by Ashlee Price
He chuckled at me and kissed the side of my neck. It worked, and I was fully distracted without any hope of getting what I wanted done.
“You can let Chase do some work for a change. It doesn’t always have to be you.”
I had heard it before. I could tell that Logan didn’t like how much I worked. He was the one who worked well over twelve hours most days, but he liked me to be on call to talk to him and see him when that time was up. I had noticed that there was a little aggravation if he didn’t get his way.
“I like my job, and I’m not going to work less or anywhere else.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Mia. I would never ask you to leave or work less at the sanctuary. I know how much that place means to you.”
I started to relax. I wondered why I was so on edge. I knew that it had something to do with the sleep I hadn’t been getting, or the lack of the quiet time that I was so keen on. Now that I was with Logan, if I wasn’t working, we were together, and I found myself needing a little solitude more than anything else. It wasn’t that I didn’t love Logan more than life itself, but the fact of the matter was that I still needed some time for myself. I was an introvert, after all, and it was hard to change my stripes. Logan seemed to need constant attention, but I was content with a night alone once and a while.
“I know, Logan. I don’t know what is going on. Maybe you’re right and I do need a couple of days off, maybe a week. I just know that I feel like I’m on edge all of the time.”
“We should get away then, Mia. I know that there’s a lot going on, but there’s nothing wrong with taking a little bit of time off. I can make it happen if you will as well. Let’s just go this weekend and not come back until we’re ready to. I don’t even know how long it has been since I’ve been out of the area without it being related to work. We both need this.”
I agreed with him. Not just because his hands were on me and he was driving me crazy, but I did need it. I needed to go somewhere and just forget about everything for a while. Spending some time alone with Logan was what I needed, just us and maybe a massage or something for myself when we got there.
Chapter 3 – Logan
I was excited to be leaving. I had to do some serious rescheduling and Jesse was not happy about it, but I had managed to figure it out somehow. Mia had told me that she was going to make sure that she could get off as well. I needed her to work it out because I didn’t want to take a break without her.
With the way she was worried about everything that was going on at the sanctuary, I set up the rest of the help that I was planning to give them. The animal sanctuary needed money to keep it going, and that was going to make her happy. The fact that I had the money to take care of it and take away the worry was enough for me. To me it was a good investment. I just wanted her to be able to relax, and I hoped that when she saw how much a new donor had given the sanctuary with promises to keep funding it for the next ten years, I knew that she wouldn’t come home all distracted and upset. I just hated to see her that way.
Jesse came in, looking at me like she had something to say. I knew that she wasn’t happy about the change of plans, but there was part of me that didn’t care. I usually did when it came to Jesse. She’d known my father and it gave me a different feeling about her. I cared what she thought of me, and I knew that she knew me and she’d known me before I started to make all of the changes that I did when my father died. Jesse had known me before I started to spiral out of control.
“What is it, Jesse? You know that I’m trying to get out of here before five today.”
“I just wanted to see how you were doing. I haven’t seen much of you, and now you tell me that you’re going to be gone a week or two.”
I kind of shrugged. I wasn’t really sure what she wanted me to say. I had been out of the office more, not working the fourteen-hour-plus days that I was used to, but that was because I had something else to keep me busy. Mia was far better at keeping my mind off of everything else than booze and women ever could before. When I worked that much it was because I just didn’t want to think. Now I wanted more, and I wanted Mia for good.
“I know that I haven’t been here that much lately, but it is about time for me to take a vacation. I haven’t had a proper one since dad died. It seemed like that there was always something to do. But someone reminded me that life is too short to be working all the time.”
Jesse smiled. “Well, I will guess it’s that woman who’s changed your mind, the one you had me send the roses to?”
I nodded my head, but I didn’t want to get into it with Jesse. I still wasn’t sure what me and Mia were doing, but I feared that to say it out loud would somehow make whatever it was fade away. I couldn’t even think of that happening, so I tried to gloss over it.
“Yes, she’s the one. I’m going to take some time off with my new girlfriend, and I’m hoping to get some peace and quiet while I’m out. I’ll be available for emergencies, of course, but I’m really hoping that I can take a little time off from this place. I wasn’t ready for all of this when dad died, and I just need a break, Jesse.”
I could tell that she was shocked that I had told her all of that. I wasn’t one who liked to share emotions and the like, but I did want her to know that I was okay. It was the first time that I was genuinely feeling like it really was going to be okay.
“Well, I don’t know who she is, but everyone is talking about the woman who’s making you hum in the bathroom.”
I didn’t like that it was so obvious to everyone, but it was true. I hadn’t felt this happy in a long time, and I knew that it was all because of Mia. She had changed everything, and more than anything else, she had changed the way I looked at everything around me.
“I don’t know about that, Jesse, but things are looking up.”
“I can see that. When are we going to meet this special lady?”
