Page 95 of Dead Serious with Benefits
“I—”
“Nothing, that’s the correct answer, in case you were wondering. All you know of his likes and dislikes are the things you choose to believe, and you’re no different than a random attendee at one of his parties who guesses his favorite liquor based on what they see. You know nothing of his dreams or goals because you assume he has none, and that is because you’ve never allowed him the space to have any of his own. And you’ve never bothered to know his heart because what mattered to you the most was whether your son was capable of being the best extension of you rather than his own person.”
Amelia leaned back in her seat, and if looks could kill, I would have died an agonizing death. “You...presume too much.”
“That’s a fascinating thing to say, as every person who has ever bothered to get to know me has always said I’m the opposite. That I permit too much, forgive too much, and understand too much. Yet hereyouare, saying the complete opposite. There is wisdom in taking the views of everyone, even those who dislike you, into account. You’ll have to forgive me if I decide your opinion won’t be taken into account in any self-assessment,” I told her coolly, even as the anger swirled and hissed inside me. “And before I leave to see the grounds so we can all come back and pretend we’re getting along nicely, something I intended to do from the moment I agreed to come here, I will say this: You willnotspeak ill of my mother, either of them, and you willnotspeak ill of my family.”
Her eyes flashed. “Are you threatening me?”
“No, but you won’t be doing it.”
“And what’s to stop me?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out; you clearly seem to believe you have everything figured out.”
She opened her mouth, but I turned, easing my grip on Ward’s arm. In a flash, he shifted his arm to take my hand. Delaying long enough to grab his martini glass, his eyes alight, he allowed me to walk out of the room with him in tow. When we reached the hallway, he took the lead, guiding me through to the back.
“Ward?” I asked as we stepped out onto the back veranda. I blinked at the strong smell of the sea that hadn’t been as present at the front of the house when we arrived.
He never looked back as he gestured for me to follow him, and I did, following a paved path at the bottom of the stairs. Off to the right, I could see a building, its roof glimmering from the moonlight and stars overhead. It was in the opposite direction that Ward guided me, humming a tune I thought I recognized, but the tune kept getting lost in the wind as it swirled around us.
The path eventually went from stone paving to an indent in the grass, or rather, the scraggly greenery that was the only thing that grew on the cliffs. As soon as we were within a few yards of the edge, the sound of the ocean became clearer. The roar became louder as he stepped near the edge, and I felt a wild urge to snatch him back before he tipped forward out of sight.
There was no need, though; his steps came to an abrupt stop a few inches from the edge, and he neither slipped, stumbled, nor teetered as he stood looking out over the ocean. I followed his gaze, seeing the waves flash into existence as they curled on themselves, the white tips catching the moonlight as they neared the shore. Ward held his glass out, swirling it and downing its contents.
“Beautiful,” he said, flicking his wrist and sending the glass tumbling end over end down the cliff. I could picture the expensive glass spinning weightlessly as gravity pulled it down, and I could almost hear the delicate tinkle of glass as it shattered below before being gobbled up by the sea. It was too nosy for that, of course, but the image was so strong I briefly wondered if psychosis was genetic.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly, brutally aware that I had butted heads with his mother after he had tried to calm an ugly situation down.
I jerked when he whirled around to slap his hands on my shoulders and grip me fiercely, his eyes sparkling. “Are you kidding me right now? I’m about as close to euphoric as I’ve ever been, and from the man who’s taken just about every drug on the planet that’s supposed to offer that experience.”
“Um,” I began, unsure where to go with his lead. “Okay?”
He chuckled. “Never have I seen someone take my mother to task like you did. I’ve seen people rage, I’ve seen people snipe, and I’ve seen people bitch and moan at her. But you dressed her down and left her to get dressed on her own. May I never be sostupid as to say you do not know how to make a stand or that there are not limits to your patience and understanding. I really shouldn’t be surprised that it was my mother of all people, but there it is, your limit.”
“Limits.”
“What?”
“Limits,” I repeated. “I tired quickly of her treating my family like it was some knock-off freakshow for her to gape at and feel superior to, and I was also tired of the way she tried to treat you like an errant child. I meant everything I said.”
He turned, yanking me toward him and kissing me harder than I’d ever been kissed by anyone, even him. His fingers dug into my shoulder, not to the point of pain, but there was a desperation in them, as if he were afraid to let me go. It was possessive and demanding, but I felt nothing but warmth and security from him. He wasaskingto possess me and giving permission to be possessed; all I needed to do was accept.
“Ward,” I breathed out harshly as I felt my stomach twist and turn, both pleasantly and uncomfortably, as I was overwhelmed by the emotions flooding through me. “What are you?—”
“Come on,” he hissed as he pulled me along, never letting go and stopping on occasion to awkwardly kiss me as he stumbled and stepped backward, leading me to wherever he had in mind. “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my entire life.”
“Oh, really?” I asked, touched and amused by his excitement as he led me to a stone bench a few yards from the cliff’s edge. I could imagine sitting there as the sun set, a thick row of trees behind the bench to block anyone else, and the spread of the sea and horizon, bathed in waning fire.
“Really,” he said, directing me to the bench and sitting me down. “Well, actually, second most beautiful thing I’veseen. That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard, finally beating the time I met Maria Brink after a performance.”
“The...metal singer?” I wondered, feeling like I was losing the thread of the conversation.
“Mhm,” he said, and my eyes widened as he turned me so I was forced to lie on my back as he straddled my thighs. “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen are those few times I’ve woken up before you. And there you are, peaceful, deliciously and erotically naked, and completely asleep as you bury your face in the pillow to avoid the sunlight...and I suppose I should throw in when you’ve been well fucked or fucked me well, also gorgeous.”
His eyes were burning with an intensity I recognized. “Are you trying to seduce me?”
“I hope it’s working, because I have never been more turned on in my life,” he said, and I watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, thin package. I caught the brand name and felt my heart speed up even more.
