Trust Me

Chapter 9

As she relaxed and burrowed deeper into the warmth, she noticed a change in the texture of the bed. She didn't remember it being this hard. The blankets and sheets she fell asleep under had been soft and inviting. She took a deep breath and stopped cold as she flexed her fingers and realized that it was not a sheet her hand moved over, but a hard, muscular chest. And a bare chest at that.

Awareness shot through her. Even without opening her eyes, she could see what was happening. He was lying on his back. She was pressed up against his side with one of his arms firmly holding her waist. There was not even enough room left for air to pass between them.

She was afraid to breathe in case it woke him up. She could feel his regular breathing telling her he was still out. If she was careful, she could move to her side of the bed without waking him up. It was the arm around her waist that could prove difficult. Thinking over her options, she could not see any other path. Ranalla was about to shift away when she paid closer attention to the hand that lay on her hip. She could have sworn it moved slightly.

Seconds that seemed like hours passed as she lay still before she felt it again. His fingers moved. It wasn't a sleep-induced twitch. The fingers actually moved in an almost imperceptible action. They gradually began to move in a more deliberate and noticeable caress. The path of the fingers grew wider with each stoke.

The act was up. She couldn't pretend anymore. Not moving was going to drive her crazy and give him the wrong message. "You can let me go now." Her voice was thick from sleep yet sharp with anger.

His fingers did not stop. They increased in pressure while staying in one place. She felt a low rumble of laughter within his chest. She tried not to think of the feel of his hot skin under her cheek or how good his body felt against hers. Her heart began to race. A roar filled her ears. Even lying down, she began to feel light headed. She wanted to scream.

"I'm rather enjoying this." His chest rumbled beneath her again. The feelings hitting her like a freight train were more than she could handle at the moment. Anger at his smugness threatened to overcome her. There was an attraction that caused her to mentally go into a tailspin as it collided with the rage boiling up within her.

She used the hand on his chest to push up and away. He allowed her to do so but kept her within his arm. His eyes were closed as he lay back on the white sheets. He appeared so dark and dangerous laying there.

"Let me go," she repeated through gritted teeth. She was fully aware of his body against hers and her hand pressed firmly on his chest. She knew he was muscular, but the extent of it surprised her.

One eye opened to look directly at her. "Why?"

She strained back. "This is not right."

The eye closed back. "Maybe you shouldn't have come over and snuggled up to me."

"Wha....I never....I did not!" Her shoulders rose in indignation. All struggles stopped as she took in his words.

"I was laying here and the next thing I knew you were putting your arm around me and pressing your body against mine."

She began to sputter again in anger. He didn't hold back his laughter as his arm freed her. Taking advantage of it, she scooted to her side of the bed and quickly jumped out. Grabbing her clothes from the previous day, she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door. His laughter followed her.

She dropped her clothes on the counter top and leaned her arms on the sink. Looking in the mirror, she tried to find reason in all this. Some sense of .....sensibility. Nothing. All she saw was a highly embarrassed woman who had for the first time woken up in the arms of a man. Her kidnapper of all people!

Her face flushed more at the memory of how it felt to be so intimately close to him. She brought her hand up and stared at it. His flesh under that hand was so...... She couldn't even come up with a word that would describe correctly the heat form his skin. He was firm and perfectly sculptured. The skin....Ranalla cursed under her breath as the memories flooded back.

Ranalla turned on the cold water and splashed her face with it. The sudden coldness calmed her racing heart. Looking back into the mirror, she glared at herself.

"What is going on? I'm kidnapped but I feel like it is ....... It doesn't feel like a kidnapping." Slamming her hand on the counter, she quickly got dressed and took a deep breath before walking out to face him.

Just a few feet into the room, she stopped cold. The bed was empty. His clothes were gone. Once again, he was a step ahead of her.