Hold Me Close by Eliza Gayle Read Free Book Online

He would already have been given her home address and there would be no need for small talk with a stranger. Her boss had a knack for those kinds of details.
    She burst from the door, and sure enough, the black town car service Gabe always used sat at the curb with a driver standing next to the door waiting for her. With practiced ease, he opened the door and ushered her inside.  
    Immediately the heated leather seats enveloping her in warmth and safety. Bonnie sighed. She turned back to see Dex had not pursued her. That thrilled her. Right?
    Bonnie turned away from the window and snuggled in for the thirty-minute commute to her apartment. If she fell asleep now she’d arrive home and be wide awake. But she needed something to drown out thoughts of Dex. She reached for the radio and that’s when she saw it. A thick gold envelope lying in a tray with her name written on it in a beautiful handwritten scrawl.  
    Curious, she snatched it from the tray and opened it, pulling a lone embossed card out of the envelope with the word “Eden” printed at the top.

    Sit back and relax, Bonnie. Although things aren’t exactly as they seem, you are in good hands. This car is not taking you home but instead to the airport, where you will board a flight to an island paradise named Eden for an all-expenses paid and much needed vacation.  
    At Eden, you will have the time you need to reflect and consider all that has happened these last few months. You have a decision to make. Choose wisely, my dear. There is no need for regrets in life, but a wrong decision means missed opportunity. If and when you are ready, Eden will return you at the right moment. Trust your instincts and let go of your fear. Take a chance. It is the only way.
    P.S. This is not optional.

    The message abruptly ended and Bonnie flipped it over looking for more. No signature or any indication of who wrote it. What the hell? Not optional? What was that supposed to mean?
    This couldn’t be right. Had to be some sort of mistake. Bonnie quickly rolled down the window between her and the driver. “Where are we going?” she asked.
    “To the airport, ma’am,” he said.  
    “Who arranged for all this?” She held up the card.
    The driver shrugged. “The only directions I received were to pick you up at Purgatory and deliver you to one of the private airstrips.”
    “But I’m not packed for a trip. This is crazy.”
    “I was told to expect questions and that all I needed to say was every detail has been accounted for.”
    Bonnie slammed back on the seat and scrunched up her face. This had to be Gabe. Who else did she know with resources like this and the balls to practically kidnap her and force her on a vacation she didn’t want? Well, like it or not, he couldn’t make her do anything she didn’t want to.  
    Although Gabe had to be the mastermind of this twist of events, her mind still went back to Dex. Hell, her body still hummed from their scene. Whatever he was to her at this point, she couldn’t deny the man’s talent. He had more than any man should and she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
    Bonnie slowly shook her head and closed her eyes against the memories. This wasn’t healthy.
    She did need to take this vacation. Her thoughts of Dex were consuming her and the word obsession kept flitting through her mind. Suddenly thinking felt like too much work. Fatigue from the long night had set in and she wanted to curl up and go to sleep where she sat. Sure doubts plagued her about going along with this idiotic trip, but she was too tired to care at the moment. She trusted Gabe and the idea of not having to face Dex anytime soon kind of sounded perfect. He’d want her to talk about what happened between them and she just didn’t want to go there. If Gabe wanted to give her an excuse to avoid having to face anything too hard, then who was she to turn it down? And if he wasn’t going to let her go home and pack, then she’d be happy to send him a bill