Page 43 of A Whirlwind of Color (The Light to My Darkness 2)

“Penny!” Pure agony coated every syllable. “Penny, don’t do this! Let me in!”

I could barely understand him through his sobs. And I knew what he thought. I hadn’t meant the note to make it worse. But it had. He thought I was trying to kill myself. Maybe he thought I already had. Guilt seeped into my bones, paralyzing me. I should have been running. But I couldn’t make myself leave when he sounded so distraught. It physically pained me.

“I thought she was downstairs.” I recognized one of the security guard’s voices. “We saw Josh go into the room…” his voice trailed off. “When the hell did you go back downstairs?”

“I never left my room,” Josh said.

“Oh, fuck.” More footsteps on the stairs.

“Penny!” James yelled as he pounded his fist against the door. “You can’t leave me!” he sobbed. “Baby.”

I wanted to curl up in a ball and die in that closet. His pain tore me in two. His words shattered me. But the crack of wood breaking pulled me out of my trance. They were breaking the bathroom door, which meant they were about to see that I wasn’t in the bathroom.

It was now or never. I’m sorry. I burst out of the closet and ran as fast as I could. And I didn’t stop. I ran away from the pain in his voice. The pain in my chest. I ran as fast as I possibly could away from the life I didn’t want. I’m sorry, James. I’m so so sorry.

PART 2

Chapter 17

Saturday

I pressed my hand against the passenger window.

"Don't put me through that again, Penny." James kissed my neck as he moved my hips faster and faster.

"Never." His hands slid to my ass and he slammed his cock into me. I moaned as his fingers dug into my skin. I loved the way he knew exactly what to do to make me completely surrender my body to him. He pulled me closer to him.

"Promise me."

"I promise," I said breathlessly. It was a promise I knew I could keep.

The seat belt buckle hit my knee and I quickly pushed it aside. The angle in the car was awkward but the sensation of him inside me was all that mattered.

"You're mine," he growled.

"Yes! I'm yours!" I moaned.

Someone knocked on the car window, but all I could see was fogged up glass around my handprint.

The knocking grew louder.

My eyes flew open. I was alone in the car. And someone’s face was practically pressed against the driver’s side window. I jumped, slamming my elbow into the horn. “Sorry,” I mumbled, even though I knew the guy standing outside my car couldn’t hear me. My dream had felt so real. I could barely calm my rapid heartbeat just thinking about it. I took a deep breath. The dream meant nothing. I probably just had it because I was sleeping in a car. A car fantasy for my current predicament. It had nothing to actually do with James.

“Move it along!” he yelled through the

glass and pointed toward the exit of the parking lot.

I wiped the drool off the side of my face as I watched him walk away. He was wearing an apron with a logo that matched the pharmacy. I was lucky he hadn’t called the cops on me. But if I had been in a beat up old Chevy or something, he probably wouldn’t have even noticed me. Instead, I had accidentally swiped the most conspicuous car. When I pressed the unlock button in the parking garage I had cringed. I had basically stolen the Batmobile. So much for being discreet.

Which was exactly why I had pulled over in the middle of nowhere for a few minutes of shut-eye. I was hoping no one would notice. But a few minutes had quickly turned into a few hours. Fortunately, pharmacy man didn’t seem to be interested in calling the cops on me.

I put the key into the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot. I had no idea where I was going. No cell phone meant no GPS. But I was trying to stay off the highway so that there was less of a possibility of being pulled over. And I was generally heading south. I think.

There was only one realistic possibility of where I could go. My parents’ house. They were staying in the city as far as I knew, so they wouldn’t be home.

But the safety of my childhood home wasn’t calling to me. I watched the trees rushing by. It was summer. Not many students would be around campus. Maybe going back there would help jog my memory.

No. I didn’t want my memory to come back. I wanted to forget. I wanted to move on. But where else could I go? I looked down at the gas meter. I only had a quarter of a tank. Eventually my gas level would decide for me. That was the best way. Leave it to fate.

---