by Taylor Dean
“No can do, Jill,” he said in a teasing tone.
Welcome to the dance of love.
“C’mon, handcuff keys for the truck keys. That’s fair.”
“Is it?”
“Yes. You toss me the truck keys and I’ll toss you the handcuff keys. If you can catch me before I leave, then I’ll stay.”
He pretended to think it over, tapping his finger on his lips, making a big show of his decision. “Um . . . no deal.”
Jill began to wonder why he was so calm. Shouldn’t he be slightly upset over the prospect of spending the next few hours handcuffed to the couch all alone in the middle of nowhere?
“You see, Jill, there was one thing they taught us at the police academy . . .” Luke said unhurriedly.
Jill’s eyes zeroed in on his key ring. She recognized the oddly shaped key immediately. Oh crap.
“Always have two sets of handcuff keys in case of an emergency.”
Jill barely had time to gasp, as a matter of fact, she was mid-gasp when Luke suddenly pinned her against the wall in a blinding flash, clapping the handcuffs on her wrist once again, connecting them together in a strangely intimate fashion.
“Gotcha,” he whispered, his face an inch from hers.
Jill didn’t fight him. On the contrary, she felt as though she’d just won the grand prize. Why did her heart soar in her chest at the prospect of being Luke’s prisoner?
“You don’t play fair, Lucas Graham.”
“Can’t say that I do.”
“You fell asleep on the job. Not smart.”
“It won’t happen again, Jillian Claire Barrett.”
“Gonna sleep with one eye open?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes. You should’ve run while you had the chance.”
“Duly noted.”
He marched her back to the couch and promptly handcuffed her once again to a wooden slat. Jill was beginning to hate the furniture in the ranch house.
He clicked his tongue at her and winked. “Nice try. I’m impressed.”
“Don’t think for a minute that I’ve given up.”
“I’d be disappointed if you had.” With that, Luke returned to the kitchen and cleaned the dinner dishes, a small smile on his face.
Jill bit the sides of her mouth to keep from joining him. She now had two almost successful escapes under her belt. Not bad. “I do not want to be held against my will” had been conveyed loud and clear. What other messages had she unknowingly conveyed? The thought worried her.
She crossed her legs to give herself more time, but she couldn’t wait any longer. “I need to pee,” she announced.
“Is this a trick?”
“Try me and find out.”
Chuckling, Luke unlocked the handcuffs and she found herself breathing a sigh of relief at the small amount of freedom. Perhaps there was a touch of claustrophobia hiding inside of her. She headed for the bathroom and Luke followed close behind. “You are gonna give me privacy, right Luke?”
He stood in the doorway. “I’ll turn my back, but I’ll be right here.”
How embarrassing. “No, I insist you at least give me a little bit of alone time. C’mon, Luke.”
“Absolutely not. I know you’ll go right through the bathroom window. Don’t even try to deny it.”
The bathroom window was indeed calling to her.
“I’ll handcuff you to the toilet paper holder if you’d like. I’ll even close the door. But you’ll have to do your business one-handed.”
How like a man to not know the toilet paper holder comes apart. “You, sir, are no gentleman.”
“Never said I was.”
“Fine, handcuff me then already. I need to go.”
Luke proceeded to handcuff her to the toilet paper holder, but then he paused, releasing a deep frustrated breath. “Aw, that won’t work and you know it.”
“Have you ever changed the toilet paper in your entire life?”
“Of course I have. Don’t know what I was thinking.”
Luke looked around. There wasn’t one single thing he could handcuff her to in the bathroom. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Just go, will ya? I won’t look, I promise.”
Jill shook her head. “A life of crime is not for you.”
“I’ll be sure to mention you said that at my trial.”
“I’ll deny it.”
“Thought you needed to go.”
Jill gave in. “All right, but turn on the faucet. I’m not gonna have you listening to me pee.”
Luke turned on the faucet and stood in the doorway, his back to her. “Jillian Claire Barrett, don’t even think about going through that window. I will follow you.”
