and our mouths opened, tongues sliding together slowly. He took his time kissing me, as if making up for the last twenty-four hours he’d gone without touching me.
I came back to myself sometime later, my hands fisted in his hair as his pelvis rocked with mine, and I thought of Eve’s proximity. We needed to be more responsible; in fact, we needed to be more responsible in general. “If you intend to keep me here—”
“I am keeping you here.” He lifted me and urged my legs around his waist. “And I’m going to sink into your body every night.”
“Then we need to talk about birth control.”
“What about it?”
“We didn’t use any in Texas.”
He paused. “I guess we didn’t.”
I moaned as he ground his erection into me. “We can’t be so reckless.”
“I’ll get you a prescription today,” he said, hips still rocking. At this point, our clothing was the only thing stopping us.
Eve.
I didn’t want her witnessing something so inappropriate. I pushed against him until he let me down. “Not here. Eve’s—”
“I know,” he interrupted, his chest heaving. “Later. Go spend some time with your daughter. I’ll make breakfast.”
He stepped away, but I grasped his hand. “Wait…is Katherine still here?” The thought of facing her again was more than I could stand.
“No. She left yesterday.”
“What is she to you?” Why had I asked that? I didn’t want to know, didn’t want to hear about her at all, but the question had nagged me since I’d seen her on the plane.
“She’s nothing. She doesn’t matter.”
“She matters, Gage. You entrusted my daughter to her. Damn right she matters.”
Gage’s mouth flattened into a hard line. “We have an…understanding.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What kind of understanding?”
“She helps me, and I help her fight her ex in court for custody of their son. Everyone wins.”
Except for Eve and me. We didn’t win.
I watched him disappear down the hall, and I waited a few moments before creeping after him. If I remembered correctly, I couldn’t get to the front door without walking in direct sight of the kitchen. I peeked around the corner, and he stared right at me.
“Need something?”
I shook my head. The quirk of his mouth told me he knew what I was up to, and I said the first thing that came to mind. “Can you make pancakes? She loves them.” I turned to join Eve, but his voice stopped me.
“You won’t get around me, Kayla. I won’t let my guard down.”
Neither will I.
But I was lying to myself. The minute he got me in bed, he’d have me.