Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 35349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
I had to get out.
I have to do something.
And the time for that was now.
Frustration boiled inside me, and I curled my hands into tight fists, feeling my anger rise. I had to take control. I felt like I was suffocating in this room, in this nightmare that didn’t seem to end, and the walls were closing in.
My thoughts were jumbled when the bedroom door opened, and my heart leapt into my throat. I froze, every muscle in my body tensing as I kept laser-focused on Lars as he entered.
“Dolly.”
I licked my dry lips, not speaking.
He had another glass of water and set it on the bedside table. “I’ve been waiting for you to come out and explore more of the cabin.” He spoke in a low, calm voice, as if this was all perfectly normal.
I didn’t respond. Hell, I was pretty sure I wasn’t even breathing as I tracked his every movement. His expression was unreadable, his presence filling the room with a dark energy that paralyzed me.
“You’re barely eating,” he stated matter-of-factly, his tone gentle but firm, as if he were a parental figure scolding me for not eating my vegetables.
I narrowed my eyes. He acted like he was doing me a favor. Did he think he was caring for me by kidnapping and keeping me as his prisoner?
“You don’t have to speak,” he finally said. “But it makes no difference. I know what you need. I know how to care for you.”
I didn’t know how much longer I could do this before I lost my mind. How much longer could I stay locked in this room, kept like a little bird in his gilded cage?
“And what you need right now is to clean up.” He didn't give me a chance to respond, and I was so frozen with my emotions that my plan to fight him and try to leave was momentarily forgotten.
All I could picture was being forced to clean myself in front of this man.
“I’m going to run you a bath. Get what you need and meet me in the bathroom.” Without another word, he turned and left, the door staying open behind him.
And just like that… he expected me to do what he wanted.
13
DOLLY
I’d stayed in the room as long as possible, but with the sound of the bathwater being shut off—a squeak of the faucet to let me know my fate—I knew I had to move.
I thought about not going down without kicking and screaming, but fear of what he’d do to retaliate had me holding back my instinct to fight.
Clutching my clean clothes to my chest, I left the room and found the bathroom easily enough. I felt like I was walking to my execution. But while I moved forward the smallest, slowest steps possible, I took in every bit of my surroundings for when I made a run for it.
And I will.
The ancient clawfoot tub sat ominously in the tiny room, steam billowing up and filling the confined space. I didn’t see my captor, but I felt him. I stepped inside, moving toward the sink, and heard Lars approach. I wanted to ignore him, to refuse to give him any attention. But I looked over my shoulder to see him standing in the open doorway.
His expression was calm and controlled as ever as his massive body filled the entire entrance. I faced forward again but could still feel his eyes on me. My skin prickled, a mix of dread and defiance running through me, but underneath all of that, there was something dark and unusual nagging my consciousness.
I didn't want to delve too deeply into what it was because that scared me even more than the man standing behind me.
“I have all the time in the world,” he said finally, breaking the silence. “But the longer you take, the colder the water will get.”
I glanced at him, still silent.
“And you’ll still have to bathe… but in icy water.” He hummed, as if the thought turned him on. “I can picture your perfect skin covered with goose bumps, your nipples tiny and hard and begging for my mouth, little darling.” He growled that last part, and I shivered, hating that his words and the sound of his voice made me… feel some kind of way.
I stood by the tub, my arms wrapped around me, as if that could somehow protect me from the reality of what he was asking. No—demanding.
“I can help you bathe, Dolly. Would you like that?”
Help me bathe? The thought of him watching me, of his hands on my skin, made my stomach... God, it made it flutter.
“Leave me alone,” I said softly, maybe too low for him to even hear me. I looked him in the eye, wanting him to see the strength I had—or the strength I tried to portray.