Something wraps around my torso, and suddenly, my feet are not on the ground anymore. In the distance, I hear a car door open and close. My body is being moved, and then I’m placed on something flat. I instantly relax, curling up on my side, tuck my hands under my head like a pillow, and let the warm fuzzy feeling pull me under completely.

CHAPTER 12

“Get her zipper.” Colt’s voice sounds far away, but the way each of his words vibrates against my ear makes me think my cheek is pressed against his chest. I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids are so damn heavy. I only get a glimpse of the inside of my room before they fall back shut.

I try to lift my head, but none of my muscles work. My body is almost paralyzed, trapped in the space between sleep and wakefulness.

Someone unzips the back of my dress, and cool air washes over the skin I usually keep covered up. An odd sense of freedom overcomes me. My back is exposed, and even the air in my perfectly heated room feels cool and unusual on my back. This sensation normally fills me with so much anxiety I seldom let it happen in the first place. Something is different today… today there is no fear, no shame, or embarrassment.

All I feel is warmth.

I’m being put on my bed. The soft fabric feels good on my skin, while the pillow cradles my head perfectly. I try to pry my eyes open once more, just in time to see the outline of someone crawling onto the bed with me. The mattress dips, and a warm body covers me like a weighted blanket.

That same body gently pries my legs apart and settles between my thighs. Only then do I realize I’m completely naked. Something is wrong.

A surge of panic zaps through my body, making me squirm.

“Relax…” A male voice says before placing a soft kiss on my lips. I’m so confused by his actions and the way he tries to calm me that I don’t recognize Colt’s voice right away.

“Colt?” My voice is nothing more than a soft whisper. So low I’m surprised he hears me at all. “Colt, please.”

“Please, what?”

What am I asking again? My head feels like it is stuffed with cotton, and I have to dig each of my thoughts out.

“Please… don’t hurt me.”

“I wasn’t planning on it. At least not tonight.”