Caught by Her Page 4

  Maybe this had been more one-sided that I’d thought. The more I tried to tell myself that; the more my heart was screaming at me that it wasn’t. You couldn’t fake the way that he’d held me, the emotion that I’d seen in his eyes and on his face.

  I didn’t imagine it. I knew it was real.

  He’d cared enough to find Paul, convince him to let him in the ring and fought me until I broke. He’d been so adamant about getting me to open up to him and trust him. He’d promised me that I’d be his, threatened to own me…and just when I’d accepted how hard I’d fallen for him, he was backing away. I couldn’t work out why he was pulling back so much when he’d been the one doing all the pushing. I was trying to be patient and give him time but it was so frustrating. I just wanted some reassurance of where we stood.

  The lights were still on at my parents. I asked him if he was coming in but he shook his head, explaining that he was tired and wanted to get an early night. I felt disappointed and obviously it must have shown.

  I saw his expression change and he turned, leaning over to me, bringing his face close to mine. He kissed me tenderly, running his tongue gently over my bottom lip. I groaned and moved into him, deepening the kiss and applying pressure to his lips, grateful to have more than a chaste peck or kiss to my forehead. He went to break away but I wrapped my hand around his neck, pulling him to me and kissing him passionately, ignoring the pain in my side.

  If I couldn’t find the words to tell him, I’d show him how I felt, pouring all my worries and anxiety into it, leaving him in no doubt as to how much I wanted him.

  He pulled back breathless after a few moments, leaning his forehead against mine. I could see his chest rising and falling rapidly. I knew his heartbeat would be racing to match my own.“You need to get out of the car now, Lena.” His voice was husky, deeper than usual.

  I smiled; this was exactly the reaction I’d been hoping for. I twisted my head to the side and nipped his earlobe. Hearing the growl in his throat, I felt flutters in my abdomen. I knew I wasn’t in a position to be able to do much about my aching need at the moment – unfortunately, I was still aching too much everywhere else - but it felt good to know how much he still wanted me. It was comforting to know he still desired me and the effect I was able to have on him.

  “Lena,” he warned. His tone hardwired to the most sensitive parts of me. I shifted in my seat, wishing more than anything I could take this further.

  I needed that connection with him.

  He caught my chin with his hand and tilted it so that I was looking straight into his eyes. He didn’t say anything, instead just fixing me with his eyes, so I felt compelled to speak.

  “Things have been so weird between us…I want to feel like you still want me.”

  His eyes went wide and he looked at me incredulously. “Still want you? Fuck! Lena.” He turned his face away from me, moving his hands back to clutch the steering wheel. He looked straight ahead, his hands gripped so tightly that his knuckles were white. He lowered his head, pressing his forehead against his hands which were gripping the wheel.

  Raising his head again slowly, he turned to face me, exhaling, as his eyes now blazing bright, slowly swept over me, lingering and devouring me before coming back up to pin me with their intensity. “I could think of nothing better than taking you home and fucking you all night long. Was that supposed to be a teaser, a taste to remind me of how good we are? If you think that was teasing, wait until I can get my hands on you. I’m gonna give you the fucking masterclass, Sweetheart.”

  I almost whimpered aloud at his words, feeling the need to press my thighs together to try and ease the ache that was building just from the thought of what could be.

  My body was all too aware of just how good we were together.

  He turned back away from me and faced forward, looking straight out of the windscreen as he spoke. “The need to hear you screaming my name…” he exhaled softly, “…it’s like a physical pain. I’ve never wanted anyone more. I want to lose myself in you, Lena. I need to lose myself in you, I need to bury myself in you and forget about how scared I was, how fucking angry I still am. I want to fuck you until you can’t see anything but me - until I’m the only thing you can think of - the only thing you can focus on. I need to fuck some sense into you so you never do anything so stupid and reckless again.”

  I didn’t know how to respond. My breath caught at his words. I sat there, chewing the inside of my cheek for a moment or two whilst he breathed heavily next to me.

  Eventually, he turned and looked at me, “Now please, get yourself out of the car and into the house. I’d walk you to the door but I’ll need a few minutes…”

  My face broke into a smug grin. “It’s fine. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.” I kissed his cheek again, before leaving the car and walking back into the house.

  I felt much better, it was only as I thought back over his words that I realised he’d still not called me princess, such a small insignificant thing but it bugged me.

  I hated being stuck around the house and being treated like an invalid. It had been almost two weeks since I’d been at work and I felt like a caged animal. Nate had called and spoken to me every day, as well as sending regular text messages. On the surface nothing seemed to have changed, but, since realising he hadn’t called me princess, the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach had returned. It was something so silly but I still felt that he was holding back from me.

  Sitting about the house was slowly driving me crazy and giving me way too much time to over-analyse things that I didn’t want to waste my time going over.

  I woke Thursday morning early and decided that I was going to go back into work. I got up and checked myself out in the shower. My right side was a patchwork of faint yellow bruises. It was still sore but I felt much better than I had at the start of the week. I was a little stiff but had most of my movement back, able to move freely rather than feeling that I had to hold my body rigid.

