Page 59 of Vile Emotion
The calm I thought I was feeling towards thinking about Carmen, dissipates as fury took over.
“No.”
“No?” Cassius repeats.
“ No, I’m not giving her freedom. I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t fucking matter why not, I just won’t do it, Cas. Don’t ask me to do that.”
Cassius doesn’t say a word for a while but I know he’s going to say something, the second he stands.
“Then don’t let other people fucking hurt her. Before you and before everything that happened, she had no beef with anyone. If her life was perfect then I would’ve felt nothing towards her situation but it’s not that simple, Ric. She didn’t just run a fucking red light. She was running. She was injured that night too. Ricky almost didn’t fucking make it, do you get that?”
“I know, Cas.”
“Then protect her because she is going to be destroyed at your hands. Save her from the other little scary things because you are the monster in her life. Make sure no one else makes her cry because you’ll bring the tears to her eyes. She’s Ricky’s mother, when he finds out, let him find out that you at least did that.”
“I’ve never once forgotten that, Cassius. I know who his mother is but I for damn sure won’t let that sick son of a bitch’s poison be anywhere near my son. Even if others tell me we don’t share the same blood, I know we do. He’s mine. No one else can claim him to be anything less or more than a Crowne. I’d die for him.”
“And I’d protect little Crowne with everything. He’s my nephew, I love that kid and because I love him, I have to reassess the way I treat his mother and so do you.”
“Fine.” I say as I walk towards the office door.
“Where are you going?”
“To protect his mother and remove the monster that she fears from her life. The only devil that should make her quake at his sight, is me.”
41
The whispers start up again and that makes me want to further hide. I don’t know why Alaric chose for me to be in a cubicle with other people who watch me like a hawk but there’s nothing that can be done. I’m not going to complain to him before he turns around and forces me to work right next to him.
While the idea of being an executive assistant isn’t the worst idea, I don’t want people to stare at me some more and come up with some other bullshit to fit the rumor mill that is churning ever since I stepped foot on this hotel’s executive floor.
“Juliana, come with me.”
There’s no mistaking his voice but I do my best to pretend to be so deep in the report reading that I don’t hear him. Alaric clears his throat and I see him from my peripheral as he lowers himself down some more and leans in a bit closer to my body. I take a sharp breath in as his lean, long fingers trail their way up from my knee to the middle of my thigh. Alaric has never been this touchy and I suspect that he’s doing it because people need to think we’re a united front, kind of like at the gala.
“Baby, it’s lunch. You don’t want to come have lunch with your darling husband who missed you this morning?”
Alaric is laying it on thick and he earns a quick sideways glance before I fix my face.
“I didn’t realize it was that late in the day. Sure, anything for you, Ricky.”
I call him what Mia called him to get on his nerves but when I look into his eyes, desire flares from his irises then just as fast, it dissipates.
Alaric smirks and it isn’t as deadly as before but it doesn’t mean it’s all play. His eyes quickly lower to my lips then back up to my face.
Is he trying to kiss me again?
Alaric arches a brow as if reading my thoughts. He shakes his head but I see amusement in his eyes as if he’s making fun of me for something I didn’t even actually do. Instead of giving him another reason to annoy me today, I stand but in doing so, I leave Alaric still crouching. My eyes venture to his and he looks up at me like a dangerous beast ready to devour its prey and leave nothing behind. Not even the bones to be identified by.
His hand slips into mine causing a surge of energy to travel through my entire body and it makes me realize this is the first time we’ve held hands after he kissed me twice.
“You like being up there and me down here?” He asks. I’m not sure if he’s taunting me or just asking me.
Words die on my lips as he unfolds himself coming up slowly until he’s towering over me again.