I’m counting on it. Jill smiled, did her business, and adjusted her clothing while the handcuffs dangled from one wrist. In spite of the kidnapping and handcuffs, Luke really was a gentleman through and through and she knew he wouldn’t look, not for anything.
Unless he heard the window opening. Then all bets were off.
Jill stood there debating over what to do. One thing she knew for sure, she wasn’t ready to give in. She wasn’t handcuffed to anything once again and she had to do something.
Unless she wanted to wander the countryside in the dark—which she didn’t—escaping seemed rather pointless without the truck keys. The question niggling in her brain, however, gave her pause. Did she really want to escape from Luke?
Not really. Yet she couldn’t accept his methods either. The entire situation left her conflicted.
Nevertheless, the concept of roving around for miles in the pitch black did not appeal. Therefore, the decision to not make a run for it was easy.
A new idea came to her. Currently, it was dusk outside. There were quite a bit of trees and foliage surrounding the ranch house. If she could just get outside, she could hide from Luke for a few hours. He’d be forced to spend the evening looking for her. Giving Luke a hard time seemed fair payback for his outlandish actions. At least she’d feel like she’d tried a little harder to escape before acquiescing to Luke’s desires.
Let the dance continue.
Hmmmm, the wall of the hallway was just outside the bathroom door. If she gave him a good hard push, he’d hit the wall. It would startle him at most. Maybe daze him a little. She wasn’t strong enough to hurt him—nor did she want to hurt him.
It would give her enough time to get out the door. And he’d follow. No doubt about that.
She’d go outside, hide for awhile, then let him find her. It would be one last objection to being held against her will.
If she could convince him to handle their state of affairs differently, all would be well. He still had two more days left on his pass. He could come to her house again and ask to speak with her like a normal person. And this time she’d politely agree like a normal person. No more goofing around. Her curiosity was stoked and she had to admit, she did want to hear whatever earth shattering revelation he wanted to share with her.
Just not while she was handcuffed to a chair and forced to listen to him.
And stare at him. And look into his baby blue eyes. And hear his voice. And feel his presence. And think about how much she loved him.
What am I thinking? I can’t do this.
On second thought, maybe he could just say what he needed to say over the phone.
Stop debating, Jill. Just act.
Without further hesitation, Jill burst forward and pushed Luke out of her way.
She did surprise him. There was no resistance whatsoever. He smashed into the wall a little harder than she had anticipated and she took off running for the front door.
She almost made it too.
“Jill!” she heard him yell. Luke recovered awfully quick, lunged forward and caught her by the ankle, causing her to fall to the floor in an undignified heap. Guess that was payback for making him get up close and personal with the wall.
All at once, Jill’s emotions went on overdrive. She could no longer fake lightheart
edness and she could no longer accept Luke’s actions as comedic.
The dance was over.
He’d broken her heart. He had no business bursting back into her life, expecting her to welcome him with open arms as if he were an old friend she hadn’t seen in years.
It had only been one month and she was still raw.
Jill kicked her legs frantically, attempting to free herself of Luke’s grasp. He tackled her effortlessly with his body weight and pinned her hands on either side of her head. They were both breathing heavily as they stared each other down.
“Don’t leave me, Jill,” he whispered.
“I don’t wanna do this anymore. I can’t play this game with you. This isn’t the kind of relationship I want.”
“I’m sorry. I really am. I was desperate and I couldn’t think of another way to get your attention.”
“I can’t pretend like this is funny any longer. You’re killing me.”
“Not my intention.”
“What is your intention?”
“To explain my actions.”
“That’s all?”
“I’d be lying if I said yes.”
“What else do you want from me?”
“You, Jill. I want you.”
A tear squeezed out from the corner of her left eye and Luke shook his head in the negative. “Don’t cry, Jill. Please don’t cry.”
“I can’t go through this again. A part of me died when you left me. You can’t waltz back into my life and toy with my emotions like this.”
