Excerpt Eye of the Storm

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I had no doubt he loved me, but now I knew some of what went on, I could understand why it didn’t work out and why I would get to the edge of total surrender with him and had hit the brakes.

It wasn’t that Ryan hadn’t been patient, he had the patience of Job. I’d dated him in my junior year of high school, and I liked that bad boy image of his from the moment I laid eyes on him. If I could back track, maybe I could figure out how long ago it had been that Jenna had died.

No, bad idea, I was already saturated with all that had surfaced. I didn’t need that kind of turmoil.

Regaining my stare and mind on the present, I watched Carter standing at the stove with a towel over his shoulder, testing his creation.

“That smells wonderful.”

“I told you, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I had to learn how to make a few simple dinners for Molly and me so we weren’t eating out all the time. They aren’t great, but they’re filling.”

“You, sir, are a man of many talents.”

“What makes you say that, are you just curious?” He drew up one brow and gave a smirk.

“You seem to be able to handle just about any situation.” “Yes, aside from my being able to catch the bad guys.” He was smiling as he continued with his cooking.

“You always seem to amaze me. I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re never shaken, you always know what to do. You’re a wonderful brother and friend, and even a better father to Molly. Being both mother and father to her must be very difficult. You have been a caregiver to me, a cook and fortress when I’ve needed all the help I could get. You have been my safety net when I thought I would fall.”

“Isabella, you make me sound like a saint.”

“Maybe I see you that way. Anyone else would have run by now.” I was playing with the tassels on the blanket on me and looking down. “Especially after everything you now know about me and more to come.”

“Bella, I’m not afraid. I’m not going anywhere, I have no intention to run. You think way too little of yourself.” Walking over to the table, he placed a bowl of homemade spaghetti and salad down and quickly fixed a plate for me and a glass of what looked like sparkling cider.

As I sat up, he placed the tray in front of me. “It’s sparkling apple cider. I remember you enjoyed it when we had it before.” He strode over and picked up his own and joined me on the couch.

Taking a sip of the drink, he appeared to be in thought and then left it behind. “How is it?”

“It’s wonderful. You’ve been holding out on me.”

“There must have been something more in that medicine than just to help you rest.”

I took his little joke and smiled brightly back at him. It was good, and the comfort of homemade food was always settling. It wasn’t long before we had finished, and we then settled in for the evening. It had been quite some time since Landon had left with

Beth, and we hadn’t heard a thing from them.

“What about an old movie? What is your pleasure?”

“I don’t know, is there one you’d like in particular?”

He thought for a moment. “How about Casablanca?”

“I haven’t heard of that one before.”

“Oh, I think you’ll like it. It’s an old black-and-white film.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“You’re certainly easy to please.”

“I don’t care so much what we watch, I just want to be with you.”

“Well, aren’t you sweet?” Leaning down, he gave me a quick kiss on the forehead as he rose to take away the dishes. “I’ll take these and put them in the dishwasher, and we’ll watch the movie.”

“You’re spoiling me terribly.”

“Are you telling me I’m creating a monster, Ms. Cameron?”

“Take it how you like, Mr. Blake, I’m going to start expecting this.”

“We ‘ll have to see about getting you back on your feet sooner than later.” He was making his way into the kitchen with a handful of plates when the phone rang, and he started to set them down.

“I can get it, go ahead. It’s probably Landon with news on

Beth.” The phone continued to ring once more before I managed to pick it up.

“Hello.” There was no answer, only little noise on the other end. “Hello, is anyone there?”

A gruff and gravelly voice answered back, “I see you have a boyfriend.”

“Who is this? What do you want?” My voice was beginning to shake, and my hands could barely hold the receiver.

“Well, Isabella, isn’t that a fine how-do-you-do, and we knew each other so well, intimately you might say.”

“You stay away from me, and don’t you ever call me again.” Carter’s footsteps were getting closer. “Bella, who is it?”

“Oh, he is the protector, isn’t he? He won’t be there all the time, we will meet up again, and when we do, it will sizzle just like before.” My hand shook uncontrollably, as I dropped the receiver and it met with a bang against the wall. I stepped back, and Carter was right on me.

“Bella, what’s wrong? Who’s on the phone?”

It didn’t take long for my feet to make their way into the bathroom where I immediately stripped and got into the shower. I felt dirty as if I would never get clean. The gravelly voice of the man on the other end I recognized as my attacker.

This was never going to stop, I felt sick, violently sick, stomach aching and in excruciating pain. I felt his hands on me, his breath on me.

I sank down the wall of shower as the water washed over me and cried hysterically, barely being able to grasp a breath. The water pelted me, and I scrubbed my skin until it was rose in color.

“Bella, honey, where are you?” I soon heard his footsteps outside the bathroom door. “Bella, are you okay?” I couldn’t answer, my chest heaved and I kept gasping for the short bursts of air into my lungs. “Bella, answer me.” I couldn’t answer, the man’s voice kept running through my head and I kept scrubbing. “Isabella, if you don’t answer me, I’m coming in whether you’re decent or not.” I continued to sit on the floor of the tub against the wall, my knees drawn into my chest. I shook so hard my teeth chattered as if I were freezing.

Opening the shower, Carter reached in and turned it off then lifted a towel and robe from the rack. “Isabella.” His voice was soft and low. He reached out to touch my arm, and I winced as if I were in pain.

Tears were rushing down my face uncontrollably. “I can’t get him off me, and I can’t get clean.”

He wasted no time wrapping the towel around me and one around my hair as he managed to get me out of the bath, lifting me as if I were an infant and sitting me on my own bed. Drying me off and placing a robe over me, he pulled me close to him, and I sobbed into his neck uncontrollably. I cried and cried until there was nothing left in me.

