Page 32 of Tangled Up

My chest aches as I recall the situation. I believed it could be a temporary one if we could get Alize on the proper medication. With support, she could ease into society and motherhood when she was strong enough.

Then she disappeared.

Then the letter appeared; then the emails.

Alize Willis is a small woman with light-brown hair and tired brown eyes. Her face is world-weary, appearing older than her twenty-two years. Her eyes are lined. Her own childhood was a horror story of death and abandonment. She’s never had anyone she could count on in her life.

Simply put, I’m not afraid of her. My heart aches for her. I see this scenario all the time. She went off her meds and entered a fantasy world where she was the star and nothing else existed.

I’m lost in thought when my phone buzzes with another text from Ronnie.She’s worse. She looks innocent.

Exhaling heavily, I don’t even bother replying. He’s determined to lock her up for good, whereas I’m determined to help her. We’re at an impasse.

Heading out the screen door, my insides swirl with frustration and adrenaline and anticipation. Despite my current, limbo situation at work, the days have passed quickly.

I’ve helped Henry a few hours every day at his clinic until we found a high school senior who could work part time, then I hung out with Jessica at the salon a few afternoons.

Last night, I dreamed about him, and now, without actually thinking about it, I’ve taken the old path that leads all the way down to the Pearl. I’m alone, surrounded by sea grass, and no one knows where I am.

Technically, I’m not disobeying orders. I’m close enough to run if anything were to happen. Still, I’m completely hidden. Anyone could be around, lurking…

My heart beats faster.Dammit, Ronnie. I can’t believe he’s in my head, making me afraid to walk the familiar paths of Eden alone.

I’m not afraid.

Even so, I pick up the pace until I step out onto the shore, where people are milling about, playing in the surf or fishing. Children squeal as they run away from the breakers, and patient parents build sandcastles.

Crossing my arms, I continue south as the wind blows my hair behind my shoulders. The sun is descending towards the ocean. It was setting the last time I was here as well, only that time I was feverish with need and anger, and maybe the alcohol in my blood pushed me over the edge.

He was right when he accused me of going there to fuck him, even if I didn’t clearly have the intention when I left the housesansunderwear. Every step closer to him fueled my desire. My thighs rubbed and my body heated as the friction rose.

Closing my eyes, I remember him lifting me off the ground, my legs circling his waist. I remember his lips covering mine, his fingers threading into my hair, his teeth biting my jaw. I remember his mouth on my breasts, sucking and teasing. I remember him gripping my ass as he moved me back and forth across his thick cock, plunging deep…

I’ve been heated since my dream, and when I reach the sandy foot of the stairs leading to his mansion, I think I’m having another dream. My lips part, and my breath disappears when he appears on the porch looking down at me.

His dark hair moves in the breeze, and when our eyes meet, butterflies flutter wildly in my lower stomach. I take a step back, unsure if I should go forward or run away. I know what I want to do, what my body craves, but I’m playing with fire.

He doesn’t give me a choice. Jogging down the steps, he catches my hands. “Carly? What are you doing here?”

“I was just walking.” I look back in the direction I came, and the wind blows my hair in my face. “I didn’t think you’d be here. It’s Wednesday.”

“Yeah.” He moves a dark curl behind my ear, and it’s so familiar.

An ache of longing tightens through my chest. I want all his touches. I’m starving for them.

He looks up the beach in the direction I came, then blinks back to meet my eyes. “I finished early, and I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. I didn’t expect to miss you so much.”

I didn’t realize I missed him so much until he reappeared again.

“Here I am.” I glance down at my dress, the same dress I had on four days ago when he found me.

I’m not wearing a bra, and my nipples are tight. My whole body is tight. I’ve been walking, trying to burn off these feelings, but nothing satisfies this need except him.

How is it I’m a professional woman, well-respected in my field, yet standing here in front of him, I’m the same teenage girl from so long ago? The one who can’t get enough of him?

His eyes darken. “Come with me.”

He takes my hand, and I follow him up the steps to the back porch. We push through the glass doors, and when he turns, we fall together. Our lips collide and part, and his tongue curls with mine.

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