“So, if they find me, they’ll kill me?”
“Yup”
“So why not just let them kill me? I’m just one person.”
“Because you’re mine, Jacob, whether you believe it yet or not.” She sighs. “I won’t let them take you away from me.”
“You really think I’m yours?” I shake my head at her. “If you did, you wouldn’t keep me chained like a dog.”
“Dogs are only chained when they can’t be trusted not to wander off alone. They’re still loved; they’re just protected till they understand who’s in charge and what the boundaries are.”
“How can I understand boundaries and earn trust if you never allow me to move around, to test that and prove to you I can be trusted? What if I come off the leadin the day and then put me back on it at night so I don’t leave while you’re asleep?”
“You think you can be trusted?”
“Yes, let me prove it.” She eyes me up and down like she’s really considering it before she shakes her head.
“No, I can’t. If you get out, they’ll find us here. They’ll destroy it and kill us both.”
“I promise I won’t leave. I’ll stay so you can keep me safe.”
She eyes me wearily and then nods. “If you leave, I will shoot you.”
“I thought you said you were protecting me?”
“I am, and if shooting you to protect you is the only way I can, then you better believe I will put a bullet in you. It’s far less than what they’ll do to you to get to me. I promise you that.”
I stick my hand out, and she eyes it like it’s going to bite before slipping her hand into mine and shaking it.
She stands and goes to leave. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“Key.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, and I shake a little at the thought of being free. I can’t try to escape straight away. I need to get her to trust me. When her guard is down, then I can leave.
“I will shoot you.” She eyes me again, and I smile and nod. She undoes the collar; it clatters to the floor with a clink, and I get up and stretch. Rubbing at my throat where the collar has been nestled.
“Ah, that feels so good.” She eyes me but walks over to the windows and shuts them.
“Come on.” I follow her into the house. It’s a large farmhouse with a big living room. I glance to the dining kitchen at the end, and I step out into the space. She watches my every move. “Can I see what’s in the kitchen?”
“If you try and stab me with a knife, I will shoot you.”
“I get it, be a good boy, or I get shot.”
Her eyes flare with lust, and I think maybe she wants me to try.
I walk around the kitchen and find a tin of pineapple. “Can I have this?”
She frowns and nods. She points to the drawer, and I open it. Pulling out the tin opener, I open the tin and pull out a fork. I groan around the first mouthful. I lean back on the worktop and cross my legs at my ankles. I close my eyes as I groan around another mouthful, and when my eyes open, it’s into her intense gaze. She’s closer than she was before. Her jaw is slack, she’s breathing heavily, and her pupils look massive. She’s staring at me, so I lift another forkful to my mouth, and she watches intently. When the juice dribbles down my lip, she takes a step forward, and I feel lightheaded under her gaze. It’s like she’s seeing into my soul.
I lick my lip, and she stutters a breath. Wait, is she turned on by me eating the pineapple? I let my eyes flutter closed and groan. I can’t help it. The effect I’m having on her makes me crave more. I like the way the weight of her gaze hangs on me, the intense look in her eyes, and how she devours me with her stare. I lick my lips again, and she steps closer till she’s right next tome. I stab some more and turn the fork to her mouth. She opens it but grabs my wrist to steer the fork. When her hand touches my wrist, it burns almost; it's intense, and as she licks her lips, I want to kiss them so badly. I want to taste the pineapple on her tongue.
She pops the fork out of her mouth, and I think my heart’s racing as she breathes out heavily near me. The breath skates across my cheek, my eyes flutter closed at how near she is, and I can smell her. It’s sensory overload. The tension is thick, and I can’t determine why or what’s happening. In a split second, the spell is broken as she steps back, turns, and walks into the living room. I gasp in a breath as if, now she’s stepped away, I can breathe properly, like when I’m around her, I just can’t breathe at all. I take a second to contemplate what is happening between us, then huff out a breath and take a look around.
It’s all open plan, so she can see me. I finish the pineapple, then drink the juice from the can before tossing it in the bin, cleaning my fork and putting it back in the drawer, taking note of where everything is, before closing it and heading towards her. I sit on the sofa next to her, and she flicks the TV on, and we watch the film in silence, I steal glances at her, but her eyes seem to stay trained on the movie.
I wake up, and I’m lying in front of the TV on the sofa. There’s a coffee table in front of me, and someone’s stroking the side of my face, and it feels… nice. I keep my eyes closed, not wanting to wake up. It feels too nice, and I can’t help but nuzzle into the warmth under me. I take a deep breath. What’s that smell? It’s warm and inviting, and it smells like her, but it's also different. My eyes widen when I realise where I’m laid, with my head in her lap, and the smell is her arousal.
