Called to Order (13 page)

“You made me sleep. Did you slip something in my coffee?”

“No.”

“Then what?” More outraged than afraid, Annalise stepped up to him and pushed him in the chest. He stepped back, not from the force of her push, but as if in shock. His hand went to the spot she shoved him.

“We do not hit, Anna.”

“We? There is no
we,
Adam. And sorry to disappoint, but when I am drugged and kidnapped, I hit.” She enunciated her last word with another example. Before her palms touched him, he caught her wrists in a gentle but unbreakable grip.

“No!” he said with the quiet sternness a parent uses with an undisciplined child. She didn’t like that, so she kicked him in the shin and he grunted. The next thing she knew she was being pressed back against the wall, her wrists still trapped in his hands and his thigh now wedged between her legs. She struggled to get free, but he was freakishly strong, even for his size. He didn’t seem to be expending any energy at all from retaining her. “Anna,
ruich.
Be still.”

Her movements stilled the moment the command left his mouth. She felt a lolling calm wash over her, and her vision blurred as she stared up at him dreamily. His grip loosened, yet he kept her pressed against the wall. He released her and moved his palms to the wall just beside her head. He had her efficiently caged in.

“Good girl.” She wondered if he was like a horse whisperer or something on his farm. She could imagine him breaking even the most determined animal with that voice. She suddenly felt punch-drunk and slightly aroused. Adam released a slow, gravelly purr and pressed his hips firmly into hers. Yup, he was aroused too, and boy did it feel nice. Wait, what?

Annalise blinked several times as if coming out from under a trance. “What did you just do to me?”

“You were behaving violently. That is unacceptable.”

“Unacceptable? You have some nerve. You know what? No wait, it doesn’t matter. I want you to let me go and I want to leave. I don’t know how you do things on the farm, but here in the suburbs you can’t just get all caveman on a girl and expect her to twitter and submit. Where are my clothes?”

“You are aroused.”

“I want to get dressed. Wait, huh?” Where did this guy come from?

“You are aroused. I can feel it and scent it.”

“That’s disgusting. Adam, I want my—”

“Not disgusting, natural. You want me, and I want you.”

“Uh, how ’bout no?”

“You lie to me?”

She tried for her cockiest expression. “I think you’re lying to yourself. Hey! What? What are you doing?”

Her robe was suddenly undone and his hand had snaked between her thighs. She tried to press her legs together, but his leg was still in between hers. His finger came in contact with her wetness, and suddenly, as if she were getting a medical exam, he pressed a finger inside of her. She grunted at the intrusion, and then it was gone. “You lied,” he repeated.

Beyond shaken, she simply breathed in several fast breaths and stared at him. Okay, maybe it was time to get a little frightened. Guys didn’t just do that. There were laws against harassment. However, if she was being honest with herself, she would admit she was currently feeling more aroused than harassed, but who needed honesty? She should be indignant over such domineering behavior from some guy she hardly knew.

She looked up into his face. He was staring down at her bared breasts, and his eyes suddenly seemed unnaturally silver. She cursed herself as her nipples hardened under his intense gaze. Her breathing quickened as his hand slowly rose. His knuckle traced the outer swell of her breast.

“
Schmecklich,”
he whispered, his warm breath teasing over her naked flesh.

“Wh—what does that mean?”

“Luscious. Your body is beautiful beyond measure.”

He lifted her breast, and his thumb moved back and forth over her nipple. “Adam?”

“Yes, Anna?”

“Did you hurt Kyle?”

His movement stilled, and his eyes suddenly focused on hers. She tried not to cower under the severity of his stare. “He was touching you. If I had hurt him he would have deserved it, but no, I did not harm the man.”

“He…Kyle is my boyfriend. He’s allowed to touch me.”

“No, Anna.” The words left his mouth with such certainty it was as if he was arguing the sum of a simple math problem.

“Uh, actually, yes, Adam.”

His fingers came to her face and gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. He did not release the strand until his fingertips followed it all the way to the end. “You are incorrect. He is no longer your boyfriend. I will allow him to be your friend but nothing more. There will be no more touching or late-night visits.”

“Um…” She literally did not know what to say to that, so she laughed. This was just absurd. “Okay, Adam, that’s not how it works. I know you had some dream about me, and I may have dreamt about you a time or two, but that doesn’t give you a right to choose my life or who’s in it.”

