Over His Knee, Part Three by Hannah Ford

Chapter 6

LILLIANA

“Dead?” I laugh, sure that Kovax is joking. “He can’t be dead, he’s been texting me every day.”

Kovax slides my phone back across the table to me and shrugs. “He’s dead. I’m not sure who’s been texting you, but it isn’t Jeremy. When the clerk entered his name into the database, his death certificate came up.” He says this with almost a gleeful tone in his voice, as if he’s excited that his open and shut restraining order case has turned into something else.

I hate him.

“We’ll look into it more,” he says. “But right now, I have a meeting. I’ll call you later about those Yankee tickets.” He nods at Grayson and then exits the room.

My chest gets tight and my breathing becomes labored, the blood rushing through my veins so fast I can feel it. If I wasn’t texting with Jeremy, then who was I texting with? The thought of Jeremy – a creepy guy from the internet who was texting me just being a jerk, but at least someone who I’d actually met -- having naked pictures of me was bad enough.

But now it could be literally anybody.

Anybodyhas my pictures.

“Hey,” Grayson says, looking at me with alarm. “Breathe.”

“I can’t…I need …” I put my hand on my chest. I can’t catch my breath enough to even get any words out.

He pushes his chair toward me and turns mine so that I’m facing him. He’s so close our knees are touching, and he takes my hands in his.

“Look at me,” he says. “Look at me. I’m right here, you see me?”

I try to say yes, but my breath is still coming in such short bursts that I can’t get control of it enough.

“Lilliana, I’m here. Look at me. You’re okay. Breathe. Slower.” He starts to count, one two three four five, and I match my breathing to his.

Slowly my pulse begins to slow and after a few minutes, I’m much calmer.

“It’s okay,” he says, and he pulls me close to him. I bury my head in his neck, inhaling the now familiar smell of his aftershave. “It’s okay. I’m going to take care of you.”

And as much as I don’t want to, as much as it makes no sense whatsoever, I believe him.