Joseph turned the deadbolt into place and nodded. “It happens. I was starting to wonder if you were going to show up, honestly.”
She gritted her teeth, biting back the snarky comment she wanted to make. Like I had a fucking choice.
As he walked past her, his hand brushed along her lower back. “Are you thirsty? I’ve got some coffee, soda, a few beers. Probably even a little liquor if I dig far enough back in the cabinet.”
Biting down on her tongue, Amelia ignored the way his touch made her skin crawl. She kicked off her shoes and followed him to the kitchen. “I’m all right. Thanks.” Truth be told, she didn’t trust him not to drug anything he served her.
He raised a brow as his pale eyes fell on her. “Are you sure? You look…tense.”
The fact that he could be so keen and so dense at the same time was just short of unbelievable. Shaking her head, she slid the tote off her shoulder and gingerly placed it on one of three chairs at a granite breakfast bar.
She glanced at the boxes of Chinese takeout on the counter. “Just hungry. Are you ready to talk?”
He chuckled. “Talk?” His eyes moved down her body. “Yeah…I’m ready to…talk.”
She forced her eyes not to narrow, forced her hands to stay by her side. “This is new territory for me.”
Flashing her a curious glance, he took a couple steps closer and dropped a hand down to brush along her forearm. “The working together part?”
She willed herself not to back away as he circled an arm around her waist. “Yeah…and the being blackmailed to sleep with a coworker part.”
It didn’t even faze him. He slid his other hand up to clasp her shoulder, pulled her to the warmth of his body, and tilted his head until his breath was warm on her ear. “Don’t think about that right now. We can talk about that part later, if you want. Come on, you can touch me too.”
Great. He wanted her to participate.
She briefly considered dropping her hand and wrapping it around his balls, not stopping until she’d squeezed them to death. That was touching, right?
“I’m hungry, and I—”
“I’m hungry too.”
Before she could say another word, his lips were on hers, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth.
She gagged.
He pulled away, his eyes turning glacial. “You’re not being very nice to me, especially after I put my job and life on the line to lie for you.”
She closed her eyes as he kissed her again.
Maybe she should just submit and get this over with. If she laid there like a block of ice and let him have his way, surely he’d be finished with her that much quicker.
Her mind flashed to Leila Jackson and to all the children they’d found on the farm.
Did they just lie there and take it too? Nausea bubbled in her stomach at the thought.
She almost lost it. Almost.
She might have held herself together in that moment, but if just feeling him through layers of fabric catapulted her to the brink of vomiting, what the hell was she going to do when the clothes were gone?
Panic twisted in her gut.
She’d reminded herself once again of Leila, Angel, and of all the sleazy men the two women had been forced to deal with due to their life’s circumstances. She’d told herself she could be strong too. All she had to do was hold her nose and give herself over to the man who held all the cards in his hand. Once, maybe a few times.
If Leila could live through that hell, and if Angel could power through countless nights on the street to fund her mother’s medical care, then surely Amelia could do this. Right?
She was strong, wasn’t she?
With one deft movement, Joseph undid the button of her slacks, and the warmth of his grasp on her hip followed. As he slid his hand down, and as he slipped the first finger beneath her underwear, reality smacked her in the face.
She was strong.
But she couldn’t do this!
Pulling away from the one-sided kiss, she took hold of his shoulders with both hands. As she tried to shove him out to arm’s length, he tightened his arm around her waist and slammed her body back into his.
He inched his finger a little lower. “What’s wrong? Don’t worry, baby. I’ll make sure I take care of you.” He whispered the promise, the words sounding like a snake.
She began to struggle, trying to create distance, and as her heart thundered in her ears, Amelia realized she’d been holding her breath.
“No.” She swallowed a lungful of air and shook her head. “No, I don’t want to do this. Stop, please.”
“Shh, it’s okay.” He squeezed her waist and slid his hand down again. “You need to relax. Just go with it.”
Gritting her teeth, Amelia dug her fingers into his shoulders and pushed with as much force as she could muster. “I said no!”
Though she knew Joseph could have overpowered her with sheer muscle mass, he relinquished his hold on her and took a step back. The room was dim, but the light from the hallway was enough to illuminate the fury in his gaze. “What the hell are you doing?”
Amelia’s eyes widened. “What the hell am I doing? Are you serious?” She sidestepped toward her purse to put more distance between them.
He threw his arms out to the side. “Yeah! That’s what I asked! Wow, Amelia. You know what…just wow.” Raking a hand through his disheveled hair, he shook his head. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”
She opened and closed her mouth as she struggled to fill in the gaps. Had he just told her she was unbelievable? Shouldn’t she have been the one to utter those words?
What in the hell was happening?
In the blink of an eye, she’d gone from a desperate effort to escape the hands of a would-be rapist to being accused of…of what?
Buttoning her slacks, she straightened her shirt. “I said no, Joseph. Was
