Chapter 12

Allie jumped and turned to look at him. He stood with his arms crossed, watching her with amusement. She dropped her hands where they had been fussing. Jay held his hand out to her. Allie looked down at his long fingers for a moment and considered not taking his invitation. She knew what it meant. It was time for them to talk about their altered relationship.

With a shaking hand Allie placed her palm in his. He wrapped his fingers around hers and tugged her gently out of the washroom, through the bedroom, toward the dining room. He quickly seated her where he placed another cup of coffee in front of her and a bowl of cereal.

Allie blinked down at her cereal for a second, then looked up at Jay with a laugh. "Fruit Loops?"

"I don't cook," he said gruffly, sitting down next to her with his own cup of black coffee and nothing else.

"I remember," she said fondly, picking up the spoon. She took a few polite bites and then finally dropped the spoon with a laugh and pushed the bowl away. "I can't do it. I can't eat this much sugar in the morning."

Standing up, Allie went to the kitchen and put two pieces of whole grain bread into the toaster. She quickly sliced up a kiwi, apple and orange, then arranged the fruit on two small plates. When the toast popped she spread some goat cheese and apple jelly on each piece, cut them in half, then arranged them on the plates. She set a plate in front of Jay and sat next to him with the other plate.

"Eat," she ordered quietly picking up her toast and biting into it.

Jay watched her for a minute, his expression unreadable before digging into his own plate of food. She knew he must be at least as hungry as her. A blush suffused her features as she thought of their energetic activities of the night before. She thanked goodness for her duskier features and shifted her hair slightly so it would cover her face a little.

Jay waited until they had both finished eating before speaking. He stacked their plates and moved them aside. Then he shifted his chair back from the table, leaned forward until he was in her space and took her hand in a firm grip. He had one elbow on the table. Allie looked down at their linked fingers, her eyes lingering on the tattoos sweeping up and around his hand and arm. They were all faded, leftover from his street days.

"Are you going to fight me, Allie?" he asked seriously.

She forced herself to look up into his grey eyes. Her heart stuttered at the utter implacability she saw there. Jay was not willing to show her any leeway. He wouldn't negotiate with her. Not like he used to when she was a child, when she could almost always argue and cajole Jay into giving her what she wanted.

"I need to know what this is, Jay," Allie said, trying to infuse some emphasis into her voice. "Am… am I your prisoner?"

He lifted his left hand and touched her cheek with one long finger, running it down the soft roundness. She saw another tattoo of her name along the inside of his ring finger, "Allie" it read. She lowered her lashes so he wouldn't see her surprise.

"That's up to you, love," he said gruffly.

Allie looked up at him sharply. "Up to me? You mean, if I just relax and take my kidnapping like a good girl? If I don't argue with your decision to take me away from the life and the people I love? That's not fair, Jay, and you know it. I had a job that I cared about!"

"A job that nearly got you killed," he growled. "I warned you not to take that job. I told you not to go into addictions, but you didn't listen to me. Now you get to deal with the consequences."

Allie pushed her chair away from his, pulling her hand abruptly away from his and standing before he could stop her. Pacing away from the table she shoved an agitated hand through her long hair and then whirled around to glare at him. He remained seated, though his body language was anything but casual. His shoulders were set and the muscles of his arms were stiff beneath his black tailored shirt.

"You warned me? You told me?" Allie snapped at him. "You sent me away from the coast, Jay. You made sure that I had to grow up in a hurry, which included making my own decisions. Well, guess what? That includes career decisions. "

"Not anymore," he said quietly.

"You don't get to decide that for me!" she yelled at him.

He put his hand flat on the table and stood. "Actually, I do."

Allie gasped and paled. She opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind. Jay took a step toward her, but she took a step away from him shaking her head. Finally, she said in a shaking voice, "You'd take that away from me? You'd take away a career that I love?"

He made a frustrated sound and shook his head. "It's too dangerous, Allie. I've told you that. What happened to you at the shelter proves it. A few more inches and you could've been killed. I know you love your job, but I can't risk it."

"I can!"

Though quiet, his words were implacable. "I won't let you."

Tears sparkled in her eyes. He stepped toward her again. She moved away from him, backing up until her back came into contact with the wall behind her. She thrust her wrist out defiantly, shaking the beautiful bracelet at him. "Take it off," she demanded.

His hard grey eyes held hers captive. "No."

With a sob she dropped her wrist. Slowly she let her body sink against the wall until she was sitting on the ground. She wrapped her arms around her knees like she'd done as a teenager when she felt beat up by life. She glared at his legs where he came to stand in front of her. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"I am your prisoner," she whispered brokenly.

He crouched down in front of her, his icy eyes holding hers. He reached out and captured her tears on his fingertips.

She shook her head. "You're breaking my heart, Jay."

His eyes hardened. "Better your heart now, than your body later."

She sighed and tried to turn her face from him, but he wouldn't let her. She would never be allowed to shut him out, not even if he was the one causing her suffering. He took a handful of her hair, tilted her face up and bent down to kiss her. She cried against him, tears trickling down her cheeks and touching their lips. He pulled back a little and leaned his forehead against hers.

"It won't hurt forever, Allie."

She tried to push him away, but he captured her hands in his and held them against his chest while blocking her legs between his knees. He touched his lips to hers once more, this time more forcefully, coaxing the passion that was always there just beneath the surface of their relationship. Tension flared and built between them until she was soon clutching at the collar of his shirt instead of trying to shove him away.

Jay pulled her into his arms and stood with her. Allie's head spun as he lifted her off the ground and into his strong arms. She held onto him while he strode down the hall toward their bedroom. She realized his intention right away and a combination of heady excitement and panic flashed through her.

"Jay, please…," she moaned against him.

He squeezed her tightly against his chest and, entering the bedroom, dropped her on the bed. He came down on top of her and he kissed her gently. "Let me take care of you, Allie."

She stared up at him and shook her head. "That's what I'm afraid of," she whispered.

He stood up, looking down at her where she lay on the bed. His eyes hardened to glacial grey. "You don't have a choice."