“Listen, lady, I’m trying to help you so your body doesn’t go into shock.”

“What are you? A doctor?”

“Just shut up for a minute.” He pulled me toward him and pushed my face into his shoulder.

At first, I panicked and tried to pull away, but then I realized that he was right. It was oddly comforting to be held in his arms. His body was warm and hard, and I felt protected. I closed my eyes as I snuggled next to him and tried to pretend that he was someone I cared about. Someone I actually knew. For a moment, he was actually someone I wanted to be snuggled next to.

It had been so long since I’d actually been intimate with someone. All the guys I’d been talking to recently had seemed obnoxious and annoying, aside from David, who hadn’t been someone I’d had thoughts of being with for a long time. Though, of course, he hadn’t known that in the beginning. We had broken up because he hadn’t been a fan of my making him wait for sex. And as a result, he hadn’t been a fan of mine. We’d argued so much toward the end of our six-month relationship that I had just ended it to be done with him. I’d been happy that I didn’t have to pretend anymore, yet I’d been scared to trust him with part of the truth. Sometimes I wondered if that hadn’t been a mistake. Maybe telling him part of the truth and asking for his help in getting to the bottom of my mother’s death hadn’t been the right way to go. I’d gone with my gut, but I had wondered many times if he could be trusted. Especially in moments like these when I was scared and lonely in the back of a truck. Being kidnapped with a strange man made me doubt that I’d made the right decision.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered softly. “We’re in the same position here. We need to support each other.” His tone had changed, and I felt my body relax slightly. His tone was soothing, as opposed to sinister. I didn’t feel like this man was going to harm me. At least not now.

“What’s your name?” I whispered against the man’s shoulder. “I feel like we should at least know each other’s names, now that we’re being intimate.” I attempted a joke and groaned inwardly as I heard how stupid I sounded.

“Intimate?” He sounded surprised.

“Intimate doesn’t mean sex, you know.” I was irritated again. “We are crowded together in a small space. Your arms are around me. My body is pressed against yours. We’re being intimate.” I bit my lower lip after I spoke. Shut up, Bianca.

“Trust me. I know.” He groaned and shifted, and I could feel something hard pressing against my stomach. Oh boy.

I stilled as I realized what it was. I swallowed quickly as my body reacted swiftly, my skin heating up and my stomach churning. Part of me was delighted that he was excited by me. The other part was disgusted and made me want to slap myself and him. Rationally, I knew that his member was reacting to our being in such close quarters in the only way it knew how.

“Jakob,” he said gruffly, and I turned my face up to his.

“What?” I whispered, then pulled back quickly as my lips lightly grazed his. “I didn’t realize we were so close.” My heart was beating fast now, and my tongue darted out and gently licked my lips.

“My name is Jakob,” he whispered again, and I could hear a hint of humor in his tone.

“I’m Bianca.”

“Nice to meet you, Bianca. It’s a pity it had to be in such circumstances.” He tried to shift again, and in doing so, my head slipped from his arm, bumping into the floor.

“Ow!” I cried out loudly and instinctively.

“Shh.” His hand flew to my mouth, but it was too late. The vehicle stopped abruptly, and I heard doors slamming. He kept his fingers pressed against my lips, and his skin felt slightly rough against my lips. My body stilled as I lay there, and I resisted the urge to reach out and bite his fingers.

The waiting was the hardest part. It felt like hours went by as we lay there in the silence, only the sounds of our breathing letting us know we were both still alive. Then I heard the sound of footsteps and wished that I were still in that unknown void. My body tensed up and then started shaking in fear.

“It’s okay, Bianca. It’s okay.” Jakob’s voice sounded worried, and in that moment I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. I found myself wanting to trust him, even though my brain was screaming at me to trust no one.

There was a loud banging above us, and I looked upward, wanting to see what was going to happen next, even if that meant coming face-to-face with death. I swallowed hard with fear but kept my eyes peeled upward.

“So you’re awake?” a deep, menacing voice yelled at us as the trunk opened. A stocky man stood there, his deep blue eyes cold as they stared directly into mine. He had on a ski mask, and all I could think was that his lips looked odd.

I’d always thought that lips were the most sensuous and sexy part of the face, but now I realized that they were sexy only when seen with other parts. Lips by themselves were not sexy at all. I started giggling hysterically as I stared at his mouth.

“What the fuck?” The man glared at me as if I were crazy. “You think that’s funny?”

“No . . .” I swallowed again, wanting to throw up. My hand moved to my face to stifle my laughter as fear overtook me. It was then that I felt Jakob move behind me.

“Let us out.” His voice was demanding as he tried to get out of the trunk.

“Stay still.” The man pushed Jakob back into the trunk with such force that I heard him hit the back of the trunk hard. His hand fell down on my hip as he fell back, and I jumped slightly.