LauraLaura's head throbbed, and her mouth felt like she'd eaten fire. She shook her head, trying to clear out the ringing in her ears and figure out where she was. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gray light and for the world to stop spinning long enough to get a clear image.She was in some sort of empty warehouse. Pale gray light filtered in through windows on the second floor, but other than that she couldn't see much. Everything was dusty, so she assumed that where ever she was, it wasn't in active use.She tried to rub her eyes to get the grit out of them but found them tied behind her. She was on a hard metal chair, the kind used for church get-togethers and elementary school concerts. It was not a comfortable thing to be tied to.“Hello?” she called out. It hurt her voice to talk, but she had to find out if she was alone. Her voice didn't seem to travel far.She waited for a reply, but nothing came. She swallowed down her panic. She was alone and tied to a chair.
LauraLaura dozed off. There was no way for her to keep time in the quiet of the empty warehouse. She watched as the sunlight shifted against the floor, but her eyes were still heavy from the drugs Craig had given her.When she woke, the sun was at a different angle and more yellow than gray. She was thirsty again, and now she had to pee as well. She wondered what had woken her up when she heard the metallic thud of the warehouse door.She prayed it wasn't Craig. She wasn't ready to pretend to be the compliant captive. She still hadn't found a way to get out of the ropes tying her to the chair. All she had to show for her struggles were bruises.She watched with baited breath as a man came through the door. She wasn't sure if she could handle another conversation with Craig. She pressed her ankles and wrists against the ropes that held her to the chair, but the didn't budge. It felt like all she was doing was bruising herself.The man stepped into the light and Laura gasped.It wasn't
EthanEight hours earlier…“Come alone, or I'll kill her.”The electronic voice clicked off, and the line went dead.A picture came through of Laura tied to a chair and address to meet.Ethan stared at the phone in his hand. He was shaking. He never shook like this during business meetings or even when climbing over hundred foot drops. But this had him shaking like a leaf in a tornado.Someone had Laura and was going to kill her.He swallowed hard. It had to be Janie. The car, the break-in... and now she had Laura.His knees buckled, and he sat down hard in his office chair. The chair swiveled, nearly dumping him over and he cursed. He hated this Colorado temporary office.“You need a plan,” Ethan whispered to himself. He closed his eyes and started visualizing. It was what he did when he faced a difficult vertical mountain climb. He would visualize each spot his hands needed to go to and just how to grip the rock. He would plan the entire ascent up the rock face and anticipate any hi
Laura“Luckily it went the way it was supposed to,” Ethan told Laura.She was still having a hard time believing this was all happening. She looked over in time to see the EMTs wheel Craig off strapped to a gurney. He was still out cold as they took him away with a police escort.“What's going to happen to him?” Laura asked, following him with her eyes. She gripped Ethan's hand, drawing strength from him.“He's going somewhere they can help him,” Ethan answered, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don't worry about him.”Laura nodded and looked away. She understood that Craig didn't mean to hurt her, but she wasn't ready to forgive him for tying her up and threatening her life just yet.The EMT checking Laura out cleared her throat. She smiled as the two of them looked over.“You look okay,” the EMT told Laura. “You're a little dehydrated, but your vitals are good, and you don't have any physical injuries.”“Can I take her home?” Ethan asked his hand on her shoulder.“If you want t
Author’s Note: Ethan and Laura first meet in “A Hopeful Kind of Love,” also available on Goodnovel. You do not need to have read that story to enjoy this one though.LauraHis hand went to the back of her neck again, pulling her into him. She gasped as his hand tangled in her hair and he tugged gently as he kissed her. She felt the pull from her scalp to between her thighs, and she whimpered.“That's a dangerous sound,” he whispered, his voice dark and full of desire. He turned her to him, so her back pressed up against the glass of the Rocks, Gems, and Minerals display. She thought it had gold or something inside of it, but she really wasn't paying attention to the science exhibit once his hips pressed against her. She could feel his desire press up against her, and she moaned again.Sweet, hot, and her tongue tangled with his as he kissed her again, stealing her moans. He gripped her hair harder, wanting still more and she arched her hips into his. All she had on under the dress was
Ethan“Becky, where's my phone charger? The one with the little climber guy etched on it?”Ethan opened the drawer to his desk just to check that he hadn't overlooked it the first time. He liked this particular charger because it was customized. He could have sworn he had put it in his top desk drawer like always, but it wasn't there no matter how many times he opened and closed the drawer.“I thought you kept it in your desk?” Becky replied, poking her head in through the open door to his office. She frowned. “Is it not there?”“No,” he replied, shutting the drawer a little more forcefully than necessary. He sighed. “Will you find me a different one for my trip? My flight's in an hour.”“Of course, sir,” Becky replied with a cheerful smile.He mentally wrote off the charger and continued packing his computer bag for his trip. Except, nothing seemed to be where he put it last.“Becky? Have you seen my pens?” he called out when he discovered his stash of pens was missing as well. “Did
EthanEthan was breathing hard at the top of the stairs to the maternity floor. He was in good shape, but the Colorado altitude was a deal breaker. He almost regretted not taking the elevator, but he didn't feel too badly since Craig was just as out of breath behind him and probably in better shape. His security couldn't have been more than twenty-five with short cropped dark hair and serious brown eyes.Craig was certainly taking his job as bodyguard seriously. The man barely let him out of his sight for more than a moment. Ethan didn't mind though. Good protection was important for a billionaire. Ethan hurried up the last two steps and opened the heavy door to the second floor.The hospital was probably the smallest one Ethan had ever seen. He was fairly sure that Mia might be the only patient in the entire building, other than the person they saw walking into the ER for stitches.It was a short walk from the stairs to the main desk of the maternity ward. A nurse sat there like a gu
EthanSixteen months ago...Best Christmas party ever, Ethan thought to himself as he stood up to look for his pants. He couldn't help but smile as he glanced back at the couch to see the most beautiful woman at the party watching him. He liked the way her eyes felt on his bare skin.Yup, definitely the best party ever, Ethan thought with a smile.He nearly didn't come to this year's event. There was so much work to be done, and the legal battle over a faulty airbag was just ramping up. His attention was on his business, but Carter told him to go. Or rather, Carter blackmailed him into it. Now that he was here, he couldn't be more grateful.He had dutifully trod down to the California Science Museum to put in an appearance. At the start of the evening, he had fully planned on making enough of an appearance to appease Carter and make his employees feel appreciated and then going straight home to go over the lawsuit again.Instead, she'd shown up.So, instead of spending a night at home