Page 82 of Storm Bound
I ground my teeth, and he gave me the keys to open the door, but he didn’t leave my side.
Did he have to come in? Could I stop him? I really didn’t want him inside the house. I may have only been living here for a month, but it already felt more like a home than my house ever felt back in Chicago.
I fiddled with the key, delaying the inevitable, trying to find something—anything— inside me to push him away and out of my life.
But I’d failed to do that for three years. Why would today be any different?
“Come on, babe. Hurry up. My balls are freezing,” he said.
I hope they freeze and fall off.
If only I could find the voice to say that out loud. Instead, I turned the key and let us both in.
As expected, it took less than a second for him to take over the space and make it his. Why couldn’t I open my damn mouth and tell him to fuck off? What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I control anything about myself around him?
“Babe, you cleaned up for me,” he said, then came to stand behind the couch. No, I hadn’t cleaned up for him. I was just a clean person. Unlike him. “What is that? Is that the same trash I told you to throw away? Babe, you’re thirty-eight. When will you grow up?”
He lifted the Cursed Hearts box set from the coffee table and brought it to me.
“Are you going to be a grown-up about it, or are you going to be ababy?” he asked.
I snatched it out of his hands before he smashed it, smeared it, or infected it with more of his poison.
“I’m not throwing it away if that’s what you mean,” I said.
Justin rolled his eyes and huffed. He walked back to the couch and spread out on it with a deep furrow and slitted eyes I used to find sexy once upon a time. Not anymore. I’d stopped finding him sexy a long time ago.
“Come on, let’s forget about all that. Come. Sit with me. I’ve missed you, babe. Be a good boy and come suck daddy’s dick,” he said.
I set the boxset down and balled my fists.
“No,” I said.
He’d been doing this for so long my body felt obliged, like I had to obey him, but I wasn’t his. Not anymore. Not after everything I’d done to get away from his bullshit. Not after Charlie.
“What do you mean no? Do I need to spank my boy?” he said in a lower tone that used to get me horny.
“No. I’m not sucking you off, and you’re not spanking anything,” I said. I came to stand at the end of the couch and mustered all my courage. “You need to go. Get out of this house.”
Justin paused and sat up. I thought I got him. I thought he was finally going to listen to me.
“Okay. Yeah. You’re right. Let’s get out of here. What do you have in mind? Clubbing? Late-night dinner? I saw some woods on my way in. Do you want to go explore and… get dirty?” he raised his eyebrow at the last word, and I shuddered.
“No. You need to go. Go back to Chicago. Go back to your life. Leave me alone. I don’t want you anymore, Justin. I left for a reason. Go,” I said, feeling more sure of myself.
Maybe Icoulddo this. Maybe Iwasn’tsuch a loser after all.
“Babe, come on. Be serious. You don’t mean that. You’re just upset, that’s all. You can’t live without me,” he said, standing up.
I swallowed the knot in my throat but forced my feet to stay put.
“Upset? Upset? I’ve been telling you for months that I don’t want you anymore. That we’re over. You’re just a leech. You won’t take no for an answer, and you won’t leave me the fuck alone. Why won’t you leave me alone?”
“A leech? Babe! Come on. You love me. Where is all that coming from? Is it that kid you were with? Because you know I hate liars,” he said.
“He’s not a kid. He’s more man than you will ever be,” I growled.
Justin laughed and shook his head.