“I’m not playing around. I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. You are everything to me, Jill. Absolutely everything.”
He leaned toward her, and it was all the permission she needed. She lifted her head off the floor, and their lips met in the middle. She had no idea which one of them initiated the kiss. Really it was both. But there was no doubt he was in control and she was the recipient. He pressed his lips to hers, hard, fast and demanding. His lips ground into hers, the action expressing deep emotion; the intense feelings of the moment. They breathed each other in as the kiss deepened, slightly frantic and out of control. The sheer desperation in his kiss said it all. He missed her, he wanted her. No explanations needed. Their mouths opened to each other and their tongues explored. The magical minutes in between dusk and darkness, in between light and shadows, settled over the ranch house. The interior became dim, intimate. The kiss renewed itself, ebbing and flowing between soft and wild as emotions calmed and then flourished with new intensity.
Luke tore his lips away, breathing heavily. “Please don’t think I brought you here just to do this. I mean, I want to do this but . . .”
“I know. Just kiss me,” she interrupted.
He pushed his lips back onto hers and the frantic journey began again. His lips traveled and explored, and she granted him full passage.
The lamp in the living room suddenly blinked on, bathing the room with light. The kiss ended as they simply stared at one another.
“The lamp’s on a timer,” Luke explained.
Jill nodded, wishing she could turn the lamp off and recapture the moment. She didn’t want the kiss to end.
Ever.
“I love you, Jill. I love you.”
Her heart nearly stopped in her chest. “Why, Luke? I don’t understand.”
He knew she wasn’t asking why he loved her. She was asking why he’d left her.
“It’s a long story.”
“And that’s why I’m here?”
“Yes.”
Slowly, Luke let go of her hands. Jill didn’t move. He reached into his pocket, took out his keys and unlocked the handcuffs, gently removing them from her wrist.
“We don’t need these anymore,” Luke said. “I can see it in your eyes now.”
“What is it you see?”
“Love,” he said simply.
Jill had no idea what her eyes must’ve exuded earlier, but she’d hidden her love from him underneath anger, outrage, and a little bad humor. And now she was an open book. Her love for him had never died.
Luke stood, pulling her up with him. They embraced once again, holding each other close. “I have so much to tell you, so much to say to you, Jill.”
She took a deep breath. “All right, I’m ready to listen.”
“It won’t be easy for you to hear.”
“You’re scaring me. If you still love me, it can’t be that bad.”
Luke massaged her wrist where the handcuffs had left a red mark. “It’s good and bad. Either way, you’ll know the truth and the decision will be yours.”
“The decision?” Jill asked.
“Of whether you want to be with me or with Troy.”
“I’m not in love with Troy. It’s always been you, Luke. From the moment I first met you. Even Troy knows that.”
He breathed in and out with a deep, cleansing breath. It was then Jill noticed just how tired he looked, how ravaged with emotion his expression appeared. Why hadn’t she noticed this earlier? “How much sleep have you had?”
“About four hours in the last two days.”
No wonder he’d fallen asleep against his will. He was going on fumes. “Bed. Now. We’ll talk tomorrow. We have all day just to ourselves.”
“That’s all I’ve wanted, Jill. A second chance.”
She was now willing to give it to him. “You’ve got it. Rest easy.” Things had changed between them in a matter of minutes. They’d been simmering all day. The transition to hard, rolling boil had only been seconds away.
Luke walked her to her bedroom. They both avoided the readymade honeymoon suite. The door was firmly shut and Jill had no intention of giving the room another glance. Luke turned down the bed while Jill slipped into PJs and brushed her teeth. He tucked her in as if she were a child. He sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her forehead.
Jill cupped his cheek. It felt good to give in to the desire to simply touch him. “I’m sorry if I hurt you earlier, when I pushed you.”
“I’m okay. For such a little thing, you’re surprisingly strong.”
“Luke . . . I don’t want to fight. I’m sorry I’ve been so difficult.”