  I’d arranged for a lease car to be delivered a few days previously, and as yet it hadn’t moved from the drive. My own car had been declared a write-off and I didn’t have the time or energy to look for a new one at the moment.

  I dried my hair and pinned it up as best I could on top of my head. I dressed in black trousers and a shirt rather than a dress after considering which would be easier to get on.

  As I walked into the kitchen, both my parents turned to face me. My mother’s face dropped and I held up my hand to silence her. “Don’t say it, mum! I’m going back to work. I’ll stay here tonight, but I’ll be going back home tomorrow too.”

  My father started laughing, softly at first but, when my mother shot him a dirty look, he began to laugh harder, a proper belly laugh that had me grinning at him even in my confusion.

  My mother muttered something under her breath to my father and they both looked at me. “Congratulations!” my father said, still trying to contain himself. “You lasted longer than I gave you credit for but cracked before your mother thought you would.”

  “You had bets on when I’d go back home and to work?” I asked, pretending to sound outraged.

  “More like a difference of opinion,” my mother laughed, before her face fell again. “But I’m still not happy that you’re going back yet.”

  I looked at her, imploring her to understand my reasoning.“The business can’t just be left, Mum. I need to be there. I’ve only been CEO for two minutes. Can you imagine what my predecessor would say?” I quipped, but she shook her head. “I need this. It’s who I am. I’m going crazy sitting here in the house day after day. I need to keep busy and get my life back on track. It’s not as if I have a physical job. I sit at a desk. I’ll be fine.” I went over and kissed her cheek before doing the same to my father.

  “Please come home at a reasonable time, then, we can all eat together once more if you’re adamant you’re going home tomorrow.”

  My father and I groaned at the same time. I walked out, calling over
my shoulder that I would be home by six.

  Byron stood to greet me as I walked through the main door. I hadn’t expected him to be there so early. I’d purposely planned on getting in first thing to try and catch up whilst the office was still quiet. He smiled at me and told me how pleased he was to see me. I felt slightly awkward with how things had ended the last time we saw each other, but he seemed at ease.

  “I’ll let you get yourself settled Ms. Nicholls. Do you want me to come to your office later today to discuss the information that I found?”

  I shook my head; that was the last thing I needed to be thinking of or trying to deal with at the moment. The time would come when I’d need to decide what, if anything, I wanted to do but, for now, I needed to get on top of my work commitments.

  “Not today, Byron, thank you, I’m just looking to catch up with the office work for this week. I’m not sure what my decision will be on that matter. Do you have anything else you needed to add…any further letters?”

  I tried to remain in work mode, speaking as if it were a normal employment matter, and not to let the thoughts of what we were really discussing affect me or run wild in my head again. I needed to keep it together today. I wanted to come in, catch up on my paperwork and get my head back in the game.

  “No new letters. I’ll keep you informed, Ms. Nicholls.” He nodded briefly before returning to his position at the security desk.

  I went up to my office and took a deep breath as I pushed the door open. I felt at home here. I hadn’t wanted to move offices when my father had promoted me to CEO. My office was more than big enough for me and I’d made it homely in the last three years. I had no desire to move just for the sake of appearances.

  I walked to my desk and sat in the chair looking at the huge pile of paperwork that had been stacked up for me. I’d been pushing for everything to go paperless and electronic but, due to financial regulations, so much needed to be kept for record keeping that I still ended up with mounds of papers.

  I couldn’t help the feeling of excitement I felt looking at the chaos around me. I loved this. I threw my jacket over the back of the chair, loaded up my computer and began dealing with my overflowing mailbox.

  Nate

  I just wanted to go home and hit the gym, but it had been days since I’d managed to catch up with my Gramps. I’d not seen him since the wedding, as I’d had to cancel when Lena had had the accident. I’d promised to visit today after work, much to my body’s relief.

  I was aching. I’d been training hard to stop myself from thinking but it wasn’t working and I just felt sore and tired. I’d spoken to him a few times on the phone but knew that he wouldn’t stand for me cancelling on him again.

  I rang the bell and Gloria buzzed me in. She was busy talking on the phone but gave me a cheery wave as I walked down the corridor to my Gramps’ room.

  He looked relieved to see me and I felt guilty for thinking about not visiting. He looked at me earnestly and asked after Lena. I reassured him that she was fine and he made me promise to bring her the next time I came. He filled me in on his news from the last few days as we played card games but he continued to watch me. I could feel his eyes on me, appraising me as we played.

  “Out with it! First Marcus - now you. Am I giving off the vibe that I feel the need to talk? Do I seem chatty all of a sudden to you?” I tossed my cards back down on the table and leaned back in the chair.

  “You’re not yourself, son. What’s the matter?” he spoke carefully, as if he could sense how close I was to the edge of my control.

  I muttered under my breath, cursing the pair of them, but Gramps just sat there patiently, looking at me, silently beseeching me to speak to him.

  “I thought…when I got that call…” I tried to speak but I couldn’t get the words to come out right.

  He reached across and placed his hand on my knee, “It’s alright to be scared, Nate. It doesn’t make you less of a man to admit to being afraid. It was bound to affect you.”

