Page 47 of Unhinged Cravings
His eyes flashed with understanding before they narrowed.
“Besides, this is like one of my books, and I’m curious to see what happens at the end.”
Shaking his head, the perplexed shifts in his features relaxed.
“Did you eat lunch?”
Lunch? Shit, how long had I been lying there? “Nope, and I guess I skipped breakfast.”
He rose and moved to stand above me, putting his hand out for me to take.
“If I’d known giving you the run of the house meant you would just stay in the foyer all day, I would have let you out of your room earlier,” he teased as he pulled me to my feet.
I rubbed out my stiff back, thinking marble wasn’t the most comfortable material.
“Well, you know me. Always surprising you.”
“Yes, you are.” We stood there, eyes locked for three breaths, before he said, “Let’s get some food. I have to leave for another meeting soon and I don’t want to find you laying in another part of the house with no food in your stomach.”
My laugh was free and as I walked through the house with him, our banter falling just as freely, I knew I’d made the right choice.
Days and nights passed,a routine developed, and I spent my nights in Emerson’s bed, my days with him when he was there. Like a couple, but one that didn’t touch or kiss or say anything that would straddle the divide that kept those things at a distance—the true reason I was there and the train that was barreling toward us to shatter it all.
Emerson had gone to his office and told me to head to bed, but after finishing the last chapter in my book, I needed to grab another from my room. I should have just brought the stash to his room, but leaving them seemed like it left the line delineated, and it was blurring so much that I needed that delineation.
His T-shirt hung low enough that it covered my ass and part of my thighs, so I left my jeans behind and padded through the house. A light shone from the doorway of his office and, thinking he had finished his call, I walked toward it. He had told me no area of the house was off limits. I still couldn’t leave, but I hadn’t tried, and I didn’t think I would.
As I drew closer, I heard voices. Halting my step, I started to turn away, thinking he was still on his call, but I froze as the conversation grew heated.
“And what are you going to do then?” It was Pack. His raised voice surprised me.
“I don’t know,” Emerson sneered, frustration emphasizing his words.
“This has to stop. She is a pawn. Your words, Cade. A pawn to get your brother here. She has no further use.”
I swallowed back the hurt. They were words I’d told myself many times, but hearing them made them real.
“What happens if your brother doesn’t comply? What then, Cade?”
Someone slammed their fist on the desk.
“Don’t push me, Pack.”
“Push you? That’s what you need. You can’t keep her if yourbrother doesn’t come for her. Will you do what’s necessary now that you’ve been playing this fucked-up game with her?”
Another fist, but Pack continued, “Will you?”
“Yes,” Emerson’s growl slithered up my spine, causing the hairs on my neck to rise. “If he doesn’t come for her, then I’ll kill her.”
The words ricocheted through my head, raising every alarm I’d been ignoring. I ran, heading straight to my room, where I slammed the door and rested my hands on my knees, trying to stop the panic attack that threatened to tear me apart. It had all been a game. Nothing had changed. I was still a means to an end for him. I lifted my head, trying to figure out a way to escape. I had to, or I’d be dead in days. Even if they came for me, he still might kill me. There was no guarantee. He’d told me he was a monster, and I had dismissed the warning.
I thought through my options. Men guarded the front door; I had no doubt of that. The garage entrance constantly had someone in front of it, and the deck led to the beach surrounded by rocky walls. My eyes landed on my window. I had spent the first day picking at the dried paint, but the window hadn’t opened. Since then, I had marked the rounds of Emerson’s men, knowing their schedule. The window was my only option.
I ran to my bathroom and grabbed the tweezers Jill had brought me. Stretching them until the metal spread, I took my new tool and dug at the window. Adrenaline pounded through my veins, and I prayed Emerson wouldn’t come for me before I could escape. All the while, a pressure continued to build behind my eyes and my chest ached uncomfortably. His words had hurt as had Pack’s and to know I’d given over to some delusion that this man cared for me… But he did. I’d heard it in his voice, the strain in his first answer to Pack. It wasn’t enough to stop me from gouging at the dried paint like a frenzied animal. He would kill me.
Flakes covered my hands and the windowsill, and I put mytool to the side. Pushing at the window, it gave some. I pushed and pushed, my muscles straining with the effort until, with a loud pop, it opened, sending me teetering forward until I caught my balance. The last patrol had walked by as I’d been picking at the paint, and I had ducked to avoid notice. I still had time to make a break for it before they returned. If I could make it to the woods, then I would have a chance.
The window was only a short drop to the ground, but my knees groaned at the impact, my feet reminding me I had idiotically forgotten they were bare. Too late now. I ran faster than I ever had, my sight on the woods as I wished the ache in my chest was only because my cardio routine had slipped recently.