“There are a lot of things you do not understand,
ainsicht.”

“Okay, there’s more of that talk. What does that word,
ainsicht,
even mean?”

“It means ‘my only one.’”

“Okay,” she said dragging out the word. “Look, I’m sure you’re a nice guy. You seem to have no problems financially, and you’re not hard on the eyes, but wouldn’t you rather find some nice little Amish girl to be your
ainsicht?
Maybe some girl with a nice buggy whose family could offer you a few goats for her dowry or something?”

“No.”

“Well, even still, you’re going to have to consider that, because this…” she motioned between their bodies. “Is not happening.”

“Yes, Anna, it is.”

Okay, how much longer was this supposed to last before she started really getting nasty? “Adam, I do not want to be your
ainsicht
or whatever. I am not Amish. I don’t even go to church. I am studying to be a medical assistant and work in a bar serving a bunch of grabby, politically incorrect men.” He growled, but she pressed on. “I am not really sure why you’re here, but if it’s for me, you made your trip for nothing.”

“
Ganoonk!”
he barked. “I will hear no more of these silly objections. I am telling you that you are the one. There will be no more Kyle or any other men who think they can touch or grab you. You are mine.”

“I want to talk to the police.”

“Hush. Do not interrupt me. I will protect you. I will give you as much time as I possibly can, but I will not allow you to be groped by other males. I will retrieve your books and any other items you wish for, but until we make further arrangements you are not leaving my side.”

“Adam, I have a job. I have classes I need to be at, exams I need to take in order to graduate.”

“None of that is relevant.”

“It’s all relevant!” she shouted. “You cannot hold me here against my will. If you don’t let me leave I will fight back. I know self-defense.”

“You cannot fight me.”

“Wanna bet? Look, I don’t want this to get ugly. Just…just let me go, and I won’t tell anyone about all this.”

“No.”

She took a deep breath and looked down, pretending defeat. When she felt him relax, she slammed her knee as hard as she could into his groin. He hissed out in pain, and she bolted toward the door. She felt something sharp scrape her shoulder as her body was propelled backward and onto the bed. She saw Adam’s body coming at her and began to frantically pinwheel her legs to stop him. That was when his movements became too fast for her to follow. As if in a flash of light, he circled the bed and had her flipped to her stomach and her wrists held behind her back. She cried out at the sudden move.

His breath skimmed across the back of her neck, as he seemed to try to refocus his self-control. She felt her hair being gently brushed away from the stinging part of her shoulder she’d somehow scratched. “Your silly prank has gotten you hurt. I am sorry. I did not mean to scratch you.”

She was still trying to catch her breath when she felt his mouth open over the scrape. His tongue traced the open wound from the top of her shoulder to the space between her shoulder blades where her robe had draped. She sensed him getting excited. The press of his erection into the back of her thighs was proof of his arousal. He was licking her blood.

In a frightened voice she did not recognize as her own, she whispered, “Adam, can you make me sleep now?”

He stilled, and she sensed his regret. For some reason she suddenly seemed very in tune with his emotions. “Yes, my love. Sleep now.” The world went black.

Chapter 11

Whatever was jostling Annalise had her squeezing her eyes closed. Was she on a train? Annalise was snugly pressed against something warm yet there was a lot of wind. Perhaps a convertible. She wanted to open her eyes yet felt as if they had been cemented shut. She moaned uncomfortably, that notorious moan that escaped as a prerequisite to the world’s worst hangover. Annalise heard foreign words from the voice that had been haunting her dreams, then her grip with reality slackened again and fell away to blackness.

Sometime later, she awoke to the unmistakable stench of manure. Groaning and rolling onto her side Annalise slowly opened her eyes. Was that hay? Was she lying on hay? “Oh God.” She squeezed her eyes shut and fought the urge to vomit. How long had she been out?

The light crunch of footsteps had Annalise’s eyes opening wide. She was not alone. From her position, all she could see was hay and more hay and some kind of wooden divider. This was it, she thought, this was where she was going to die.

“You’re awake.”

The fuzziness of Annalise’s brain had her wincing at the melodious voice. Groaning again she rolled to her back. Her stomach was so achingly empty she felt sick. It was as if the walls of her intestines were collapsing upon each other.

