********** CHAPTER TWO
Laney woke with a start, her head resting on a soft pillow. It was dark, but flashes of dimmed light would illuminate around her, and that's when she noticed that she was in the back of an SUV. She remembered the man with the blue eyes, and the knife, and then the trunk of her car. She recalled his name; Trent.
Laney realized she had passed out. Which makes sense, her fear of dark and enclosed spaces is debilitating. Turning her head she glanced around, taking in the tinted windows. Every so often, a streetlight would cast its glow into the car.
We're driving.
Alarm fired through her veins and Laney began in earnest to move, only to be jerked back to the pillow by a thick, metal chain. Her tied limbs howled with pain and fatigue, and she cried into the ball-gag. The car started to slow down, eventually coming to a stop. A throat cleared, and then a car door opened and closed. Muted footsteps approached the back of the SUV, and Laney's frozen body shrunk into itself. Her skin rippled in apprehension as the hatch door opened.
Wide eyes peered up into the grinning face of the man who took her. She really did try to control her fear, but her whole life she had always been the timid and shy girl, scared of her own shadow. Seeing this huge man, imposing and astute, tattoos trailing down his muscled forearms; Laney simply crumbled, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Oh baby girl, I've got you. Daddy's right here."
He reached out and she instantly recoiled, whimpering into the gag. It felt like she was a little girl all over again, cringing away from the angry strikes of her father's hands and fists; her mother's pleading in the background to hit her instead. As soon as she had graduated high school Laney moved, using every last scholarship penny she received to go to college and live on her own. The thought was that moving to the other side of the state would keep her safe.
He cradled her face with his hands, forcing her chin up.
"I want to take the gag off angel. You have to promise that you won't scream. There's no one out here to hear you anyway. You get this one chance. Do you understand?"
His fingers stroked her hair off of her face, and he tucked a strand behind her ear. Laney didn't want to admit it but his touch seemed to sooth her. She closed her eyes and shuddered a shaky breath through her nose, nodding her head in understanding. Keeping her eyes squeezed shut, she felt fingers whisper along her face and undo the lock on the gag. A wet cloth wiped away the saliva that dribbled from her mouth as the ball gag was pulled away. Laney remained closed lidded, too anxious to look at his face again; his eyes telling stories that shook her to her core.
"Baby girl, the things you make me feel," Trent hummed longingly.
The tension gave way from her neck as the leather collar was gently released. The pressure on her restrained elbows was suddenly freed and Laney's shoulders sagged forward in sharp relief, while strong hands gripped her biceps and pulled her into a sitting position. Her ankles were still bound together, causing her to lean towards one side while her legs curled up on the opposite side. Her cuffed wrists remained secured behind her back.
"Open those beautiful eyes precious girl," Trent demanded in a thick and gravelly voice. His face was so close that Laney could feel his breath dance over her skin.
Tears collected along her lashes, which rested against her slick cheeks. Whimpering, she hesitantly opened her eyes, staring down at the blanket bunched up around her feet.
"Look. At. Me"
Each word was clipped and ordered, leaving no room for reluctance. Trent's fingers clenched around Laney's arms in an unyielding hold, exacting his demands.
Hazel eyes stared into blue; wide and startled into burning and possessive.
*************
Trent drank in the sight of her. Speckles of honey yellow were woven into the pure hazel of her irises, which remained large and round on her pale face. Her sight stayed fixed on his and a taunting smile curled from his mouth.
Her damp lips were slightly parted, tiny gasps puffing in and out, in and out. Still her gaze did not falter.
"There we go Sweetheart. Let me see those eyes," he uttered hungrily.
A tiny whimper escaped from Laney's throat, causing Trent to groan with carnal desire. His urge to have her was quickly overtaking any rational thought, and he needed to keep his head in the game.
Stay focused Trent.
"Please...I have to go the bathroom." Laney's tremulous plea filled the quiet space around them. Trent continued to stare deeply at her face, taking in every detail.
His dark eyebrow raised. "Oh you do, do you?" he smirked.
Releasing his hold on her, Trent ran his hands down the length of her arms, squeezing her flesh possessively. His breathing grew heavy with lust, and small grunts of pleasure emitted from his chest. Laney remained fixed in her alarmed state, her eyes cautiously following his movements.
Trent pulled himself away to try and gain back some control.
Damn, this girl is something.
Am I shaking?
I'm fucking shaking!
Jesus H. Christ.
He drew in a deep cleansing breath and cleared his throat, hoping to clear his mind at the same time. Picking up her pillow, he fluffed it out while he spoke to his little pixie.
"Well Princess," he declared, "we have been driving for a while and I am getting tired. I think a little pit stop will do both of us some good."
"We can take a nap," he added with a wink. Laney visibly cringed at that, causing Trent to chuckle. He put her pillow back, and then gently pulled Laney's body back down. Gathering her hair, he fanned the dark locks behind her as she laid out on her side. He noticed she was trembling again and he tucked her in the blanket, making sure to smooth it down over her inviting curves. With a soft kiss to her forehead, he reached up and closed the hatch.
Trent drove into a motel parking lot and surveyed the area. He needed someplace nondescript, especially without wondering eyes and ears. Laney may seem subdued now, but he didn't want to take any chances. The motel looked slightly run-down, but not sketchy. Only one other car was parked in the lot. Trent backed into a space in front of the last unit on the end and turned off the engine. The stillness of the early morning hours was broken by the soft sounds of Laney's hushed crying.
"I'll be right back angel. Please don't do anything stupid. You won't like the consequences, and quite frankly, I won't like them either," Trent claimed.
A pregnant pause filled the air, and Trent clenched his jaw in frustration.
