Page 27 of Splintered Security
I shift, my feet and knees fighting stiffness after being tucked in to make myself smaller. I stand to readjust my blanket and fall back onto the sofa.
Ren sets his tumbler aside, grabs my ankles, and twists me so my legs and feet are in his lap. His thumbs press into the arches of my feet through my socks, and I can’t stop the moan that leaves my lips.
“Sorry.” I drop my head and push a chunk of hair behind my ear. “That feels so good.”
His eyes melt into pools of ink as a hint of a smirk dance across his lips. “Uh huh. Wednesday?”
The pressure continues, and I pause as long as I can while enjoying his firm fingers digging into my feet. A squeeze has me refocus on my feet and slowly back to his face. What little smile he has will vanish the moment I open my mouth.
“On Wednesday, escape was worth the risk.”
12
cruel and vicious ways
Ren
I let that comment slide.
For now.
She drains her wine glass and twists to set it on the end table, all the while making noises that do nothing but fuel the blood rushing to my dick.
I massage her ankles and up her lower calves. Her relaxation is obvious. Whether that’s the wine or me digging my thumbs into the soles of her feet, I don’t know.
When she sags into the corner, I ask, “Need more wine?”
She shakes her head, allowing her eyes to drop. “No, but thanks.”
“You good?”
She nods.
“Then why was the risk acceptableon Wednesday?”
She stiffens, and her eyes fly open. Her mellow demeanor is gone. I hold firm as she tries to move. Her leverage is compromised as I continue with her feet.
She shakes her head. Only this time, she’s not saying no. It’s like she wants to erase the conversation, and that motion is a backspace key.
“No secrets, remember?” I try to make my voice as calming as possible. I tamp down the lethal edge that comes out when she discusses how she’s been surviving that fucker, and the rage that bubbles to the surface knowing I could’ve helped.
If she’d only trusted me.
“Believe me when I tell you, you want a few secrets. We don’t need to be that couple who pees with the door open. Mystery is good.”
“Did you think I’d fall for that, Sunshine?” I shake my head. “What. Happened. On. Wednesday?”
Her shoulders drop as she harrumphs. It reminds me so much of the girl I used to know. The girl I used to know who is now a woman on the run. A woman wearing my ring.
“He tried to pass me around, okay?”
My blood runs cold, but she doesn’t notice.
Her reticence has become just the opposite, and her words tumble out like the dam has burst, and they’re in free fall. “It’s one thing for me to give pieces of myself away. I chose to do those other things. Was I coerced? Maybe. But I weighed the stakes and decided. Mom’s safety versus my own. Her peace versus what’s strictly legal. Whatever. Butdeciding I’m the club whore is a no-go. “Wife” or not—” She’s back with the air quotes. “I’m no one’s whore. I’m not repayment for a debt or a reward for a job well done. Fuck that. On Wednesday, he decided that was his to determine, so I left. I left and came here to find you. I didn’t want to bring you into it, Ren. I really didn’t. But it was too much for me and I needed someone who could help me… or would at least try.”
The cold that hits me singes my veins into a fire that cannot be quenched. I sit, frozen to the spot, holding her feet firm in my grasp, burning from the inside out.
My best friend’s little sister. My Annika.
