Page 15 of Redemption

Chapter 13

I pushed asideall thoughts of my father until I had a clearer head. I was still processing the horror I’d discovered yesterday. Instead, I brought my focus back to Miles. Throughout the week, I cast surreptitious glances at him. He was still going through the motions of day-to-day life, but I sensed a tiny fissure in the façade. On Wednesday, Bryce called me into his office. I’d expected to get an update on the Bullman case. Instead, he sat behind his desk with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Someone came to see me this morning.”

“Okay. Good for you. What does that have to do with anything?”

“It was lover-boy.”

That definitely got my attention. “And?” I hated that I sounded like an excited kid on Christmas morning.

“We had a lovely conversation about you. Or about Jasmine, rather.”

I screeched in frustration, which only caused Bryce to chuckle. “I swear to God, Bryce Ezekiel Harris, if you don’t tell me what you guys talked about, I will Photoshop a picture of you on your knees wearing a collar and leash and post it on every fetish and gay dating website in existence.”

“Jesus, woman, are you sure you’re not a sadist? I was just yanking your chain.” He flinched at the word ‘chain’. “He wants to see you at Eden again. He says he understands the rules and knows you’re the one in charge. He says he’s yours to command. Well, he didn’t use those exact words. I’m paraphrasing. Either way, he’s coming back to Eden on Saturday.”

I couldn’t help but squeal in excitement before reeling it back in.

“Thank you, Bryce. And I’m sorry I threatened you with such drastic measures.”

“No worries, buttercup. I forgive you. I’d probably do the same if I were in your shoes. But, in all seriousness. Be careful, Josie. Especially when you break it to him who you really are. You could destroy everything you’ve worked so hard for. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

I walked over and stepped into his arms. Even after all these years, I was still not fully used to people caring for me this much. My father had disowned me after he’d had to “clean up” my mess. His words. I’d come home for Christmas the following year, because my mother, for once in her miserable existence, insisted. It was probably the one time my broken down mother ever stood up to my father, at least after the first time he hit her. That was the only reason I’d met Connor. Suddenly, I was transported back to that first meeting.

“Hey there.”

I startled at the disruption and ink smeared across the page as my hand jerked across the paper I was writing on.

“Damn it.” My heart stuttered back into rhythm as I forced myself to relax. I looked up at the owner of the deep voice and uneasiness skittered through me. The man was a foot taller than me and outweighed me by a good hundred pounds. He could have crushed me with a single blow.

He held his hands up in front of him and an almost comical look of chagrin graced his face. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Connor. I just started working security for your dad. You must be Josephine.”

I studied him as he stood almost awkwardly in the doorway, as though he didn’t know what to do with a teenage girl. He didn’t press to come in any farther. He just stood there, still as a statue, although a muscle or two twitched as if he fought off fidgeting. It was as though he were waiting for me to take his measure. He wasn’t classically handsome, his face too rugged for that. But his stillness had a weird calming effect on me. It’s said that the eyes are a window to the soul. Connor’s eyes spoke of deep pain. A pain I immediately connected with. Instantly, I felt at ease with him, which was odd considering his size, and the fact that I didn’t trust men. Not after my father.

“Josie.”

“Excuse me?”

“My friends call me Josie.”

His lips tipped up in a small, half smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Josie.”

Over the next six months, Connor had become one of my best friends. I couldn’t help but feel like he was an older brother looking out for me. That he would protect my little sister and me from the bad guys at any cost. Too bad he’d arrived a year too late. Maybe things would have turned out differently.

Once my father’s association with Connor ceased, so did my visits. I was never allowed to return home again after that. I hadn’t seen my mother or sister since I was twenty when my dad caught us secretly meeting; meetings I initiated even knowing my mother was terrified of my father finding out. Connor and Bryce were my family now.

“Thank you for caring so much. You were the one who made me take the leap. I might crash and burn, but it needs to be done. Once Miles forgives me for not being up front with him, I think he’ll realize what he could have with me. There’s something between us. Something real and powerful. Miles’ world is clouded by the guilt he feels about killing Malcolm. He needs to push it aside, as well as whatever else has held him back from me, and realize it.”

I withdrew from his embrace and went back to my office. A small smile never left my face the entire rest of the week. I even sensed a subtle difference in Miles as Saturday approached. He still didn’t come and joke with me, and I continued to sense the dark moments that were happening when he’d break out into a sweat and leave a room. But whereas before his trip to Eden, the bleakness wouldn’t escape his eyes the entire day, now there was a ten to fifteen second break every once in a while. As though something else broke through the darkness that shrouded him. A softness appeared on his face before quickly disappearing. It was a softness that lasted seconds longer by the time Friday rolled around.

Saturday night finally arrived,and I stood inside Eden, impatiently waiting for Miles to walk through the door with Bryce. Miles wasn’t a member, so he still required a personal invitation from a vetted member. I stood off to the side in the shadows so I could see him before he saw me.

Now was the time when I was glad there were no clocks inside. I would have only kept track as the seconds ticked by. Bryce said they’d be there at nine, and I knew it had to be around that time. Patience was not a virtue I possessed, and I didn’t feel like fending off different subs wanting to scene so I’d waited until eight-thirty before arriving. I must have been thinking about other things longer than I realized, because the next time I looked up, there he was. Tonight, though, he wasn’t wearing a mask so I could look fully at his face.

He had a few more lines than he did six years ago and his hair was slightly grayer, although he’d grown it out a little. My pussy throbbed as I remembered the abrasion against my inner thigh from his perpetual five o’clock shadow. It was softer than it looked, and I couldn’t wait to feel it again. His eyes darted around the room, and I knew he was looking for me. My heart raced with excitement, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I stepped out of the shadows, and as though an invisible string connected us, his gaze immediately zeroed in on me. Everyone around us disappeared.

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