Autumn was curious about what the room held and when she found it, she opened the door to discover a series of pictures plastered on the wall. Each one was of her. He had been stalking her, she realized, and felt the first tendrils of fear seep into her veins.
Her eyes skimmed over them as a cold sweat broke out over her skin. He’d been watching her. Every moment he’d spent with her in this house, she’d been living in his home, sleeping in his bed, being touched by him, had been an elaborate ruse.
She swallowed a lump in her throat, her head spinning. There was something twisted in her that was turned on by the knowledge he’d stalked her, but the part of her that was sane felt fear. Deep fear.
How long had she been here?
And if he’d been stalking her...who was he?
She closed her eyes as a feeling of being out of control swept over her. The man who stalked her had taken control. She had been trapped here for so long...her brain felt hazy.
He came up behind her. His hands pressed flat to the wall, and his body pressed to hers.
“It’s just me and you now,” he whispered.
“How long have I been here?”
He slid his arms around her waist. “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes.”
“One month,” he replied.
“Jacob,” she whispered, feeling a wave of heat as he pulled her back into his arms. “You can’t take me from my life like this.”
“Yes, I can.” He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. “I think you’re just now starting to understand.”
“Just now?”
He spun her to face him, lifting her chin with his hand so she had to look him in the eyes.
“From the first moment I met you, I knew you were different. You are different.”
She shook her head. “No, Jacob. You’re making a mistake. You don’t want someone like me.”
He searched her eyes, his chest moving in and out as if he were struggling to breathe. “Don’t tell me what I want or need. Don’t you understand that I’m trying to be kind? I’m giving you what you want.”
“Kind?” she laughed, a hysterical sound. “This isn’t kind. It’s twisted. You’re keeping me captive.”
He smiled and her blood chilled. It was a look she’d never seen before, something raw and dark.
“No. No.” She shook her head.
“You’re a little confused, baby,” he said, and her stomach fluttered at the term. “I’m not keeping you captive. I’m not a kidnapper, not a monster. I just want us to have some alone time.” His eyes blazed with desire. “I want to spend some time together.”
She backed away from him and ran down the hall and into the kitchen.
He followed her, his eyes blazing. “Are you running from me, Autumn?”
“I have to escape.”
He grabbed her around the waist and dragged her into him, pressing a kiss to her mouth as she tried to struggle. She felt dizzy, her thoughts cloudy.
“We should eat,” he murmured.
She didn’t want to eat. She wanted to call for help. She wanted freedom. But what if this was where she was meant to be?
A shiver ran down her spine as he led her back to the living room and the table that had been set. The food had arrived. He pulled a chair out for her, helping her sit down before going to his own chair.
She had to ask, “What did you mean by me being different?”
He watched her as he poured wine into her glass, his hand brushing against hers. “You’ve got a light inside you that is so pure. It’s almost as if it calls to me, to my soul, Autumn. It is a gift and I’m the only person that can see it.” He pressed the wine glass in her hand. “Eat with me.”
She took a bite, but couldn’t taste a thing. Her mind was working over his words, trying to find truth. It was her heart, she realized. She’d been trying to let him in, but he couldn’t see.
She could see him, though. Every part of him.
The broken man she’d discovered was beyond all the layers he’d hidden behind. She could hear the cry of his heart even though he didn’t speak. He needed her to be pure. He needed her to save him.
She knew she couldn’t, though. She was a lost soul, searching for her place.
The only thing she was sure about was that she was already in love with him, and that would destroy her. How could she ever leave?
There was something more to his words about her being different, but she couldn’t quite make sense of it. She only knew that something had changed for him.
He fed her forkfuls of food, watching as she took each bite and swallowed.
They finished the meal and he lifted her from her chair, carrying her to their bedroom where she was undressed and put to bed.
“You’ll stay here forever now.”
“Yes,” she agreed sleepily.
Autumn woke to Jacob’s gentle hands caressing her shoulders. It was dark out and the curtains were closed, but a small light had been turned on in the bathroom, illuminating the room just enough that she could see.
He was kneeling at the side of the bed, leaning over to kiss her.
“Hey baby,” he whispered. “It’s time to get up.”
She rolled over and stretched out her arms to him. He pressed a kiss to each palm before taking her hands and pulling her to stand.
“What are we doing?” she asked sleepily.
His eyes lit with a warm light, and she felt her heart flutter. She couldn’t help it when he looked at her like that. He seemed to see more than she wanted him to, but at the same time, she could sense that there was something he couldn’t see. Something she hid from him, something she hid from everyone.
He stroked down her back, sending chills over her skin.