Porter frowned. “Devastated?”
“I saw it in her eyes.” Sawyer hung his head, knowing that he could express his concerns to his close friend. “She began to question the whole idea of her and me together, and started wondering how she could be the woman that I need.” He lifted his eyes to find his friend staring at him compassionately. “I don’t want to force Chloe into a world where she doesn’t belong.”
“True.” Emotion, both sympathy and concern, rushed across Porter’s face. “But you can’t force yourself into a world where you don’t belong, either.”
“And that, my friend, is precisely the problem.”
—
Chloe gasped awake, her heart hammering against the wall of her chest, swearing she’d heard the sound of a window being smashed. Sh
e scanned Sawyer’s dark bedroom before she realized that Sawyer wasn’t in bed with her. Achy and sore everywhere on her body, especially between her thighs, she ran her hand over the bed, finding his spot cold.
Still trying to shake off the nightmare that had woken her, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling fan above her. She placed her hand against her chest, feeling the thumping of her heart and blowing out a long, slow breath.
God, she hated when she woke up like that. Dreams like that could confuse anyone into believing danger surrounded her when it didn’t. She was safe. Hell, she lay in Sawyer’s bed. That comforting thought eased the panic coursing through her veins.
Composed and breathing normally now, she brushed the hair off her face and sat up as the sound of a door closing came from the hallway. Sawyer must’ve gone into the bathroom. She sank back into bed, her mind again working to make sense of what had happened that night.
The strong ache in her chest reminded her that while Sawyer said he wasn’t expecting anything from her, she couldn’t forget that for them to be together he had to give something up. With sudden sadness, she realized that such a situation would be a direct repeat of what had happened with Josh. His life had overtaken hers. His friends had become her friends. And she didn’t want that for Sawyer. If she was being honest, she didn’t want it for herself, either.
Chloe wanted Sawyer to stay the same. She wanted to stay the same.
Their relationship was new. Wasn’t this when things should be fun and uncomplicated? All the same, she didn’t want to walk away from Sawyer.
So where did that leave them?
Couldn’t she simply just give this BDSM lifestyle a try? She saw how it provided structure and stability to his life. She could act submissive in the bedroom, couldn’t she? What concerned her more than anything else was whether Sawyer would fall to pieces if he didn’t have the lifestyle. If that happened, she’d be at fault.
The burden seemed almost too much to bear.
Again came the sound of a door opening in the hallway. She couldn’t stay in the cold and empty bed any longer. Regardless of the worries going through her mind, she needed to be in Sawyer’s arms. Somehow that made everything better.
As she pushed the blankets off, the full moon outside cast a cool glow over the bedroom. She grabbed Sawyer’s T-shirt off the floor and pulled it on, inhaling the woodsy scent lingering on the fabric. Finding her ripped underwear on the floor, she reached for it, knotted the sides back together, and put them on.
Just then she heard another creak in the hallway. She tilted her head, listening to the sounds out in the hallway. Instinct set off alarm bells in her head. Why would Sawyer be walking around his own house that way?
Heart banging against her chest, she spun on her heel and snatched her phone off the nightstand. Another creak sounded outside the doorway. Thinking quickly, she stuffed her cell phone into the front of her panties, settling it between her legs. Only when she knew it wouldn’t fall out did she turn toward the door.
A dark figure entered the room, too short to be Sawyer. Then she heard a chilling voice. “You threaten people to get to me. I don’t fucking run. You wanted me. Now you’ve got me.”
With shaky fingers, Chloe turned on the nightstand light, unsurprised to find Travis standing in the doorway. She stared into his bloodshot, crazed eyes, hoping that once he noticed it wasn’t Sawyer standing there, he’d take off.
But he didn’t leave. As he strode toward her, she noticed the glassiness of his eyes with their widely dilated pupils.
“Get out or I’ll call the police,” she spat.
Travis gave her a cruel smile as he raised his hand. That’s when Chloe saw the black gun aimed at her chest. “If I can’t have him, I’ll definitely have you.”
Chloe parted her lips to scream. Just then something heavy hit her skull and she tumbled into darkness.
Chapter 13
Pain laced Chloe’s head as she became aware of her surroundings. Her shoulder and hip were pressed against a hard surface beneath her. Every breath she drew smelled muskier than the last. She groaned as her head throbbed, forcing her back into consciousness. She touched the side of her skull and felt warm dampness spread onto her fingers. She flinched as pain shot through her.
Her mind moved quickly, trying to piece together what had happened. She opened her eyes, blinking to focus. Only when her eyes adjusted to her dark surroundings did she realize that Travis had placed her in the trunk of a car. She was wide awake now, with fright blasting through her.
Panic rose, and sweat coated her body. The car was moving. She searched for a handle on the inside of the trunk, but the car appeared to be an older make and didn’t have the safety release. As her heart threatened to get away from her, she exhaled a long breath. Think, Chloe. How can I let someone know I’m in here?