Choose me captive hearts.., p.1
Choose Me (Captive Hearts Book 2), page 1
CHOOSE ME
CAPTIVE HEARTS
BOOK 2
E. L. EMKEY
Choose Me is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2023 by E. L. Emkey. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in the book review. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the author.
E. L. Emkey
AuthorE.L.Emkey@gmail.com
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Edited by E. L. Emkey
Cover art and design by E. L. Emkey
Discreet Cover: Ever After Cover Design
Limited Edition Cover: Maree Rose
My Personal Assistant: Amanda Johnson
PR Box Exclusive Art: Such A Good Girl Book Art
Choose Me Trailer: Emerald Frost Design
Created with Vellum
For you, I would…
CONTENTS
Content Warning
Playlist
1. One
Ava
2. Two
James
3. Three
James
4. Four
James
5. Five
Ava
6. Six
James
7. Seven
Ava
8. Eight
James
9. Nine
Ava
10. Ten
James
11. Eleven
James
12. Twelve
Ava
13. Thirteen
James
14. Fourteen
Ava
15. Fifteen
Ava
16. Sixteen
James
17. Seventeen
Ava
18. Eighteen
James
19. Nineteen
Ava
20. Twenty
James
21. Twenty-One
James
22. Twenty-Two
Ava
23. Twenty-Three
Ava
24. Twenty-Four
Ava
25. Twenty-Five
Ava
26. Twenty-Six
James
27. Twenty-Seven
Ava
28. Twenty-Eight
Everett
29. Twenty-Nine
Ava
30. Thirty
James
31. Thirty-One
James
32. Thirty-Two
Ava
33. Thirty-Three
Ava
34. Thirty-Four
Ava
35. Thirty-Five
James
36. Thirty-Six
Ava
One Year Later…
Epilogue
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Also by E. L. Emkey
CONTENT WARNING
Choose Me is a dark romance and, at times, an intense work of fiction. I do NOT condone any traumatic situations or actions that take place between the characters. Please be warned that there are scenes with content that may trigger you based on your personal experiences. It is never my intention as an author to cause any mental distress to any of my readers, but know that there is darkness in this book.
Trigger/Content Warnings include but are not limited to graphic violence, torture, abuse, kidnapping, gaslighting, stalking, cutting, murder, threatened miscarriage, pregnancy, forced infidelity, murder scenes, mutilation, death, fear, panic attacks, trauma, mental illness, self-harm, blood, nudity, sex, and expletives. If you feel like any of these topics may cause you distress, please do not continue forward. If they don’t, and you have made it this far without turning back, enjoy the ride.
PLAYLIST
“Anchor” By Novo Amor
“In My Veins” By Andrew Belle
“Island” By SVRCINA
“Stay” By Rhianna
“For Me” By Lo Nightly
“Daylight” By David Kushner
“Dangerous Hands” By Austin Georgio
“Higher” By Sleep Token
“The Kill (Bury Me)” By Thirty Seconds To Mars
“Atlantic” By Sleep Token
“Feel For Me” By Foy Vance
“When The Party’s Over” By Sleep Token
“Eternal Blue” By Spiritbox
“Want It Now” By Lo Nightly
“Barefoot And Broken” By Mononoke
“You” By Ari Abdul
“If I Showed You” By Henry Verus
“Are You With Me” By Nilu
“Good Die Young” By Elley Duhe
“On The Nature Of Daylight” By Max Richter
“Can’t Help Falling In Love” By Tommee Profitt
“These Final Words” By Fracture Light Music
“Current” By Phoria
“Falling Apart” By Michael Schulte
“Over The Hill” By Wax//Wane & Sleeping At Last
“Gefion” By Christian Reindl & Lucie Paradis
“Paralyzed” By Colossal Trailer Music
ONE
AVA
My vision began to blur, and the sounds around me became deafening echoes reverberating through my head. The air thickened, restricting my lungs until the sharp needles of fear pierced through every inch of my body.
A life for a life.
Those five words seared into my brain like a branding iron. The hairs on my arms stood on end, and goosebumps erupted across my skin while fear rushed through every vein.
He was dead.
So, who sent this?
James saw the panic on my face, “What is it, baby?” He quickly snatched the picture from me before I could answer.
I’d been here before, but this time, I had no idea who would be coming after me now and why they chose to send me threats in the form of a Polaroid with ominous words scrawled across the back.
