Taken by You

This book is dedicated to my handsome husband who supports me in all of my endeavors. I love you baby!

Chapter 1

When Roger
Wilkins pulled up to In Cahoots it was just past midnight. The parking lot was full and the bar was hopping with people enjoying themselves. The music was loud and the line dancing was in full swing. Roger walked up to the bar and ordered a Corona with a twist of lime. He needed a drink to calm his mind. He took a long pull, downing about half of the beer before setting the bottle down.

He was still reeling
. He couldn’t believe Kate was gone. He had declared his love for her during their lunch date. She hadn’t rejected the idea of them seeing each other when he returned, so her disappearing act didn’t make any sense. Perhaps she was afraid of commitment or maybe he had overwhelmed her with his feelings. She certainly couldn’t be afraid of him. There was no way for her to know what he was or what he was capable of doing when he wanted something. He had covered his tracks well for all of these years and only his victims had seen the monster inside of him.

Kate
had left and he had no idea where she was. But he knew where she worked and he would track her down in no time. His hunting skills would come in handy now. She wouldn’t be able to hide from him for long. If he couldn’t find her at Nordstrom, where she worked in the children’s department, then he would follow her hot roommate Charlie home from her office. He had Charlie’s work address on file with their lease agreement. He figured that they would still be living together. Otherwise, he would have to set up surveillance at San Diego State University. He knew Kate’s class schedule. It would take longer to track her down at school, but she was worth the effort. He would make her understand that they belonged together. He couldn’t lose her. He had done too much to make her his. If somehow the police had poisoned her mind against him, then he would make her understand that everything he had done was for her, so that they could be together.

Roger
scanned the room at the bar, looking for some poor shmuck that he could use as a punching bag. Surely he would be able to find someone to alleviate his anger. It would be easy to pick out a guy who had had too much to drink – and even easier to beat him up with dulled senses. Walking through the crowd, he saw a few possibilities. But as his scan continued, he spotted a beautiful woman and he was instantly drawn to her. It was as if she was beckoning him to her. She was petite with long dark hair. She looked like a mix between Japanese and Hawaiian. She was exotic and one of the most captivating women he had ever seen, next to his Kate, of course.

He noticed the guy talking to her, drooling all over her. He couldn’t blame the guy. She was
definitely drool-worthy. But her body language was communicating loud and clear that she wasn’t interested in the poor guy. Clearly, he couldn’t take a hint. Roger’s eyes locked on hers and he was mesmerized by this beautiful siren. She seemed to be calling out to him, and he was eager to save her. She smiled at him and Roger knew that was his cue to swoop in and save her. As he approached them, Roger kissed her on the cheek and hoped she would play along.

“
Baby. I’m so sorry that I’m late,” Roger said confidently. “The gig ran way longer than expected.”

“That’s all right,” she said. “This nice man has been keeping me company.”

Roger nodded at the man and sized him up. Then he patted him on the back and said, “Thanks for looking after my girl. I was worried about her being here alone.”

“No problem,” t
he man said. They shook hands and he departed to find another woman to hit on.

Roger took her delicate hand. “
Hi, there!” he said. “I’m Roger Wilkins. You looked like you needed to be rescued.”

“I’m Rose Nakama. And you’re righ
t. I did want to be rescued. He wouldn’t leave me alone even after I lied about having a boyfriend,” she said coyly, looking up at him through her long lashes.

Hearing h
er name knocked him off balance for a moment. Another woman named Rose? What were the odds that he would meet another woman named Rose? This was a strange coincidence. Or was it? Maybe this is just what he needed right now. It looked like fate had stepped in and provided for him. Kate was nowhere to be found and this beautiful creature was right in front of him. She was definitely the most intoxicating of distractions.

“This must be my lucky night,”
Roger said with a smile. “I once had an amazing girlfriend named Rose. But she went and disappeared on me. She moved and we ended up drifting apart. Long-distance relationships never work out for me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. It looks like her loss could be my gain,” she said
, a sultry look coming over her face.

A slow song came on
, giving Roger an excellent opportunity to have her in his arms.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked, extending his hand to her.

“I would love to,” she replied, accepting his hand.

They made their way out to the dance floor. Since she seemed so
receptive to his advances, he decided to pull her as close as he could. She didn’t seem to mind and he liked the way her body felt pressed against him. He was hoping to feel a whole lot more before the night was over.

“Are you dating anyone now?” she asked.

“That de
pends,” he said.

“Depends on what?” she asked.

“It depends on whether or not you are available. If you are, then I fully intend on dating you,” he said assertive
ly.

He could tell by the smile on her face that she liked his answer.
She seemed interested in getting to know him.

“What do you do for a living
?” she asked.

“I own a window
-tinting business and I play in a band a couple of nights a week.”

“Where do you normally play?
” she asked. “I go out a lot. I don’t remember seeing you before.”

“I usually play near SDSU at Maco’s. It’s a college bar.”

“Oh, I’ve never been there before. I’ll have to check it out. What nights do you play?”

“Thursdays and Sundays,” he said
, breathing in her hair. Her name was Rose, but she smelled like gardenias.

“So I could watch you play tomorrow night
?” she said.

“Yes, you could. Let’s plan on it.”

“It’s a date,” she said seductively.

