Willing Captive(57)

Turning on her heel, she tries to escape.

Not a chance of that happening.

Running up behind her, I wrap my arms around her arms, holding her tight. She kicks out. “Let go of me! You’re a liar!” A sob bursts out of her, “You’re a goddamn liar and I hate you!”

Her body shakes with silent sobs and I rock her side to side, allowing her a moment to get it out. She weakens in my hold and stops fighting. I take this chance to explain, “Knew you were there the whole time, baby. And I never lied to you. I lied to Mitch.”

Lily mutters, “I don’t believe you. You were always going to leave me. You were never going to come back for me.”

There’s so much I want to tell her right now, but I can’t. Swallowing hard, I tell her, “Lily, I swear, I never lied to you. There are things I want to tell you, but I can’t right now. Just please believe me when I say I never lied to you.”

Still hurt by what she heard, she tries to pull free. “No. I don’t have to believe shit!”

Holding her tighter, I lean my head forward, closer to her ear and whisper, “What’s my name, princess?”

She stills in my arms. “Adam.”

I urge, “My full name.”

She whispers, “Adam Christian Taylor.”

“And where was I born?”

Her breath hitches. “White Deer, Texas.”

Planting a kiss to her neck, I ask, “When’s my birthday?”

She chokes on a sob. “March eighteenth.”

Burying my face into her neck, I say, “Know how many people know that information?”

Her answer if a sniffle.

I state, “You. Just you, Lily. You’re the only one I trust with that. Because you’re everything to me.”

Collapsing in my arms, she cries softly. I turn her around and pull her into a hug. I’m immediately relieved when her arms come around me and she squeezes me tight.

“I just heard- I mean, I walked in and--then you said--and I didn’t know--and it hurt so much!” She cries into my chest and I kiss the top of her head.

“I know. And I’m sorry you thought what you thought. But it was Mitch who needed to think what you thought. I heard you come in, baby. I knew you were there the whole time. I still had to do it,” I say as I rub her back.

Feeling protective of my girl, I decide to let her in on one little secret. “Doesn’t matter where you are, baby. I’ll come for you.” She lifts her watery eyes to mine and I state confidently, “I’ll come for you.”

Lifting her face, I lower mine. We meet in the middle.

The kiss is sweet. So much conveyed in that small gesture. I release her lips to whisper, “You gotta trust me like I trust you, ‘kay?”

She nods and sniffles. So I kiss her sweet lips again.

And again.

And again.





***





Lily





I hang out with Nox in his office for the rest of the afternoon.

He puts me to work filing, and although it’s a crappy job, I used to do it at Flynn Logistics all the damn time, so I’m good at it. Within an hour, I have him up to speed and he sets me to work looking through boxes to see if there’s anything else I can do without getting bored.

Nox types away at his laptop, clearly busy, so when I open the first book and gasp quietly, he doesn’t react.

There, on top of the files, is my cell phone.

Picking it up, I hold it for a while before placing it back in the box and shutting the lid.

Closing my eyes, I breathe deeply. Temptation will not win out. I am stronger than this. I do not need to turn it on. I’ve been fine without it for months. I don’t need it.

You don’t need it.

No. I don’t.

Opening the box again, I pick up my cell and hold down the power button. It starts without a problem. There are a ton of text messages and missed calls, but before I can check anything, the phone rings.

Staring at the display, I still.

Jett.

Jamie’s twin brother.

I need to take this.

I’m so tangled in the phone ringing that I don’t hear Nox move until he’s behind me. “Lily, baby, don’t answer.”

Still kneeling in front of the open box, my fingers twitch.

“Baby, that phone isn’t secure. Don’t answer.”

Standing, I hold the cell phone by my side and turn to Nox. He looks worried. I whisper, “I have to take this.”

Nox shakes his head. His lips thin. “It’s not a secure line, Lily. Anyone can track it.”

Looking back down at the still ringing phone, I whisper again, “I need to take this.”

Nox reaches out to take the phone, but I hold it out of reach. His eyes meet mine, confusion written all over them. Breathing heavily, I say, “I’m sorry.” Then run out the door, down the hall and into my old room. Taking the chair from inside the room, I drag it into the bathroom with me and lodge it under the door knob.

Not a second after I place it there, the door handle jiggles. Nox yells, “Babe! Stop! Do not answer!”

Closing my eyes, I press the call button. I hold the cell to my ear and whisper, “Hello?”

Nox bangs on the door and booms, “Hang up, Lily! Fuck!”