When I finally settled down enough to take some normal breaths, Carter started to question me. “Bella, who was on the phone?” I shook in his arms. “It’s okay, you’re safe, and I’m here. You need to tell me what happened.”

“He threatened me, it was a warning.” My voice was shaking and barely above a whisper. “He knows you’re here, and he said you wouldn’t be here all the time. He would get me, and he would do it again. Oh, God, Carter, this nightmare is never going to end.”

The telephone rang, and I gasped. Carter answered it this time.

“Hello.” There was a brief silence. “Are you taking her home with you?... Okay, that’s good. No problems then? ...Well, that’s easily fixed with antibiotics… Yes, I’m sure she is…. Keep me posted, will you? I’m staying with Isabella… No… I’ll tell you about it later, we may have to look at some things… For now… Just keep Beth out of trouble for me, and I’ll take care of the rest… In the morning… Goodnight, Landon, kiss her for me.” He hung up the telephone, never taking his grip from me.

“Well, Beth is okay for the time being, it looks as though she has a urinary tract infection and false labor pains. They sent her home on antibiotics, and she will be staying with Landon, so that’s a relief.”

“Yes. Yes, of course.”

“I’m staying with you, no one is going to get to you. Later, I’ll make some sort of arrangement for a plainclothes man to be with you when I can’t be here. We will find him, Bella. When I do, he’s going to wish he never set eyes on me.”

Morning found me with a shot. The light from the bedroom window had a slight crack as the sun was glaring me in the face. Slowly wakening, I stretched and realized I was alone. The spot beside me was still warm, but Carter was nowhere in sight.

Sitting up in the bed quickly, I looked around the room looking for any sign of him, and then I heard a shuffle from the bathroom and watched to see what was coming. What if it wasn’t him, what if it was the man who called last night just waiting for a chance for Carter to be gone? That was crazy, Carter wouldn’t leave me without someone being with me.

Still panic ripped through me. Watching the door intently, I picked up the nearby glass vase that was heavy enough to knock out King Kong if needed. At least it would give me enough opportunity to flee.

I started to hear footsteps closer toward the door, and soon the object of the muted noise leaned against the doorframe with a towel wrapped around his neck.

Using one hand, he stood wiping his hair attempting to dry it, his movement fluid. Here in the light of my room stood the object of my affection, he looked smoldering, intentional, or not.

Standing clothed in his faded jeans, his chest was bare and sculpted, his body in a perfect V.

“Good morning, I hope you didn’t intend on coldcocking me with that.” He pointed to the vase in my hand. Startled by his appearance, I swallowed and answered slowly in a shaky voice. “No, I just… I woke up and you weren’t… here.”

“I told you, Bella, I’m not leaving until we have some sort of protection around you, even if it means you live with me.”

This may be hard to explain to his church family, wouldn’t it? “She’s staying at my house, but nothing is happening, she’s under my protection.”

Setting the vase down, I sat staring at him in awe. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he laid the towel on the chair and ran his fingers through his damp hair that laced a trail down his chest and back. I was always awestruck when I looked at him, but never like this.

“What’s wrong, Bella?” “Oh, ah… nothing.” I looked down from where I was sitting, aware now he had caught me.

“I know better than that.” Standing to put his white oxford shirt on, he left it unbuttoned and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

“Just… ah… I’m not used to waking up with a man in my bathroom.” He smirked.

“Bella, we are grown adults. Nothing happened here you should be ashamed of. I woke up, you were still asleep, and I took advantage of a hot shower.”

“You’re gorgeous.” It was out of my mouth before I could stop it. He chuckled a little, and I was mortified.

“Thank you for the compliment, I do believe you have a lot more going for you than I do.”

Then I remembered last night. Oh, that had to be embarrassing for him. A shiver ran through me and straight to my heart.

He had opportunity to take advantage of a vulnerable moment, but he hadn’t. He had taken care of me in one of the most intimate ways a man could have taken care of me. He had even taken the time to dress me in my PJs and had combed my hair as I sat numb in front of him.

The more I thought of the gesture, the more my feelings grew for him and the person he was.

“I’m sorry, you know, about last night. I know how you feel about, well, our relationship, and I put you in an awkward situation.”

“Let’s put it this way, Bella, I saw who you were, not the physical body, the emotional side of you. Let’s face it, I’m a man, the physical body is a turn-on. It wasn’t the time or the place. I would be lying to you if I said I weren’t attracted to you physically.”

“I never meant for it to happen the way it did.”

“Isabella, you’re beating yourself up. Nothing happened, let it go. I told you, I’ll take care of you. There is no reason to be embarrassed or ashamed of what happened. Your reaction to the call you received was a normal one.”

I lay back onto the bed and stared at his expertly sculpted body. He was to die for. He could have any woman he wanted, yet he was with me, a broken woman who no doubt would never be able to be fixed.

“Bella, you’re staring.”

I immediately felt my face flush crimson. “I’m sorry. You want me to be completely honest with you?”

“Yes, always. I want you to tell me whatever is on your mind,

I’ve told you that before.” Carter, looking down at me, took the breath from me, and for a moment,

I felt as if we had been with each other for years. This was right, he was here, and he was certainly mine for the taking.

“Have I told you just how ridiculously handsome you are?” “Yes, but thanks, I wasn’t fishing for a compliment.” Coming in closer, he came within inches of my nose. “You, my dear lady, are the most gorgeous woman I have met in my life.” He kissed me on the temple and stood from his position at my side. “Come on, get up. We have a few things to do today. You’re going with me to the training center.”

#Slavery #AdultRead #Abuse #Love #Romance #Billionaire #Hero