James set the photo down on the counter, his face twisted in shock and rage. My heart thumped hard against my chest as I implored him desperately for answers. He gently grabbed my hand, wordlessly pulling me out of the kitchen and into the living room, guiding me to sit on the couch. The cool dark leather on my bare skin broke my haze and brought me back to the present with him.
The ache was still there, rooted deep in my soul, giving me déjà vu of the months prior when Benjamin Callahan, my stalker, tortured me by sending me a similar threat.
“James, what is happening?” I asked, panic rising in my voice.
His touch was soft but firm as he cupped my cheek, “I don’t know yet. But I am going to find out. I want you to sit here and focus on staying calm.”
“I don’t understand. Who would do this?” My voice trembled as I replied.
He tenderly ran his thumb over my cheek and spoke quietly, “Baby, listen to me. I need you to do your best to stay calm for our baby. Okay?”
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“Ava, I need you to trust me--you are safe, and our baby is safe. That’s what matters right now,” he said while planting a kiss on my lips before striding off toward the kitchen.
I watched him pace back and forth, running his hands down the back of his neck, talking hurriedly on the phone before he opened the door when someone knocked. I was on edge and held my breath, unsure who would come over so late. I let out a sigh of relief when I heard Everett’s voice.
“Ava, are you ok?” He immediately moved towards me, with concern etched across his face.
Standing up from the couch, I rushed to him and wrapped my arms around him. Everett had become just as important to me as James had, protecting me with his life without question. He had almost died for me countless times, and I was overjoyed to see my friend.
“I’m okay,” I said with a quiet exhale.
“And my little nephew?”
“The baby is okay too.” I smiled, grateful for Everett’s ability to make light of every situation he was in.
“James told me you earned yourself another stalker.”
“Yeah, I guess I did.”
“Any idea who it might be this time?” Everett shifted his gaze to James as he walked into the room and settled onto the couch.
Releasing myself from Everett’s hold, I shuffled over next to James for comfort. His strong arms folded around me tightly, and his familiar scent calmed my rattled nerves.
“The only person with a vendetta against Ava is—”
“David Commons.” I finished his sentence, realizing that David was the only one who likely harbored any anger toward me. After all, my testimony helped put him in prison in the first place. “Oh my God. You don’t think he would really be dumb enough to do something that would officially make him a criminal, do you?” I looked at him with questioning eyes.
“I think he has the motive to,” James responded with certainty. “I have my guys looking for him now to determine his whereabouts since his release two weeks' ago. If he is here, I will find out, and we can go from there. So, for now, Everett has offered to stay with us and help keep you safe until we know exactly what we are dealing with.”
“You mean babysit me?” I spat out in annoyance.
“Oh, come on, baby girl, think of me as less of a babysitter and more as the majorly fun, super intelligent, and sexy big brother you never had.” Everett persisted, a sly grin stretching across his face. He playfully ruffled the hair on the top of my head, and I moved out of his reach, scowling.
“Oh my God. There is something severely wrong with you.” I shot back, rolling my eyes and fighting the urge to hit him. I swept a hand through my hair, trying to smooth it down as he continued to grin.
“Maybe I should rethink this,” James grumbled, giving Everett a stern look.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be a good roommate. You won’t even know I am here.”
James’s gaze hardened as he said, “Speaking of that, no bringing girls here.”
“Wait, what?” Everett exclaimed in surprise.
“You heard me. Take care of that shit somewhere other than my apartment. I don’t want strangers coming in and out of here around Ava and my baby. Until we know more about what we are dealing with, this place needs to be safe for them.”
“No argument there. I’ll be on my best behavior, but only because I like you, Ava. And James would kill me, and I very much enjoy being alive.”
“I am glad you value your life then.” I grinned, glancing at my phone, and saw it was 11:59 p.m.
“I will be back in the morning with my shit. If you need me, I will come right over.” Everett announced before heading toward the door.
“Thank you, Everett.” I smiled at him appreciatively.
“Of course.” He winked and closed the door behind him.
Once he had left, I nuzzled into James, pressing my lips against his neck. His fingers moved lightly up and down my arm as though he was tracing a roadmap to distract himself from his thoughts.
“What are you thinking about?” I whispered softly against his neck.
He blinked out of his thoughts and shifted his gaze to me. “Protecting you and our baby,” he sighed, forcing a smile, although the smile on his face failed to reach his eyes, which I could see were filled with worry.
“If anyone can keep us safe, it’s you.” I pushed myself off the couch and crawled onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck.
His head fell back on the couch cushion as he exhaled a heavy breath. “What if this time I can’t? I almost lost you in Oregon because I couldn’t keep you safe.”