His cheeks actually flushed, as if he was a little embarrassed at his actions. “I wasn’t expecting you to give me such a hard time. The underlying anger took me by surprise.”
“It’s hard to see you in this circumstance.”
“I know. All I’ve wanted to do is take you in my arms and kiss you until you can’t breathe.”
Jill smiled. “The thought crossed my mind once or twice too.”
“Couldn’t tell. I thought you hated me.”
“I don’t hate you, Luke. That’s the problem. I have to constantly remind myself that I should hate you. I have to fight my love for you, when all I really want to do is give in to it.”
“Thank you for giving me a second chance.”
“I didn’t exactly give it to you . . .”
Luke grinned, his expression exuding relief. “I don’t make a habit of kidnapping the woman I love, just so you know.”
“I wouldn’t normally give in to a kidnapper, just so you know.”
His eyes crinkled at the corners as he lightly chuckled. “May God have mercy on that kidnapper’s soul.” He stood next to the bed. “I’ll just be across the hall if you need me. You . . . you won’t leave, will you?”
Jill shook her head. “No, I won’t leave.”
“Thank you.” Luke headed for the door.
“Luke, wait.”
“What is it?”
“Do me a favor? Please handcuff me to the headboard.”
The blink of his eyes turned slow and heavy. “Jill . . . why?”
“Because once you leave this room and I’m left in here with my own insecure thoughts, I’m gonna talk myself out of staying. We both know it’s true. I’ll steal your keys and be gone by morning. I’ll hide from you. Then I’ll spend my entire life wondering what you would’ve said to me.” Ji
ll frowned. “You don’t realize what you did to me.”
He hesitated for so long, Jill didn’t think he was going to comply with her wishes. Finally, he nodded and left. He returned with the handcuffs, placed them on her wrist and attached the other end to the wrought iron headboard.
“Comfortable?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“I do know what I did to you,” he said so softly she barely heard him. “Your mom explained.”
“She shouldn’t have.”
“I’m glad she told me. I needed to know.”
Jill wondered how much her mom had told him. Before she could ask, Luke went on.
“She said you didn’t leave your bed for two weeks, then you spent another week moping around, going nowhere and seeing no one. She said you just returned to work a week ago.”
True. Of course, she couldn’t return to work until the cut on her palm had partially healed. But that had nothing to do with the fact that she hadn’t gotten out of bed.
Luke continued. “She said you haven’t been back to your apartment at all. She’s really worried about you, Jill. She said she’s never seen you so low in your entire life. You’re scaring her and she’s not sure how to help you. She said she was shocked when you announced a week ago that you’d agreed to marry Troy. She understands the situation, but she feels it’s a huge mistake. One that you’ll regret.”
Yikes. Her mother had not held back at all. “And what do you think?” Jill asked.
“I think life is complicated sometimes.”
She mulled that over, then shook her head in the negative. “I don’t think it is. I think life is simple. We complicate it all on our own.”
Jill reached up with her free arm, running her hand through Luke’s short hair and pulling him towards her.
“No, Jill. I can’t kiss you while you’re handcuffed to the bed. It screams all kinds of wrong.”
“Says the man who kept me handcuffed all afternoon.”
“I . . . uh . . .” he stammered.
“You’re not forcing me, Luke. I’m forcing you,” she said as she pulled him down and their lips met in a searing kiss. He didn’t resist. She immediately understood his hesitation though. Passion instantly ignited between them as the kiss deepened at once. Luke reached out and turned off the bedside lamp, which was a mistake. The cloak of darkness left them in their own little world of longing, where only Luke and Jill existed, where only touch mattered. His hands wandered through her hair, down to her shoulders, and then down to her hips. Even though she’d initiated the kiss, he took control as his lips coaxed and pleasured hers. Luke knew how to kiss a girl, the pressure flowing between soft and hard, never too much and never too little, and always leaving her wanting more. When the flash of yearning calmed, their kiss turned slow and soft, infinitely tender and sweet.
