Something is wrong. The sun is shining a little too bright, the birds are singing a little too loud, and a gentle breeze is tickling Cooper's exposed back. He could not figure out why this simple serene awakening was so off-putting.
Suddenly his senses came back to him and he bolted upright while frantically scanning the room. His first thought was that Natalie must have snuck out the window again. He had one leg on the floor and was about to start shouting when he noticed the small figure to his left.
Natalie had been sitting in the corner of the bed with her back against the headboard the whole time, she flinched at Cooper's quick movements but otherwise stayed still while he assessed his surroundings.
"Why is the window open?" His slow morning voice not quite convey the suspicion he wanted it to.
"I opened it ..." Natalie wasn't sure if she was in trouble or not. "I'm sorry. The room was so stuffy ... it smelled like ... you know" She sheepishly trailed off, even now not being able to say the word sex so plainly.
He knew he was a paranoid man and the unusually abrupt awakening did not help his current mental state, but Cooper was awake enough now to see that Natalie had been quietly sitting beside him playing on her new cellphone.
"How long have you been up?" Cooper wanted to change the subject, now that he had sat up and taken a good look around he almost felt bad for assuming the worst of her.
"Umm ... a while." Natalie couldn't read the man sitting next to her, she had no idea what the right answer should have been."I woke up cold and couldn't get back to sleep."
Cooper laughed out loud remembering his struggle to undress her the night before. He contemplated questioning her about it, but they both knew why she had tried to hide her body beneath so many thick layers.
Natalie had been wondering, since she awoke, how poor Sam was doing. She really hoped he would come to replace Cooper today.
As if reading her thoughts, Cooper announced their plans for the day. "We are going to have a nice quiet day at home today. We have some things to discuss after breakfast and then Sam will show you around while I finish up a little bit of work. You can even go for a swim if you'd like." He smiled as if he wasn't talking to a prisoner that he would soon be interrogating.
He spoke while slowly moving around the room getting ready for the day. If he had been watching Natalie while he spoke he would have seen her perk up at the mention of Sam, it would not have gone unnoticed and he would not have been happy about it.
"Come, get dressed while I use the bathroom." He demanded when it became obvious that she was not going to follow his lead and get up on her own.
Natalie was grateful for the few minutes of peace and quiet she got while in the closet. She needed some time to get her head back where it should be. Keeping Cooper appeased was her first priority.
She knew that she needed to think and process everything that had happened last night. Obviously, she was upset with herself for the way she had responded to the man's touch, and knew that a couple minutes in the closet wasn't going to be nearly enough to sort out her thoughts.
Natalie had been doing her best to compartmentalize everything over the past few days, but the wall she had built between herself and all of the terrible things that were happening around her was beginning to crack. She feared that if she didn't get out soon it could completely crumble and she would not be able to deal with the monsters she had hidden away.
The traumatic events would have to be dealt with later. Cooper would come looking for her soon and she could not risk being half-dressed when he did. The only thing on her mind right now was to be "good" for him so no one else would get hurt.
YOU ARE READING
Dangerous Daddy
Romance"Hey-" the attractive man began to yell as he climbed out of his car. He assumed the woman would see his face and know who he was. But there was no recognition. The stranger didn't know that she almost got hit by Cooper Grant. When he saw her face h...
