Page 2 of Taste of Addiction

I narrow my eyes at him. “What? Don’t like to call it what it essentially is? I’m your shackle-less prisoner.”

He ignores my comment and moves over to the desk along the edge of the room. “I have all of your electronics set up so we can video chat. You’re allowed to contact Claire on these devices.”

“Wow, thank you,” I snap, my voice dripping with passive-aggressiveness.

“I know you're pissed at me. I get it. But please don’t do anything stupid while you’re here. You’re connected to the Internet on an anonymous VPN that is located in the Netherlands. So all of your devices are safe and no one can trace you here. Treat the stay like a minivacation. Collins will be by periodically each day to check in. But Austin, Parker, Malcolm, and Owen will be around here to assist you with anything you may need.”

I scoot my legs to the edge of the bed and sit up. I bite at my bottom lip as I watch Graham try to show me where my wardrobe and all of my hygiene essentials are. I can hear his staggered breathing and know that he is emotional about leaving me here too. I guess, in some small way, that makes it better. To know that he doesn’t just want to send me away for the sake of simplicity.

“I’ll be fine,” I whisper. I stand in place and rub my forearm against my cheeks to dry the last free-falling tears that manage to escape.

Graham stalks toward me and grabs my hips to lift me into the air. I wrap my legs around him and grasp fistfuls of his hair.

“I freaking love you, Angela Renee McFee.”

I burst out laughing through my watery eyes. “I freaking love you, Graham Xavier Hoffman.”

We stay entwined in each other until Graham’s arms start to quiver from fatigue. He tosses me back onto the bed and crawls up my body like he is about to feast on his prey.

He moans. “I want you so badly it hurts.”

“Then have me.”

Within seconds, my clothes are stripped away, and I am left wearing just my jewelry. The anticipation is the foreplay. Not knowing when or where he will touch me causes my nerve endings to ignite. He kisses down my jawline and rests his mouth against my neck. He lingers there, nipping at my sensitive spot, but then kneels up on the bed to unbutton his fly and free himself from his pants. Clothes get discarded to the floor, and his body is back on top of me again, like a heated blanket. I spread my legs to accommodate him and wiggle my hips to show him I am ready.

Graham leans his weight onto his elbows and looks down at me. A sadness washes over his eyes, and for a second I think he is going to stop and veer off course. I hold my breath and wait. Soft hands snake down between our bodies to pull my inner lips apart. He rubs himself along the length of me and lines up at my entrance. We have been in this position many times before, and yet, this time feels different. It is like he is touching me for the last time. His hands feel softer. His breathing labored.

His eyes stare into my soul. I am completely open and vulnerable to him. I have nothing left to hide.

I rock my hips up and Graham slips inside a measly inch. I groan over the sensation. He belongs inside me. We fit so well. The only sounds between us are the moans escaping our lips, as we thrust our hips and meet in the middle.

It doesn’t take long before Graham is pumping his release into me, and I am panting out his name with my own. He covers me up inside the warm blankets and gets himself dressed.

“I have to go, sweetheart,” he says softly, bending at his waist to press a kiss to my lips.

I look up at him through sleepy eyes and see that he is hesitant to leave. I reach for his hand and give it a squeeze. “Please don’t go.”

Graham’s sigh shudders through him. “I don’t want to be apart from you, baby. Trust me, I don’t. I just cannot come up with a better way to keep you safe.”

I nod and look away. This sucks. I grip the silky comforter and tug it up to my neck. I am suddenly cold, and a wave of exhaustion crashes into me as I struggle to keep my eyes open. Graham places a chaste kiss on my forehead, and I watch silently as he retreats out the bedroom door, closing it quietly behind him. I flop back onto the pillow and pray that the next eleven days go by quickly.

* * *

I wake to the sound of my own labored breathing and the disappointment that my sexy dream starring Graham had to end so abruptly. I roll to my side and pull my knees up to my chest. Sunshine is beaming in through the open drapes, but it doesn’t have the get-up-and-conquer-the-world effect it usually has on me. I slither out of bed but only to grab my new phone that is situated at the top of the electronics pyramid that consists of a laptop, iPad, and kindle. I snatch my phone from the stack and meander back to bed. I am still naked. And I just don’t care.

I look over all of the icons on the home screen and see that everything is in its normal place. Even my phone number is the same. At least there is that. I find the text app and see the notification that I have three new messages. I click on the icon. All from “The Boyfriend.” I smile at the title. Graham is my boyfriend. And I miss him.

The Boyfriend: Remember to trust me.

I sigh over his words. He can be so repetitive. I read the next two.

The Boyfriend: Feel free to one-day ship some things to entertain yourself. Just email or text Collins whatever you would like, and he’ll be sure to get them sent there. His address is [email protected] and his phone number is saved into your phone again.

The Boyfriend: I love you.

I write out messages but keep deleting them because they sound sad and are only going to make him feel guiltier for leaving me here by myself. So, instead, I just settle for a simple one.

Angie: I love you too.

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