tweaking her nipples and slipping his hand into her panties to find her wet and slick.
Her body responded so quickly and intensely to his hands. He brought her to orgasm so easily that it shocked and embarrassed Jennie.
One morning, she woke to his kisses on her breasts. Again, he gave her needs priority, biting and nipping, licking and laving as she fell apart in his arms. But, she couldn’t help but notice, he never kissed her on the mouth. He never made love to her or held her.
And, when she tried to turn around, to wrap her arms around him or to touch him, he held her in place. As soon as she had an orgasm, he vanished in a heartbeat, leaving her confused and alone.
She knew she should stop him, but when he wasn’t touching her, her body’s demand for his touch was so great she thought it would break her. She was edgy with want when his hands weren’t on her. And the minute the contact began, she was weak with the overwhelming swamp of desire and arousal, with the aching pleasure he brought. She could no more refuse his touch than she could cut off her own arm.
But, now a new ache was beginning. Jennie was desperate for the tender way he’d kissed her when they made love in Florida. She wanted the connection their lovemaking had brought. Her arms tingled with the need to reach out for him. Jennie cried into her pillow at night, begging her heart to let her go. To let her fall for this man who loved her and sacrificed over and over for her.
But her heart wouldn’t free her. It still belonged to Kyle, and Kyle alone.
And as time went on, Jennie felt Chad slipping further and further away from her. He closed himself off to her more and more. His eyes became cold and shuttered when he looked at her. She saw walls going up between them that she was powerless to scale.
And, she couldn’t blame him one bit. She was hurting him. Only taking, never giving. She knew it. She knew what was happening between them was only causing him further pain and heartache. And that ripped at Jennie’s heart. Some days, she wanted to leave. To put space between them instead of living in this limbo that held them both captive.
Chad knocked and opened the door, drawing Jennie out of her thoughts. He held one of the disposable phones in his hand. Her heart skipped as she hoped for news from home. Maybe even news that meant she was safe and they could return.
“Jack called. Agent Burke is pushing for you to make a statement. Jack doesn’t know how long he can hold him off, so we need to begin to prepare for that. We may have to make a short trip home to appease them and then slip you out of there again.”
Jennie nodded at him, frightened at the idea of going home to make a statement, but excited at the possibility of getting to see her friends. Of being able to talk to her mom.
Chad held the phone out to her. “Kelly wants to talk to you. She’s on a burner phone, too, so take as long as you need.”
He shut the door with a quiet snick and Jennie grasped the phone like a lifeline. She couldn’t believe how much she missed her friends, her life. The need to talk to her girlfriends, just to have them listen to her and tell her things would be all right was overwhelming.
“Kelly? Oh, my God, I can’t believe it’s you. I miss you guys so much. Tell me about Maddy. How is she? Is she growing? How big is she?”
Kelly laughed and filled Jennie in on life in Connecticut and gave her updates on Maddy, who she said was “growing more beautiful by the day.”
Before Jennie knew it, she was spilling out the truth. She told Kelly what happened with Chad in Florida, about the baby, everything. All of the mixed-up feelings that filled her head and her heart every day.
She needed to have her best friend know the truth, know everything that was going on, even if they couldn’t talk every day like they used to. She felt like she wasn’t herself any longer and she knew Kelly would understand that.
But, Kelly was unusually quiet after Jennie stopped talking, and an uneasy feeling settled over her.
“Kelly? Are you still there?” Kelly should be reassuring her that everything