Carter’s heart gave odd palpitations as he stared down into the woman’s eyes. He had no desire to take her back to his cellar and keep her the way he had Sloane or any of the others before. But he did have a desire for something else.

“Please help me!” Her voice was raw and weak.

“Okay. Give me a minute.” His mind raced. How am I going to get her back to the house without Sloane knowing? “I’ll be back.”

“No! Please don’t leave me! Please help!” Desperate, the woman yelled after him. Her voice cracked and he could hear her sobs as he walked away from the trap.

He knew he’d go back to get her. He had to. But there was no way he could take her to the cellar with Sloane around. It took almost his whole walk back to come up with a solution and he wasn’t sure it would work out in the end.

“I’m back.” There wasn’t any need to call out to her since she sat on the couch, feet curled under her as she read one of the books he’d given her.

“Hi.” Her smile made his heart stop, but he continued to walk over to her, returning the smile.

“Hi yourself.” After a long kiss, he pushed back and went into the bathroom. “What’d you do all day?”

“I cleaned some and then read.” There was a slight echo as she called out to him. “I planned on starting dinner soon. I guess you have good timing.”

He leaned over the sink, in front of the medicine cabinet, staring at his reflection. “Yeah. But I’ll cook dinner. You made that feast for breakfast.”

“I don’t mind.” Her voice was clear and he looked over to see her standing in the doorway. “What would you like?”

With an extravagant step backward, he stood up and made his way to her. “How about I make dinner and you enjoy a nice long bubble bath?”

“Bubble bath?” The smirk she gave him made it clear that wasn’t what she wanted.

“Okay. I know you like that bath oil. Use that instead. I’ll bring you a glass of wine and you can read your book.” In an attempt to loosen her up, he rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

“Hmmm. You make a good argument.”

“Come on. I’ll even get it all started for you.” The sound of rushing water filled the room as he turned on the faucet. When he set up her bath, he stood and turned to find her in the nude. He swallowed hard, finding the way she moved toward him too enticing, his appendage almost giving in. But he managed to control himself by forcing his gaze up to her face.

“Thank you.” She purred, trailing her fingers along his arm as she passed by him to get into the tub.

“No problem.” It took a lot of effort to control his voice. “I’ll be back.”

Rushing into the kitchen, he poured her a glass of the wine they hadn’t touched yet and grabbed her book. After making sure she was comfortable and settled, he went back to the kitchen to start cooking.

Once he was ready to start plating their pulled pork macaroni and cheese, he looked over his shoulder to make sure that Sloane wasn’t coming.

With as much ease as he could manage, he pulled a bottle of sleeping pills out of his pocket. When he’d first gone into the bathroom, he grabbed the bottle and shoved it into his pocket, hoping she wouldn’t find out. He shook one into his hand and, with great care, pried the capsule open. The powder inside dusted the top of one of the plates, absorbing the sauce. To ensure she wouldn’t notice the medicine, he gave the food a stir.

With shaky hands, he put their plates on the table and took several deep breaths before calling out to her. “You ready to eat?”

“Yeah. Starving.” The water splashed and he imagined her moving to set her wine glass and book down.

After a few seconds, she emerged with a towel wrapped around her. “Let me get dressed.”

He nodded as he rushed into the bathroom to put the bottle of pills back in the cabinet and grab the wine glass and book. They entered the kitchen at the same time, her straightening out the shirt she donned as he placed the items he carried on the counter.

“It smells good.”

“Thanks.” Before she could turn away, he grabbed her hand and led her to the plate he’d laced. “My lady.”

She laughed at the goofy bow he gave her, flourishing his arms to the side. “Thanks.”

Once she was seated, he went around to his side.

“Ooh! I love mac and cheese.” Her fork was already buried in the food before he had his chair pulled up.

“Either I’m not a bad cook or you’re just pretending to like what I make.”

“You’re really good. I don’t think you realize just how amazing you are.”

Each bite of his food made him nervous, worried she would say the mac and cheese tasted weird. But she scarfed it down and gulped her glass of water.

“That was so good.”

“Thank you.”

“Everything okay? You’re really quiet.”

For the first time in his life, he realized that he was a nervous wreck. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

“I wonder if you’re getting sick. I hope not.” She had taken their dishes to the sink and returned to rub his shoulders.

“I hope not either.” He let his head fall forward, relishing the feel of her fingers kneading his muscles. “It could be all the extra physical activity.”

A giggle sounded as she continued to massage his shoulders. “I’ll do the dishes.”

“Come on. Let’s just do them in the morning. I want to cuddle with you.”

Without any arguments, she allowed him to guide her to the bedroom. She climbed into the bed and watched as he undressed.

“You’re so sexy.” The look on her face was a mix of lust and awe.

“Right back at ya.”

Beaming at the compliment, she snuggled against him when he settled beside her.

A large yawn overtook her, causing his heart to skip a beat and a look of confusion to cross her face. “I guess I’m tired too. Maybe the wine. I haven’t had a drink in a long time.”

A mixture of dread and impatience took over him as he ran a hand through her hair. Before long, soft snores reached his ears.

Easing his arm from under her, he rolled away and slipped off the bed. It took him seconds to dress and rush to his shed. The padlock he’d had on the cellar door sat in his toolbox; he was going to need it. Once he hung it from the hook inside the house, he rushed to the trap to retrieve his newest catch.

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Photo banner found at https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2015/12/18/commonly-used-sleeping-pill-may-boost-stroke-recovery/