That was the question that I didn’t want to answer. I wasn’t ready to show the world who I was with. While I had met a few of her coworkers and some of her family, there was still no one where I worked that knew who she was. I had built a reputation for myself more than a couple of times, and I didn’t want the tabloids to bug her like they’d bugged some of the other women that I was with. I didn’t want Mia to know about what I had done in the past. I didn’t want her to know who she was with, or who I had been before I had met her. I wasn’t sure if she would be able to forgive me for all of that, and I wouldn’t really blame her if she couldn’t.
“One day soon I will have you meet her. I just want to keep it all under wraps for now.”
“I understand, sir. I’ve noticed that you have a lot fewer girlfriends calling these days.”
I gave her a look and watched her smile back at me. She was always going to mention that. Maybe it wasn’t the tabloids I should worry about, but the woman in front of me sharing too much. “There won’t be any more of them, so all you have to do is just tell them that I’m busy or something. I won’t be taking those kind of calls anymore.”
I was saying more than I was actually putting into words, and I think Jesse knew that. I wasn’t just with Mia. I was planning to be with her for the rest of my life. I hadn’t told her that yet, but I did have plans to tell her how I really felt that week when we were on vacation. I knew what I wanted to ask, and I had everything I needed to do it. All I had to do was get the courage up and hope that she would tell me yes.
Chapter 4 – Mia
It was my last day at work before my vacation, and all I could think about was what it was going to be like being with Logan for so long. We had seen each other every single day since our first night together, but we both went to work and only met at night when our day was done. There was going to be none that. It was just going to be me and him and nothing else to distract us. The concept made me a little nervous. What if we found out that we didn’t have anything else to talk about?
I was driving myself crazy with thoughts of him, and once again, I was slacking
off at work. I was supposed to be making a comparison report for a couple of the animals, but instead I was down with Rocy and her new mate. The male was not as familiar with me, but I was already getting into the habitat with both of them. I knew it was a risk, but I was learning more in those moments than I would ever learn on the other side of the glass.
The day was almost over, and even though I hadn’t done much, I felt exhausted. My mind was working overtime, which always seemed to make me more tired than if I had just run a marathon. I was telling Rocy goodbye when I felt the muscles in her shoulders perk up. I didn’t know what was wrong with her, but for the first time in a long time she was trying to go to the door. It kind of freaked me out.
“Rocy, you know you can’t go with me. You have to stay here with your mate and have babies.”
I was thinking of Logan. I liked the idea of him as my mate. I liked the idea of us having our own children. It wouldn’t be to save our race, but it would be something special. It would be something that was both me and him.
That’s what I was thinking of as I pushed Rocy away and told her again that she couldn’t come with me.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you today, Rocy. I swear it’s something in the air.”
I smiled back at her, but she was still acting bothered, like something was wrong. I didn’t like the feeling her sudden change of behavior brought. It made me feel strange in my stomach, and I walked out of there a little slower. Looking back, I was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. I knew that I was going to have to put a note in her file that maybe she wasn’t adjusting to the new mate as well as I’d thought she was.
My mind was on Rocy, and for a moment I wasn’t thinking about Logan. I was so wrapped up in work that by the time I got back to the office, I was already running late on leaving. It was thirty minutes past five and I saw that Logan had tried to call a couple of times. I was supposed to meet him at his house, but somehow the time had gotten away from me. It wasn’t unusual at all, but this wasn’t the day that I wanted to be late. He had everything planned, and I couldn’t wait to find out what he had planned for us. I knew that it would be great, whatever it was.
There was a sound behind me and before I knew it, I was getting the same strange feeling that I had when I was leaving Rocy earlier. The cat knew something that I didn’t, and now I was almost wishing I was still there with her. It was hard to feel unsafe with Rocy around, and I wanted her there now.
“Hello?”
I felt silly calling out to someone who wasn’t there. I don’t know why, but I started to gather up my things as quickly as I possibly could. I felt like the damsel in a horror movie who didn’t know she was about to get it.
“Stop acting like this, Mia. You’re fine.”
It sounded better out loud than it did in my head, but it still did nothing to help the fact that I was freaking out. I didn’t even grab everything that I needed and I didn’t even shut my computer off. I didn’t know what was making me feel this way, but I knew that I had to get out of there. It wasn’t until I was in the elevator that I took a breath and didn’t feel like I was being chased. I didn’t know what was going on with me, but I knew that there was a reason I was feeling the way that I was feeling.
The elevator dinged and opened into the parking garage. The feeling was back as my eyes scanned the darkened garage. I hated that it was already dark so soon this time of year. All I could hear was the clicking of my heels during the long walk to my car. The employees had to park as far from the building as possible to leave room for all of the visitors, and that just meant that I had even further to go.
My heart slammed in my chest, and even while I told myself it was all in my head, I knew that there was something to it. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way, and I was sure that it was something that had started when I was with Rocy earlier.
Then I hear another sound that was coming from right where my car was. I was too far away from the elevator door to try to go back, but I stopped, not wanting to go further either. Standing there not able to make a decision, I finally started to walk slowly towards my car.
