Page 43 of Ghosted in Arkadia
“I’ll see you around, kitten. Let me know when you need an itch scratched. Or… a new name to add to your body count.”
Love is a Controlled Substance
Iwake from a dreamless sleep. Dazed. Confused.
I would have jumped out of bed if my body allowed it, instead I roll out from beneath the covers and luckily hit the ground feet first. My ass cheek hurts. I pull my underwear to the side and reveal a small, circular discoloration.
“Well, at least he brought me home after drugging me.” I sigh. I’m not as irritated as I should be. Guess I’m coming to terms with how fucked up my soulmate is.
And the fact that I’m still drawn to him like a moth to a light.
Guess that says a lot about me.
I stretch and twist the stiffness from my muscles. Other than feeling like I slept like the dead, I’m mostly fine. Maybe slightly better than fine.
On the inside I can feel a low simmering energy pulse, a quiet intensity building. It’s been so long since I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go. The feeling of energy and lightness throughout my whole body is more than a little strange.
What the fuck did he inject me with?
I could go to the labs and have my blood analyzed and figure it out. That would mean asking Vicky for another favor. After the last one, I’m sure she would get a sense that something is going on.
I don’t need anyone asking those types of questions. On the plus side, I feel fucking good.
It’s a quick trip to my window and I pull the curtain to the side, somehow, not exactly surprised to see the cruiser out front. If I didn’t know better, I would think I dreamed of the encounter with Ghost.
The sound of Rex’s whimper from the other side of my bedroom door catches my attention.
Some guard dog he is.
“I’ll get you breakfast. Just give me a minute to put pants on.”
I head to the dresser and grab a pair of sweatpants. As I slip the comfortable material over my legs, I notice black letters on the inside of my thigh.
Did kitty have fun last night?
A smile pokes at the edges of my lips, but I purposely roll my eyes. I’ll let him sit and wait for a response this time. Thoughts from last night filter through my mind. My body moves through the motions of opening the bedroom door, ignoring Rex’s inquisitive sniffs, and heading to his bowl, but my mind is set on the abandoned farmhouse.
Last night was emotional, but it was everything I didn’t know I needed. I needed the fight. The struggle. To let go of some of the pent-up anger that has followed me like a storm since I was a teenager.
And he understood it.
He didn’t judge me for needing a slice of pain served with intimacy. Of course, the very reason I need that pain is his fault. If he had answered me back when I was a teenager, I wouldn’t haveanyof the problems that I have today.
There’s no knowing who I could have become.
Part of me has always resented that unknown future. The one that he robbed me of. Then again, I never would have become a police officer or had the fast-paced life I love. I certainly wouldn’t have met Cathy, James, Tommy, or the others, for that matter.
Cathy’s laughing, smiling face comes to the front of my mind. My heart squeezes.
I miss my best friend. If she were here, we would already know who Ghost is. She likely would have strung him up by his balls for all the shit he’s put me through, but she would also understand the love I feel despite everything.
Wait…
No.
No, no, no, no, no.
No.
