Page 8 of Fire in My Blood

He doesn’t show a lot of genuine emotions. And he seems to have the ability to manipulate his expressions and body language to give a specific impression. It makes it difficult to know what he’s really thinking and feeling. I’m usually a pretty good judge of character, but this guy is too closed off and controlled to be easy to read.

Then again, he’s locked up and might be a criminal. I’m starting to have my doubts about him being a bad guy, but the way he’s handling his imprisonment and appalling treatment is more than a little disconcerting. It’s like he’s been trained specifically for it, and I’m not sure that speaks in his favor.

I let out a low chuckle at his claim to suffer from allergies. Serious allergies aren’t something to be taken lightly. It can be dangerous, even fatal, to consume something your body is allergic to. But he’s no more allergic than I’m an elf. He made that up on the spot to avoid eating my food.

Perhaps he suspects I’ll put some kind of drug or poison in his food. It’s not like he knows me, so why would he trust me? He did drink the water I brought him, but then it’s more difficult to conceal the taste of drugs or poison in water, and he might even be trained to taste that.

Except with the way he gulped down the water, by the time he noticed a strange taste, he would have already finished most of the bottle. I shake my head slowly in confusion. He seems nice, but there’s definitely more to him than meets the eye, and I don’t know whether that’s good or bad.

As soon as I get home, I reheat the portion of beef stew he didn’t want and plop down in front of the television. My favorite show is about to start, and I look forward to letting all my thoughts fly for a while and get lost in the action on the screen.

But I’m no more than halfway through the episode before I get up and turn off the TV. I just can’t follow the plot today. My mind keeps going back to the man in the basement.

It doesn’t help that he’s extremely good-looking. His powerful body is like an exquisite piece of art. My body starts throbbing just thinking about it. And those eyes. I really should think about something else.

I walk into the bathroom and stare at my reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back at me was once considered pretty, but my looks aren’t something I have offered a thought in more than four years. Until now.

I can hardly remember the last time I was attracted to a man. It was before the assault and almost feels like it happened to someone else.

A couple of years after my attack, I tried to start dating again, but it didn’t take me long to realize I couldn’t do it. As soon as a man touched me, I became stiff as a board. Even holding a man’s hand was enough to make me tense up and cold sweat would break out all over my body. I kept telling myself it would get better with time. But it never did. And after six months I gave up.

It was such a relief to finally stop trying. No more coming home shaking and exhausted from pushing myself to feel something I didn’t. And no more feeling bad for wasting a nice and decent man’s time and effort. I could finally breathe again and just be myself.

I squeeze my eyes closed and let out a deep sigh. Why does the first guy I’m attracted to after the attack have to be him? I don’t know anything about him, and just the fact that he’s a prisoner should scare me away. But for some strange reason, it doesn’t.

∞∞∞

Lucas

I’m sitting in the dark again, but the dark doesn’t bother me. The silence, however, does. This place feels like a tomb after she left. I’m not sure I want to admit it even to myself, but I miss her.

I lean back against the wall behind me, my chains clinking and making me wince at the sound. It breaks the silence, but it’s not the sound I want to hear. I long to hear her voice again.

I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone so caring before. Coming in here with water and food for me even though I clearly scare her. The panic in her eyes when I moved toward her just isn’t something you can fake. And all I could think about in that moment was to take her into my arms and soothe her fears.

She said she will be back tomorrow. I know I should try to persuade her to help me get out of here, but just the thought of using her like that makes my stomach roll.

I might not have much of a choice, though. I’m getting hungry, and nothing good ever comes from severe hunger. I need to get out of here, or I might end up doing something I’ll regret. Because I can’t restore my energy in this cold basement without the help of a warm body.

As much as I hate it, she might be my only ticket to freedom. I should have had the sense to pull her mind to me when she was here today, but how could I when she showed up with food and water for me? Tomorrow, though, I need to do it no matter how I feel about her.

Unless I choose the second option—to seduce her. The way her eyes roamed over my upper body was enough to make my cock twitch with interest. She clearly liked what she saw. But the fear in her eyes when I moved… I’m not sure I can get past that. And I would rather rot in here forever than do anything she doesn’t want.

I let out a dark chuckle. Seducing her isn’t an option, and I already know it. Because even if it worked, I would never be able to leave and forget her afterward. She is no ordinary woman. Not to me. She is something more.

Chapter 6

Erica

I’m sitting on the mattress right in front of him, staring into his beautiful blue eyes. When his eyes dip to my breasts, I look down to see that I’m completely naked. He stretches out his right hand and cups my breast. Then he kneads it before pinching my nipple lightly.

I come awake with a start, squeezing my thighs together. A sweet ache has settled between my legs, and years ago I would have reached down and played with my clit. But it’s been a long time since I did that.

Ever since the assault, my mind skips back to that night whenever I touch myself, effectively quelling every ounce of desire. But a hard workout will take my mind off my situation. It’s the only thing that really settles me whenever I get worked up for some reason.

After returning from my workout, I take a quick shower and have some breakfast before I head off to the animal shelter. Funding is sparse, so they need all the help they can get, and I love working with the animals. It helps me take my mind off my stagnant life and gives me a feeling of making a difference for someone without having to give up my privacy.

The animals don’t care whether I have a good or a bad day. They don’t ask questions or have any unrealistic, or even normal, expectations. They are happy as long as someone gives them a little attention.