His words hung in the air like a thick mist. I had almost died because I sacrificed myself to save him. I didn’t realize that he felt like he didn’t keep me safe. He never told me that he felt any guilt for what happened. But I don’t blame him. He had to know I would make the same choice again every lifetime. I would give my life for him and our baby. There was no question about that.
“What happened in Oregon doesn’t matter anymore. The important thing is that I survived. We both survived. Our baby survived. We are here together, and I trust you with my life and our baby's life. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared right now, but I know in my soul that you will protect us, and David or whoever this person is will be caught, and we can focus on what truly matters. I refuse to live in the past again. I only want to live in the present with you and, think about our future together and focus on bringing our baby into this world with you next to me. Whatever that world looks like, I want it to be with you. Nothing else matters but you and this little life inside me.”
His gaze softened as he pulled me close and kissed me tenderly. “How do you always manage to see the light in every situation?”
“It’s not always easy. But having you and our baby girl to love every day helps.”
“Baby girl?” He quirked an eyebrow inquisitively. “What makes you think it’s a girl?”
“I don’t know. A feeling, I think.”
“I would love to have a little mini-you running around.” He chuckled softly.
“You would, huh?”
“Yeah, with your olive skin, dark hair, and beautiful gray eyes.” He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “But that means I will have to sit on the porch with a shotgun and scare off all the boys that come asking for her.”
I smirked. “Is that so?”
“Yep. No boy will be good enough for my little girl.”
“What if he’s a boy?”
“I am not worried about him.”
“Why not?” I questioned playfully. “You won’t keep the girls off our porch for him?”
He caressed my cheek tenderly as he lovingly said, “He’s got you for a mama, so I won’t have to.”
“We are so lucky to have you,” Tears blurring my vision, I clung to James in gratefulness.
I had been told that I would likely never carry children of my own because of the extensive amount of scar tissue inside of me after being brutally raped and tortured. But the darkness that had haunted me for years seemed to disperse instantly as I gazed upon the ultrasound photo. This brokenness inside me made it difficult for me to give myself to someone. But James saw this darkness, and instead of pushing me away, he embraced every scar, loving every piece of my tattered and broken soul. He wasn’t afraid of my demons. He stood in front of me, protecting me from their vicious onslaught. He loved me even when I wasn’t very lovable. He held me up when I couldn’t stand and carried me when I couldn’t walk. Where the darkness in my soul hid, this effervescent light chased away my demons. I never imagined finding someone who loved me so deeply and without expectations. Out of all of my despair and tragedy came the ultimate blessing—a tiny creation formed out of the pure love we shared for each other.
“No, baby. You thought you were the broken one, but you saved me. You made me whole. Loving you has been the best thing that I have ever done. And now you are giving me the greatest gift I could ever ask for, and I won’t take that for granted. I will spend every second of every day loving you the way you deserve and earning your love in return.”
“You have my love today and the rest of my days,” I promised him.
“That’s good because now that I have you, I won’t let you go. You’re stuck with me.” He teased, but I knew he meant every word.
“You are the best thing I could ever be stuck with,” I said with smoldering intensity as I pressed my lips to his.
His body went rigid, and I felt him grow hard beneath me as I ground against him. I let out a small moan as I deepened our kiss, sliding my hips back and forth, sliding his length against my clit. A desperate need seared through me as I lunged forward and claimed his lips, pressing my body fiercely against his. The ache to have him deep inside me was overwhelming, and I yearned for nothing more than to feel him fill me completely. He clutched my waist and pulled me closer to him, devouring me with his kiss. His hands moved up my back, feeling every inch of me as he explored my body. I gasped when I felt one of his hands slip beneath my shirt and caress my breast, sending a jolt of pleasure through me.
“I love your fucking tits.” He breathed against my lips.
I pushed myself up on my knees, unzipping his pants and licking my lips as his hard cock sprung free. His eyes shone with anticipation as I moved my underwear to the side and positioned myself on his tip, letting my juices cover him. He pushed his hips up, pressing his cock against my slit, and growled, his chest rumbling against mine. All the resolve I had was gone. He thrust forward at the same time that I sat down on him, the force taking my breath away. I felt his length inside me and his hands gripping my hips as he moved in a steady rhythm. Every time he drove into me, I felt a thrill of pleasure course through my body, my senses alive with desire. He moved faster and faster until his hips were pounding against mine, the intensity of the sensation threatening to overtake me.
