Deep November

end.

Addison

When I woke up the first thing I noticed was that my mouth was horribly dry.

The second was that I was lying down on a small bed, tucked under a soft blanket with a thick pillow under my head.

The third, and most surprising, was that I was on an airplane.

Slowly I sat up, my body feeling cramped but otherwise completely uninjured. My head felt foggy and as I remembered the events leading up to my last moments before being rendered unconscious, I realized that she was the one who had put me here.

I knew she'd been following me, and I'd had a hunch that she was paid to kill me. For days I just told myself I was being paranoid. Derek had left town after a heated argument, I was alone, and suddenly I was noticing this woman everywhere I turned.

Then, when I'd noticed she'd broken into my office and later my house, I knew I was right all along. She was stalking me, and when I called Derek to express my concerns, he completely changed the subject every time.

It was like he just wanted me to not talk about it.

When she broke into my house, I was expecting to be murdered, not drugged and tucked into a first-class bed on what had to be some kind of private jet.

"Oh good, you're awake"

She appeared at my side with a bottle of water and a pleased smile, her eyes looking at me as if I was pure gold.

The blue in her eyes sparkled as she held out the water, every move she made so gentle and easy. She was gorgeous up close, really stunning, and I found myself wondering why a woman so young and beautiful had invested so much time in stalking me.

She's someone who could have whoever she wanted with just a bat of her eyelashes; why me?

"Thank you" I murmur, taking the water and popping the cap open with ease. My chapped lips were grateful for some moisture, and when she held out a hand with a package of almonds and a banana, I realized suddenly that I was hungry.

"You've been out for about twelve hours" she said as if she could read my thoughts "when we land, I'll get you some real food. You're probably hungry" her hair fell down her shoulders in curls as she sat down on the seat across from me, crossing her legs neatly. The golden curls framed her face perfectly, her smooth skin looking pristine and glowy despite being void of any make up.

"Where are we going?" I ask, after completely finishing the bottle of water and moving on to the almonds. For some odd reason, I wasn't panicked; if she wanted me dead, I'd be dead.

"Bali" she says simply, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. "We've been flying for six hours now. We've got another seventeen to go, give or take"

"Bali?" I ask, eyes widening as she looks at me calmly "why Bali? What's in Bali?" Was she planning on trafficking me? Was there someone in Bali, someone much worse, who was waiting?

"I got a loan of a house on the island. A friend of mine owns it, I helped her when I got into my line of work" she explains easily "she owes me one, and I needed somewhere safe. I did her several...favours"

"You mean killing people" the words sounded foreign even on my own tongue; how had I gotten to this point in the span of twelve hours? The mere discussion of murdering people was something I spoke about now, as if I hadn't just been a world-renowned doctor the previous day.

"Yes" her answer is short, paired with a nod. Her curls bounce, and I find myself fighting the urge to reach out and run my fingers along the ends of her hair.

She really is captivating. The way she moves, the way she speaks, the way she conducts herself...I'm in awe. She's so seamlessly smooth in everything she does, as if living is something she'd mastered the art of long ago.

"Why are we going to a house in Bali? And why are you taking me there?" My next question came after I took a moment to shake my head and remind myself to breathe; she was something hypotonic, and I gathered every bit of strength in my body to keep grounded.

I wanted to touch her. To feel that she's a real person, tactile beneath my fingertips in a way I had never felt her before.

For so long, for what felt like forever but was merely a few weeks, she was nothing but an assumption; someone I knew was there but had never truly seen. Someone I grew used to, despite never meeting face to face. To have her in front of me now, so close and so incredible, it made my fingers itch to reach out and connect her body with my mind.

"Indonesia is a non-extradition country" she tells me, and it all clicks together. She's so casual about it, as if she'd thought everything out perfectly. Nerves were nonexistent with her and for the first time since I'd met her properly twelve hours ago, I realized I had yet to see her sweat.

She's taking me to Bali so that she can't be extradited back to the states and charged with abduction. I would be sweating if I was in her position.

"Why are you taking me with you? Why not just kill me?" The ultimate question; she'd been paid to kill me, and surely killing me was a lot less difficult than keeping me alive.

"Your husband hired me to kill you. I couldn't do it. I saw you and I just..." she trails off, her eyes softening as she shrugs one shoulder "I just couldn't" it's so simple, and the way she looks at me makes my chest clench.

I couldn't remember ever being looked at with such...care. Such fascination and awe. She looked at me like I was everything she'd ever wanted, as if I'd walked right out of a dream.

"So you abducted me instead?" I ask, grateful that I'm still alive but confused on what came next. "What are you going to do with me? And why did you drug me?"

"It was my only option" she sighs, running a hand through her curls and for the briefest of moments I'm jealous it's not my own hand buried in her hair "It's not safe to leave you with Derek, he'll just hire someone else or do it himself. I need to keep you safe, sweetheart and I can only do that if you're with me" she's dead serious, her eyes locked on mine so intensely I want to squirm.

Instead I stay still and I stay silent.

"We're going to stay in Bali for a while, maybe travel a bit at some point when I've figured things out, but you're staying with me" she explains, before leaning forward and placing a hand on each of my cheeks. Her hands are soft, holding me so gently I almost want to cry.

It had been so long since anyone had been this gentle with me, and the look in her eyes when she looked at me was one I'd never seen before.

"I'm so sorry I had to drug you" she murmured, her thumbs caressing my cheekbones delicately "I had to get you away from there, had to keep you safe. I needed you with me" the sincerity in her eyes was warm as she held my face between her hands as if she held the whole world.

Without thinking, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers in a kiss. It was soft and sweet, and felt right in ways I hadn't felt before.

She was gentle, her skin soft and her lips softer. I noticed when I was closer that she smelled of lavender, a pleasant and welcome smell that radiated comfort.

Kissing her probably wasn't what I should've been doing. Was it impulsive? Yes. Was it stupid? Absolutely. Did this woman just kidnap me? Of course she did.

But did I find myself attracted to her despite all of this? Yes. Yes I did.

When I'd pulled away, a light blush dusting my cheeks, I smiled softly as my gaze met her eyes. A light pink settled across her own cheeks, and butterflies flew for miles in my stomach.

"You could've just asked me" I murmured, my words dancing across her lips with a certain lightness I didn't know I had previously possessed. "I would've went with you"

She smiled back at me, and my heart leapt. Something about her made me feel special, and despite it all, I felt safe.

"Don't worry my baby, my sweetheart. I won't let anything happen to you"