14 "Desperate?"

Bella scowled the moment she opened her eyes, and it registered in her mind that she was inside the Van. She sat up slowly when she heard a soft snore coming from the seat beside her. She noticed he had let down both seats so they could lie on it comfortably like a sofa bed.

How had she gotten inside the Van? Had the crazy guy carried her into the van, or had she sleepwalked as she usually did?

She wasn't going to forgive him simply because he had decided to take her into the van at his own convenience, and neither was she going to sweat over how she had managed to get into the van.

When she turned to look at him and remembered how she had kept hitting the van and pleading with him to let her in, yet he had completely ignored her, she felt like slapping the sleep off his eyes.

She stood up to confirm that he was fast asleep by waving her hands over his face. She contemplated waking him up with the slap but decided otherwise when she saw his phone.

Thanks to the moonlight, which dimly lit the van, she could see his phone, which was on his chest. She figured it would be best just to take his phone and try to contact Joan or Ben, her twin brother, before the crazy guy woke up from sleep.

Since she was very sure that both Joan and her folks, especially her overprotective twin brother, would be very worried by now since she wasn't the type to spend the night outside her home.

Just as she reached down to pick up the phone, he grabbed her hand with his right hand and moved his phone out of her reach with his left hand.

"I didn't figure you to be a thief. Don't you think it is too early to steal?" He asked her in a lazy voice without opening his eyes to look at her and tucked his phone in his pocket.

How had he known she was trying to pick up his phone without even opening his eyes? Bella wondered with a puzzled frown.

"I only wanted to borrow your phone, not steal it," She told him in a defensive tone.

"From where I stand, borrowing something without the owner's permission is synonymous with stealing," Dan said before turning his back to her without sparing her a glance.

"You're the reason..."

"Sshhhh. If you don't mind, I still need to sleep some more, so do well to stay away from me and stay quiet or feel free to leave," Dan cut her off with a sleepy yawn before adjusting in his seat to find a more comfortable position.

"I just need to call my best friend. She might be able to help us get out of here," Bella said in a pleading tone. Why couldn't he be reasonable for once? 

"Really? Is that your ploy to get my phone number? Are you that desperate?" Dan asked with a sigh before suddenly standing up and moving close to her.

He towered above her as he looked her over, making her look up at him with a confused frown. What was he talking about?

"Desperate? What ploy?" Bella asked in confusion, unable to understand what he was trying to say.

"Since you seem to really want my attention and I need to sleep, how about I bribe you with a gift to keep you quiet?" Dan asked, and before she could respond, he dragged her close to himself and crushed her lips with his in a kiss.