The song ended and they walked off the dance floor.

“What would you like to drink?” he asked, leading her toward the bar.

“I would love a
Sex on the Beach,” she said, interlocking her small fingers in his. “It’s my favorite.”

How
fitting, Roger thought. He was planning on fucking her as soon as possible. He preferred to take her back to his place, but he’d do her at the beach if that’s what she wanted.

He ordered their drinks and suggested they sit outside on the patio to drink them.
It would be somewhat quieter out there and they could get to know each other.

They made their way out and
grabbed a small table.

“It’s a little chilly out here,” Rose
said after they were seated.

Roger pulled her chair closer to his and put his arm around her. “Is that better?” he asked.

“Definitely. Thank you.”

They each sipped their drinks. What a turn of events
, Roger thought. He had stopped in hoping to take out his aggressions on an unsuspecting drunk and had ended up finding a stunning woman who wanted to be in his arms. He was such a lucky bastard.

“What type of music do
es your band play?” Rose inquired.

“
Mostly stuff from the ‘80s and ‘90s.”

“That sounds like fun. How long have you been performing?”

“I’ve been with a couple of different bands since high school, but I’ve been in this group for about five years.”

She leaned into him and asked, “Do you want to go someplace quieter so we can talk? I live just five minutes from here. You can follow me home.”

Roger knew a good invitation when he heard one. He also knew that she wasn’t inviting him over to talk. This night had turned out better than he expected. Releasing his frustrations in the sack with this Asian hottie was a much better option, he thought.

“I would love to follow you to your pla
ce. Shall we go?” he asked, standing up from the table. She stood as well. He put his hand in the small of her back and began to guide her toward the parking lot.

Rose pulled into the garage of her ranch
-style home. Roger parked in the driveway right behind her. She motioned to him to follow her in through the garage. Once they made it through the door, they walked into her bright yellow kitchen, which opened into to her living room.

“Would you like a
nother drink?” she offered.

“Sure, what do you have?”

“I have beer, rum, and vodka. I was going to make myself a Screwdriver.”

“
That sounds good to me,” Roger said. “Make it two.”

“I’ll have it ready in a minute. Please make yourself comfortable,” she said, pointing to the living room sofa. Roger
took a dozen steps and sat down, glancing around the room. He noticed that her motif was beach inspired. The throw pillows on the sofa had shells on them and she had a net draped on one wall with an assortment of items from the beach woven into it.

“This is a cute place
. Have you lived here long?” he asked, settling into the blue sofa.

“I
’ve lived here for the last three years. I inherited this place from my mom when she passed away. She had saved for years to buy it, but died only eight months after moving in.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that
,” he said, spotting a picture of Rose and her mom on the entertainment center. It looked like a graduation photo. “You must miss her very much.”

Rose walked in with a drink in each hand. She sat next to Roger. “I do miss her. She died way
too young.”

“
You’re right,” he said, thinking about being placed in foster care and how abandoned he felt. He’d lost his entire family. “I know it’s hard to lose your parents.”

“Yes
, it is,” she said looking off into the distance for a moment.

The evening had taken a depressing turn. Roger tried to change the subject to something a little happier.

“What about the rest of your family? Are you close to them?”

“I don’t have any
other family to speak of,” Rose answered. “My dad died when I was three and I am an only child. Both of my parents were only children too. So, it’s just me.”

This Rose
couldn’t have been more perfect if he had created her himself. She had a hot body, was sweet, and she was completely alone and obviously starved for love. No one would miss her if anything happened to her.
Damn, I’m lucky
.

“So, tell me
more. I want to know everything about you,” he said taking a healthy drink of his Screwdriver.

“Well, there’s
really not too much to tell. I have lived in San Diego all of my life. Like I said, I am an only child and I have been married once.”

“How long were you married?”

“We were together for four years.”

“When did you get divorced?” he asked, placing his hand on top of hers.

“Right after my mom died. I had to spend a lot of time taking care of her. She had cancer and she suffered for a year before she died. My husband felt neglected, so he decided to find someone else. I came home one afternoon unexpectedly and found him with her. They are married now.”

Roger
knew that he needed to muster a little empathy right now. She had just shared something very painful with him. It was always difficult when people opened up. He never knew what to say, so he went with his typical answer.

“
That sounds like it was a really difficult time,” he said, putting on the sad face he had practiced for occasions like this.

“Yes it was, but it’s in the past now,” Rose said. “I believe that everything happens for a reason. He wasn’t a great husband. I mean, obviously, he cheated on me when I needed him the most. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with him anymore.”

Roger nodded. He really just wanted to get to the sex, but he knew that she needed him to listen to her before
they could get to fulfilling his needs.

“
Let’s see, what else?” Rose thought for a moment. “I work for the DMV. It’s a pretty good job. I’ve been there for almost seven years.”

This was easier territory for him.
“Oh, what do you do for the DMV?” he asked.

“I
mostly help people renew their license. It can be tedious working with the public, but it suits me. I enjoy helping people.”

Roger looked at her
, waiting for more, but she didn’t say anything else. Maybe that was all there was to her. No parents. Loser ex-husband. Lame job. He smiled. Well, at least she was hot. She didn’t have to be interesting, except in bed. Plus, he kind of liked quiet women. They typically let him be in control, which was what he liked.