Hot Shot Hero Hostage - Chapter 8
The sudden switch from fear and fight to relief and attraction lightened Sam’s head, making her dizzy and trembly—things she tried never to be. For a moment she felt lost again, engulfed in darkness…and those strong arms. The only thing that eased the spinning sensation was pressing her head against Braden’s muscular chest, feeling the strong beat of his heart, the heat of his muscles, his solidness. She knew she could hang on to Braden, that she could trust him to take care of her.
He was all she could trust at the moment.
“What the hell is going on?” she asked, repeating the question he’d uttered just a moment ago.
“I thought someone took you,” he said. “That someone was holding you hostage…” He shuddered at the admission.
She shook her head. “Not me. You. You were the one being held…” Or so she’d thought. That was why she’d been so terrified when she’d been grabbed, when the gun had been wrested from her hand. She’d thought she was being taken, just like he’d been. She tugged back slightly from his arms to try to see him in the darkness. But he was just a large shadow looming over her, blocking out even the faint twinkle of the stars high above. She couldn’t see him at all, but she could feel the tension in his body.
“I thought you were the one—” he started.
“You thought someone had me?”
“That’s what the note said,” he replied, and another shudder moved through his big muscular body.
She knew how he hated getting those damn letters. “I got a series of text messages,” she shared. Which might have been worse than his notes, as she’d had to wait for the next one to come in, to tell her more, or at least show her proof that he was still alive. But proof of life had never come through.
She squeezed him now, moved just a little closer to make sure, and his body tensed even more. Then he was leaning down, brushing his mouth across hers as if he needed proof of life, too.
She kissed him back, deeply, feeling his breath inside her, feeling his heat and warmth. And she released a shaky sigh of relief. She pulled back and asked, “What did your note say?”
“That if I wanted to see you again, I had to follow the directions…”
“That led you here,” she finished for him when he trailed off. “Just like those texts led me here.”
“Why, Sam? What the hell is going on?”
She could only imagine the worst, had already suspected that it could be a trap, but now she realized it hadn’t been a trap just for her. It was a trap for both of them.
Before she could share that fear with him, a shot rang out.