It happened so fast, I didn’t even really know what started to burn the side of my neck. I remember trying to put my hand up to feel what was in my neck. It felt like something was in my neck, but I wasn’t able to actually make contact with it with my fingers. Before I could try again, I fell into blackness. It was so dark and so complete that I knew that the ill feeling in my stomach had been justified. Something bad was happening and there was nothing I could do about it. That might have been the hardest moment and emotion that I had ever felt. I felt helpless.
I didn’t hear the phone ringing when Logan called for the fourth time in an hour. I would have known that he was worried about me. Maybe I would have been better off knowing that and it would have given me some hope. I was going to need hope more than anything else in the time to come.
My past was coming back to haunt me, and I didn’t even know why or who it was yet.
To be continued in Book 7…
Fully & Completely Book 7: Her Constraint
By: Ashlee Price
Prologue
Mia wakes up groggy, not sure where she is. There’s a dull throb in her head, and when she finally does open her eyes, there isn’t much to see but blackness. She doesn’t know why she’s there, but Mia soon realizes that she’s chained to something behind her that she can’t make out. The surroundings are unfamiliar, and a feeling of fear quickly settles into her heart. Her mind races with the possibilities of what might be happening to her.
She just isn’t sure of anything – until she hears a familiar voice from her past and realizes that an old mistake is coming back to get in the way of everything. Mia knows she’s in danger and that her life is at risk in the hands of such a man, but none of that matters. All she can think about is getting back into Logan’s arms. The scariest thought of all is never being able to see him again.
Chapter 1 – Logan
I tried to call her again. It was now ten times since the first time, and I didn’t understand what was going on. I was starting to get the feeling that there was something seriously wrong. It felt too much like the time she had ignored me before. I didn’t like that, but it was better than some of the other scenarios that were running through my mind. I needed to talk to Mia.
It didn’t matter that she was late. I wasn’t worried about missing the plane; it was mine, after all. I wasn’t worried about the plans that I’d made. All I was worried about was seeing her and making sure that she was okay. I dialed her number again, and once again it went right to the voicemail after not even a full ring. It was like her phone was off. I tried to tell myself that Mia had turned the phone off because she had gotten into her work again. I knew that she was like that sometimes.
When I dialed the number again, I waited, but I knew that it was going to be the same thing that I’d heard before. The phone gave half a ring and then the click as it went to her voicemail. I heard her sweet voice and left another message that I was worried about her and asking where she was. The bad feeling was getting stronger, and I started to eye the bar that slid underneath my desk.
I needed a drink. I hadn’t needed one in a long time, but if she didn’t answer soon, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I needed to take the edge off. I finally stopped pacing the office and looked out the window. The city of Chicago was down beneath me, and usually the view would make me feel better, but today it was not giving me any relief. The lights shining underneath me were just a reminder that it was dark and I still didn’t know where Mia was.
Finally I’d waited as long as I was going to. I called her one last time before leaving the office and getting in my car. When I was sure that she wasn’t going to answer, I was close to throwing my phone. The anger was easier to deal with than the worry, and I tried to embrace it. Something had happened, I was sure of it, but there was nothing I could do until I found her and found out if she was oka
y.
When I got to her apartment I found the door locked. If I’d been just passing through, I would have left. But with the certainty that something was wrong, I picked the lock and went in. It had been a long time since I’d done such things, but it was like riding a bike, and I quickly discovered that I had no trouble showing that side of myself again.
Her apartment was dark, and it didn’t feel like she had been in there in a while. She’d stayed at my house the night before, but I was pretty sure that she had told me she was planning to stop by before she went to work to pick up some notes for her book. It didn’t feel like anyone had been there since then, and the bad feeling was back. I didn’t want to walk in and disturb anything, but I couldn’t help it: something propelled me forward. Scanning the room, there was nothing out of place. It was just like she had disappeared. Going to the closet, I saw that her bags were still unpacked, like she wasn’t even ready to go on a trip with me. Had she changed her mind?
The idea made me pause, but I was sure it wasn’t that. There was something else going on here. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it wasn’t her leaving me. Mia wasn’t like that. She wouldn’t ditch me without a reason. It had to be something else, and as much as I hated to think about it, I had to. There was no telling what had happened to her.
Leaving her house, I locked it like I’d found it and sat in the back of the car for several minutes before I said anything to the driver.
“Why don’t you go ahead and go down to the sanctuary? Maybe she’s still at work. Sometimes Mia can let the time get away from her.”
Ernest nodded, but I could tell that he believed my words about as much as I did, and that wasn’t much. She wasn’t going to be there. I didn’t know how I knew it, but there was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that just wouldn’t go away. Where was Mia? I hadn’t even gotten to tell her how I really felt, and that bothered me more than anything else. I wanted her to know that I loved her and that the ring in my jacket pocket was for her. I wanted her to marry me, but I couldn’t if I couldn’t even find her.
