A Duet of the Soul

Chapter 17: Game On

*Maria's POV*

"I am truly, deeply, honestly sorry for the role I played in your friends' deaths. I am also sincerely sorry that I kidnapped you from your home in the middle of the night. I realize it was the wrong thing to do, and I should have been open and honest with you from the start. You know my intentions were only to keep you safe, but I failed to take your opinion and emotional well being into consideration when I decided to bring you here. I know it's asking a lot, but would you please consider forgiving me for these transgressions in the future?"

Breathing was difficult with his damn face so near to mine. I gulped and blinked a few times before I realized he was waiting on a response from me. "I... will think about it. Thank you for the apology."

He placed a soft kiss on my forehead before releasing my face and taking a step back. "I have to work today, but if you need anything you are welcome to come into the study at any point. Please feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen or to wander anywhere in the house."

I nodded while I watched him walk into the room next door. He sat behind the desk and turned on his computer, already pulling files from the filing cabinet next to him. He glanced up and gave me a dazzling smile, then he blew me a kiss.

Heat rushed to my cheeks as I realized I was still staring at him. I quickly hopped off the chair and dashed out of the kitchen and back upstairs. Closing the door behind me as quietly as I could, I slid to the floor against the bedroom door. I stared at the ceiling while I mulled over our interactions over the past couple of days, going through every single moment I could remember from the phone call to this morning.

In the end, all I could do was groan and rub my face.

Why was this so confusing?

He wasn't supposed to arouse these feelings inside of me. I shouldn't be attracted to either his appearance or his personality, but I found myself falling for him harder with each hour that passed. He's been patient and kind, thoughtful and sincere. He also has spent quite a bit of money ensuring that all of my belongings are well taken care of, not to mention that apology was really everything I had wanted him to say and more. And as far as kidnappers go, he didn't lock me away in a basement but instead drove me right back to town to make sure I had everything I wanted. He also defended an innocent woman who was being attacked and made sure her attacker was arrested. And that was all only in the first day of my supposed captivity.

But he was supposed to be a bad guy in this situation! You're not supposed to fall for the villain. Normal people don't kidnap others, nor do they force them into a relationship. He has taken me away from the only place I have ever known, cut ties with the only other two people in my life, and is keeping me captive in his home, at least to some extent. I should be spending every moment trying to permanently get away from him before the situation gets any worse. I should be using every opportunity available to me to wound him both emotionally and physically. I know all of this, and I know all of his previous actions mean he is someone I shouldn't trust, let alone give my heart to.

So why am I having such a hard time keeping my emotions in check?

I hadn't even thought about where I was going when I ran back upstairs, but it seems my subconscious had already accepted the master bedroom as where I will be staying. I sighed and stumbled back onto my feet. I hadn't really noticed yesterday, but Justin was right. All the important photos and books I had previously told him about during our lunch date two days ago were set up on the bookshelf against the wall between the closet door and the bathroom door.

The fact that he actually listened to what mattered most to me made me second guess myself once again. Maybe he really wasn't that bad. Or maybe this was Stockholm Syndrome? But something like that took longer to develop, right? And technically I had already started falling for him before he ever kidnapped me...