Page 15 of Liberating Lily

“I’m not the first person you’ve kidnapped!”

“Oh, that’s what you mean. Hmm. You’re the first person I’ve kidnapped that I actually care about.”

Was that meant to make her feel better?

“You’re also the first person I’ve kidnapped who I’ve cared whether they hurt themselves or not.”

He picked up both her hands and placed them on her thighs, and she stared down at them for a long moment. Shit. They were a mess. There were scratches all along her hands and arms. Her mother was going to kill her. Not that her mother cared if Lily hurt herself, as long as it wasn’t visible and didn’t reflect on her.

“I need my pills.” They stopped her from doing things like this.

“Lily, look at me.”

There was clear command in his voice, but she shook her head. She didn’t want to look at him. She wanted her pills.

“I want to go home.”

“And where is your home, Lily?”

The way he said her name was different from how other people said it. There was a husky tone to it. It was kind of sexy.

A warm shiver ran through her.

Rick said she was a cold fish. That was why he had sex with other women. Not that she cared about that. It was a relief not to have to sleep with him. Maybe she didn’t have urges like other women. Perhaps there was something wrong with her. But if that meant she didn’t have to endure him touching her, then she wasn’t worried.

She rattled off her address. Had he forgotten where she lived?

“It’s not your home, Lily. It’s a house where your mother forced you to live with her.”

Lily shook her head. She didn’t like this conversation.

“That’s not your home, and you’re not going back there, Lily. It’s not a safe place for you.”

That was ridiculous. Why wouldn’t it be safe? And how did he know what was a safe place for her? Did he think she was safe here? With him?

It didn’t feel safe. It felt like the unknown. She had no idea what he wanted from her.

And that was terrifying.

At least with her mother and Rick, she’d known the expectations on her. With Harvey, she had no clue. Why had he taken her? Why had he brought her here?

“You don’t get it, do you, Lily?” he said to as he cupped the side of her face.

“No, I don’t get why you kidnapped me.”

“The reason I took you was to save you. It was to free you.”

“So I’m free to leave?” she asked.

Harvey smiled. She wouldn’t call it a pretty smile, or even a reassuring one. “No, Lily. You’re not free to leave. Not until you don’t want to.”

What the heck kind of sense did that make? Did he even understand what he was saying? She wasn’t free to leave until she didn’t want to leave?

“That doesn’t any make sense.”

“It will,” he told her. “Just give it time. Now, I’m going to clean your arms and your hands, and you’re not going to do this again.”

“You can’t just boss someone around and expect them to do what you want.”