“Here, drink this.” A small, childlike woman kneeled down at her side and reached under Annalise to raise her off her back. She pressed a cup of something to her mouth. Annalise didn’t know what she was being given and was prepared to turn away until the smaller woman softly said, “Drink.” It was as if a string on a puppet had been pulled and Annalise’s movements were no longer her own. She drank the thick, cool liquid down to the last drop, fighting the urge to gag as the creamy fluid coated her tongue and throat.

When the cup was pulled from her mouth she asked the girl, “What was it?”

She giggled. It was an altogether childish sound. “It’s buttermilk, silly. It will settle your stomach. I imagine you’re hungry. Adam said you’ve been in and out for about eighteen hours.”

“Adam.”

“He’ll be back shortly. He needed to…eat.”

Her throat hurt as if she’d smoked a carton of cigarettes before bed. “Who are you?” she rasped.

The girl smiled cheerfully. “Why, I’m going to be your sister.”

Sister? Annalise eyed the girl’s clothing, black, long, and some sort of simple lace headdress. Was she at a convent? The girl laughed again. “No, no, silly. Not that kind of sister.” Annalise had not heard herself ask the question out loud, but she must have. The girl seemed to know exactly what she had thought. “Sister as in blood. You are going to mate my brother.” Then, as if sharing a secret, the girl leaned close, cupping her hand at the side of her mouth and whispered, “You saved him.”

Annalise simply sat quietly waiting for the girl to say more. Her legs were wrapped in a scratchy blanket and she was still in her tank top. Was this all she had for clothing?

The girl stood quickly as if using no effort at all. She went over to a wooden divider and pulled something dark that was slung over the top. Bringing it back she said, “I brought you a dress. You are closer to my size, but I think I am a little smaller. This was one of Larissa’s. It will be big, but I can mend it for you in no time. Mother will have more dresses made for you by week’s end.”

She eyed the garb the other girl held. It was black, like the one she wore. There was a small cap and a deep maroon chemise. Suddenly the other girl reached out and touched the thin strap of Annalise’s tank top.

“Is this what the English wear?”

Annalise looked down. “These are my pajamas, but I have shirts like this.”

The girl sighed. “Father would never allow me to wear such clothing. Perhaps, in time, you and I could go to town and we could find something similar. I could wear it as underclothes and it would be my little secret.”

“Why does it have to be a secret? I’m not sure what’s going on, but I am not dressing like
Little House on the Prairie
.”

“Oh, we’re on a farm, not a prairie. And I’m sorry, but you will have to cover yourself. Adam would not like you showing so much flesh and all that lovely hair to the other men.”

What? Annalise didn’t want to break it to the young girl, but she really didn’t give a rat’s ass what Adam wanted. The girl covered her mouth as twitters of laughter bubbled past her lips.

“You shall be very good for my
breder
I think. Why would you give my brother a rat’s hindquarters?”

“What?”

“What you said…a rat’s…” Again the girl leaned forward and whispered, “ass.”

Annalise frowned. She hadn’t said that. She had thought it, but…

“Gracie.” The intrusion of a man’s voice had the girl straightening and schooling her expression.

“Hello, Adam.”

“I told you to get me the moment she woke up.”

“You were busy, and she just opened her eyes only minutes ago. We were only talking.”

He walked over and crouched down across from Annalise. He looked at her as if examining her condition. “How do you feel,
ainsicht?”

She didn’t answer. He had taken her against her will and now she was somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a woman she had never met. She wanted to go home, and if Adam insisted on keeping her there, well, he would just have to learn how much of a bitch she could be. She had nothing to say to him.

Gracie began to giggle again, and Adam asked, “What is amusing?”

“Your mate. She is like an open book to me. She isn’t very fond of you and intends to act like a female dog toward you.”

Adam turned and scowled at Annalise. The tension in his face lifted as he took a deep breath. “So be it.” He reached for the clothing the girl held and said, “Gracie, go fix Anna something to eat while I get her dressed.”

The girl stood to do her brother’s bidding, but paused when Annalise balked, “I can dress myself and I am not wearing that.”

As if she had tried his patience he sighed and informed her, “You will wear this until we can have proper-sized dresses made for you and you will need help with the ties. You are not familiar with the aprons.”

“Look, just get me a pair of shorts and I’ll be fine.”

