What He Guards (What He Wants, Book Twelve) by Hannah Ford

WHAT
HE GUARDS (What He Wants, Book Twelve)
    By Hannah Ford
    Copyright 2015, Hannah Ford, all rights
reserved.   This book is a work of fiction,
and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.  

 
 
    CHARLOTTE

 
    I stared down at the phone in my hand,
feeling disconnected from my body, like I was in some kind of dream state.   I’d only ever felt that way once before
– when I was watching my father die, when I was standing by his bedside
while his body rattled as he took his last breaths, the smell of antiseptic and
chicken soup heavy in the room.
    But this was much more intense.   With my father, it was like I’d been watching
a movie or a scene in a snow globe.   Now it felt like I was in the movie, like I was part of the
scene.   And even though none of it
felt grounded in reality, I knew I couldn’t escape.
    “Charlotte,” Noah demanded again.   “Who was it?”
    He took my phone from my hand and looked
at the call log, his brow furrowing when he saw “Unknown” written on the
screen.   He took in a long measured
breath.   “That was him ?   The man
who sent you to Audi?”
    I nodded.  
    “What did he say?”
    The room was slowly coming back into
focus, the colors and angles sharpening.   I flexed my fingers experimentally, wondering if I was going to have
another panic attack like I’d had the other day.   But instead of feeling weak and numb, I began to feel
strong.
    I was sick of being on the defensive,
sick of waiting for things to happen.   I was sick of being scared, sick of waiting for Noah to allow me into
his world, sick of just sitting on the sidelines while everyone else swept me
up in their decisions.
    I was under attack.   And I wanted to fight back.
    “Charlotte!” Noah demanded.   “Look at me.”
    I looked at him, my heart clenching at
the worry on his face.   “He said he
was going to kill me.”
    Noah’s eyes blackened and his complexion
became ruddy as two spots of color darkened his cheeks.   “He said what?”
    “He said he was going to kill me.   He said he was going to strangle me
just like he strangled Katie.   He
asked me if I was going scream like she did.”
    “Jesus, Charlotte.”   He ran his hand through his dark hair
and his jaw tightened.   The
expression on his face was steady, even, but I could sense his rage boiling
beneath the surface.   He was
furious at me for defying him, for sending that email to Ryan Ramos, for
putting myself in danger.
    He took a step toward me, and his temple
throbbed.   I met his eyes, and we
stood there for a moment in my living room, just staring at each other, a
heightened intensity hanging in the air between us.   I knew he wanted to punish me.   I’d been defying him repeatedly over the past twenty-four
hours, and he didn’t like it.   He
didn’t like me not trusting him, didn’t like me threatening his control.   He was resisting the urge to spank me
and fuck me and tie me – I could see the desire searing
in his eyes and I wondered how long he’d be able to fight it .
    His emotions around the fact that I’d put
myself in danger had transformed into a dark and twisted need to control my
body, and I could see him wrestling with it, trying his best to keep it at bay
for now.
    He seemed to be successful as the intense
look in his eyes diminished just the tiniest bit.   My heart rate began slowing, but I knew it wasn’t over.   Noah may have been successful in
tamping his urges for now, but they would be back, and when they came they
would be stronger than ever.
    “We’re calling the police.”   
    “No,” I said.   I’d expected my voice to be shrieky and shrill, but instead
it sounded strong and determined. For a second I had that same flash of being
disconnected from my body, but a second later it was gone and I was firmly
grounded back in reality.
    “Yes,” Noah said, beginning to dial the
number on my phone.
    “Noah!” I said.   “No!”   I