My eyes slowly scanned the large room. A desk sat in front of the large picture window, and a chair with a black-and-white blanket was in the corner. When I turned my head to look at the other side of the room, my breath caught in my throat. This room was a far cry from the hellhole I had been kept hostage in.I closed my eyes and tried to count how many days it had been since I had run but everything was so cloudy.
There was a small sofa against the wall to the other side of the bed, and lying on it was a man. Was this the man who’d found me?
I frowned and then winced. Reaching up, I touched under my eye. It was still sore from where I had been hit in the face. I wondered if my eye was black and blue. My head had also been pounding since the first day I’d woken up in that basement. I reached back and felt the familiar bump, which was slowly going away.
Staring back at the man, I noticed a chocolate lab on the floor beside him. Realizing I was awake, the dog hopped up and jumped onto the bed. Making her way over to me, she lay down and put her head on my thigh.
I reached for her and started to pet her, instantly feeling my anxiety slowly melt away. For the first time, I looked down at what I was wearing. Gone was the torn Disney World shirt and the filthy sweatpants. I was in a Montana State long-sleeve shirt and dark blue sweatpants that were much too big for me.
Confused, I looked back at the sleeping man. He started to stir, and I quickly slid back down, ignoring the pain in my side, and turned my body away from his, the way I’d been lying when I first woke up.
“Piper, get off the bed. Come, girl.” He attempted to whisper to the dog, but it came out a tad louder than that.
The dog quickly moved. I smiled and repeated her name in my head.Piper.
“She needs her sleep, girl.”
My stomach growled, and I slowly turned and stretched. God, it feltso goodto stretch, but my muscles ached—every single one of them. Muscles I didn’t even know existed were screaming at the abuse that I made them endure in my escape.
“Hey, are you awake? I’m sorry, did Piper wake you?”
That voice.It was deep and broody-sounding, but at the same time, soothing. I opened my eyes to see the cowboy standing there. Piper jumped back up onto the bed and promptly started to lick me.
“Piper! Off.”
Chuckling, I started to pet her. “It’s okay, Piper didn’t wake me up. And I love dogs. At least, I think.”
“You think?” he asked.
I frowned as I met his gaze. “I don’t remember anything.”
His brows shot up. “What? Like, you have amnesia?”
Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, and I started to blink rapidly, but I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
The stranger took a step closer. “No, please don’t cry! It’s all going to be okay. I promise you. You did tell me your name was Mallory.”
I wiped at the tears and sniffled. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I don’t remember anything about myself, and I think that’s my name.”
He smiled softly. “Okay, first—are you hungry?” he asked.
Nodding, I softly replied, “I’m starving. That much I do know about myself.”
“There’s a bathroom right through that door there,” he said, pointing to a door I hadn’t noticed. “I put a fresh toothbrush, a hairbrush, and some clean towels in there. You were soaking wet, so I had to remove all your clothes. I’m sorry for invading your privacy like that, but I didn’t want you to get sick. It’s just me here, so…” His voice trailed off, and he looked away.
“Th-thank you.” I felt my cheeks heat, knowing this man had seen me in my underwear and bra.
That’s when I realized I wasn’twearingunderwear or a bra. He must have seen the realization on my face.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I had to take off your bra and panties. I washed them, though, and they’re in the bathroom. Ithrew the rest of your clothes away; they smelled terrible and were all ripped.”
All I could do was nod. He’d seen menaked. I should have felt utterly violated.
But strangely…I trusted him.
“I’ll let you get cleaned up. If you want to take a hot shower, you can. I didn’t have any female clothes, but I put a T-shirt and sweats next to your underthings. They’re entirely too big, just like the ones you have on, but they’re clean.”
I looked at him then for what felt like the first time. He was handsome—tall, dark hair, and blue eyes. His body was muscular, but like he did manual labor for a living, not like the type of guys you see at gyms. His shoulders were broad, and his face was dusted lightly with hair, like he hadn’t shaved in a day or two.