  I shrugged his hand off. “I’m not scared, I’m fucking furious!” I raised my voice as I cursed but he didn’t flinch.

  “She did something really stupid. I’m so angry I feel as if I could explode! I had to sit and listen to that fucking call. I heard it all, Gramps! Sat there, listening to her scream and being completely useless. I couldn’t do a damn thing. She could have died - all because she wanted to go off and do something so goddamn reckless…”

  “…Lena doesn’t strike me as being reckless or silly, nor does she seem like a damsel in distress…Are you being fair, Nate? You can’t blame her for a car accident.”

  I stood up, agitation driving me to keep moving as I paced back and forth in the small room. “Lena isn’t as tough as she makes out.”

  “So you’re holding onto the anger so you don’t have to admit how much it scared you, how much she terrifies you. You’re not angry, not really, you’re afraid.” I turned; facing away from him so he wouldn’t see the truth of his words reflected on my face.

  “Better still, why not call it a day? Walk away and keep your heart intact. Surely, no matter how much it hurts now, it’ll save you heartache in the long run? Is that why Lena’s not here today? Is that an option for you? You think you can walk away?”

  If I ground my teeth together any harder I was going to be spitting out a mouthful of dust. This wasn’t a good idea. I wasn’t ready to talk about this yet.

  I turned my head, feeling the muscles pull hard as I tried to ease some of the tension that was making my neck and shoulders feel tight.

  “Back off, Gramps,” I muttered.

  He laughed. “I’ll tell you the truth, Nate, whether you want to hear it or not. This has given your arrogant arse a wake-up call. It’s made you think about what she means to you and it’s made you worry about losing her, which is a shitty thing, I agree, but I think that’s what’s bothering you. It’s understandable to be scared of being hurt. I know you want to protect your heart but you’re too late, boy, you’re already in too deep. I told you she had you caught. You’re in love Nate. That makes you feel vulnerable. I know that’s a hard thing to admit but don’t act like a fool and mess it up now because you’re scared. Talk to her! Tell her how much this has upset you!”

  I didn’t let him carry on.

  The last thing I needed was a deep and meaningful conversation about the very things that I’d been trying to ignore for the last few days.

  I didn’t know what the hell was going on in my own head - only that it was consumed with thoughts of her. Thoughts I didn’t know how to deal with at the moment.

  “I’ve really got to get off now, Gramps.”

  His lips turned down, “Nate? I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “You’ve not upset me, Gramps, honestly. I do need to get going. I’ll come and see you again on the weekend. I’ll see if Lena can come too.” I threw in the last part as a sweetener and it worked.

  He nodded happily at me. “Yes. Sort it out and bring her along. That would be lovely. Call ahead to let me know and I’ll get some cakes in.”

  “So, Lena seems nice.” Lindsay said, striking up conversation as we sat in the canteen waiting for Marcus to get back. “How long did you say you’ve been together?”

  “Not much longer than you guys” I answered and she glanced about nervously, making me laugh. “Linds –chill, I’m not gonna out you in the staff canteen!”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “She was telling me about how you guys met, now there’s a cute story. I really liked her. We’ll have to catch up with you both again.” She smiled, just as Marcus pulled out a chair to sit down with us. I took the opportunity to change the subject and before long they were deep in conversation.

  My phone indicated a message. I opened it to see a photograph of Lena and some guy, hugging. I tried to enlarge it but the quality wasn’t great, it was slightly blurred as if it has been taken in a rush or on the move. She was dressed for work and had her arms wrapped around the guy’s
neck as they embraced. She was facing the camera, although she wouldn’t have known. Her eyes were closed and her face looked full of joy.

  Who the fuck was that guy?

  Seconds later the phone indicated another message, I opened it to read the accompanying text: “She’s a liar and a fraud. You can’t trust her.”

  I clenched my jaw, clamping my teeth down as anger flared through me. This was getting ridiculous. I wanted to slam my phone against the table but, instead, I picked it up and calmly dialled Lena.

  Whoever had been sending me shit was clearly now targeting Lena as well.

  That was a big fucking mistake.

  I’d ignore a few silly messages but going after her was a stupid move. They’d just guaranteed that I’d find out who they were.

  I needed her to be aware that I was receiving these messages and that someone had access to photos of her. The phone rang and rang before her father answered “Michael? Hi, sorry I thought I’d called her mobile. I’d like to speak to Lena.”

  “She’s back at work, Nate. Can’t hold my girl down for long. She’s promised to be home before 6pm, though. You’re welcome to come around later?”

  I thanked him and told him that I couldn’t make it tonight but would see them soon. I felt uneasy. I’d assumed that Lena had been in the house and that it was an old photo, but now I wasn’t sure.

  I excused myself from the table, standing and walking out of the canteen into the corridor as I called Lena’s mobile and waited impatiently for her to answer.

  It rang a few times before Lena’s voice came through, sounding distracted. “Hey, Masters.”

  “Hey, I hear you’ve escaped back to work. Are you busy?” I asked, trying my best to sound nonchalant.