His sister giggled, and Adam snapped, “Gracie, food, now.” The girl ran off reluctantly. Adam turned back to Annalise. “Is this how it shall be between us, a fight at every turn?”

“Not if you let me go home.”

“This is your home.”

“No, Adam, this is a barn. I live in Bensalem!”

“Anna, you need to trust me. No harm will reach you here. I will build you a house that you will love. I will let you select your favorite fabrics for our bedding. I know this is a lot…simpler than you are accustomed to, but once you adjust, you will have complete freedom here.”

What a fucking moron. “First of all, don’t patronize me. Second, I wasn’t in danger before you started stalking me. Third, will you, dear? Will you truly
allow
me to select the bedding?” she asked the last in her most syrupy voice, thick with sarcasm. “When will you get it, Adam? There is nothing simple about this. And in case you didn’t know, it’s the new millennium. Women can make their own choices now.”

He frowned, and his lip twitched as if he were trapping his words inside. Finally he asked, “Are you mocking me?” He actually sounded a little hurt.

“That depends, are you going to treat me like a lesser person incapable of making choices and intellectual decisions because I’m female?”

“I think you are very intelligent.”

“Then why do you insist on treating me like a child? Pretty soon I expect to see you cutting my meat.”

He sighed. “I am sorry if I have made you feel that way. I do not think you are less than me. It is just that things are different here. There are things you do not yet understand. The males here…they would not know how to react to a woman like you dressed in English clothing. It would entice the unattached males to a point of hysteria. And the wives of the attached males would not pay kindly to such displays. I cannot protect you if every member of The Order is upset. I am only one male. The clothing is for your own safety. It will allow you more freedom to explore the land without myself or Gracie acting as chaperone.”

It was all suddenly too much. “Adam, why am I here? I don’t understand this. What you’re doing, keeping me like this, it isn’t right. I have a life, responsibilities, finals to take…oh my God, what’s today?”

“It is Monday evening. Almost Tuesday.”

“God damn it, Adam!”

His hand quickly covered her mouth. “You cannot say such things here,
ainsicht.
”

“I missed my exam!”

“I am sorry, but you must be more thoughtful about your words.”

“Screw my words! Do you have any idea how much you just messed up my life? I…they’re gonna…I may not graduate now!”

“Please do not cry.”

“Why not? I have no control over anything, and everything I worked for may have just gotten ruined. I need to send my professor an e-mail.”

“I will get you some paper as soon as you dress.”

“Paper? No, Adam, I need a computer. Seriously, I cannot just miss my exams. They will kick me out of the program.”

“We do not own such things.”

She growled. She literally growled. “I cannot do this! If I put on these clothes can you take me to the nearest town in the morning? To a library? I need to let my professors know what’s going on.” Then she could find some Good Samaritan to take her to the police.

“Dress and I will consider it.”

Ten minutes later Annalise stood in possibly the ugliest getup she had ever worn while Adam crossed and tied her apron at her back. The only concession Adam made was allowing her to keep her regular panties rather than the bloomers Gracie had provided. She looked like she was heading to a costume party.

“Dear God, I look like I belong on the compounds of
Big Love.
”

“What is
Big Love?”

“It’s a show on HBO about polygamists.”

He seemed to think about that. “Multiple wives?”

“Yeah.”

He grunted. “Turn around so that I can tuck your hair in your bonnet.”

Rather than argue, she did exactly as he asked. She just kept telling herself the more agreeable she was, the sooner she could get to town and get the hell out of Dodge.

When she was fully dressed in her prairie garb, he turned her to face him and took a step back to analyze his work. Even in the darkness of the barn, she could see his pupils dilate, the black consuming the silver. It seemed the more his eyes dilated the more catlike they became. Weird.

Adam’s fingers gently tucked a loose hair that had slipped from her bonnet behind her ear. “You are beautiful, Annalise.”

She hated the way his compliment made her feel. She wanted to hate him for hijacking her life. She didn’t want to notice things like how sexy his forearms looked bulging past his cuffs or how masculine his hips were fitted out in his black slacks. Keeping her eyes downcast, she quietly thanked him.

She wished she knew what he was thinking. He seemed determined yet regretful at the same time. After a few minutes in the quiet barn, he finally pulled her hand in his and said, “Come, I will take you to my home.”