Page 74 of Bound By Temptation

Except, I couldn’t dodge the feeling of eyes on me, so as soon as there was an open shot, I took it and headed home.

The feelings I had were completely gone by the time I pulled up to my house, opened the garage door, and pulled my baby inside.

Gizmo was there to greet me, and after a few loves, she needed the restroom. “Hang on there, little one.”

The lights in my house were set on an automatic timer. I didn’t like Gizmo being in the dark, nor did I like going into a dark house.

Flipping the outside lights on, I unlocked the slider and let Gizmo loose, then stepped out into the night air. It happened to be a beautiful night. Quiet with the stars in the sky shining bright. One in particular brighter than the others.

Memories flashed me back to the past.

“This is beautiful,” I told Ax as we lay on the blanket under the stars. We were all alone on top of one of the hills right outside of Sumner. I’d only been here with Ax, and this was our second time.

“You’re beautiful,” Ax replied, pulling me closer into his body. God, I loved him. Loved him with everything inside of me.

My mother warned me never to get to attached to a boy in high school, but I couldn’t help it. Ax had me wrapped in his snare, and there was nowhere else I’d rather be. He was it for me. I wanted him for the rest of my life.

“Look.” Ax pointed to the sky where a shooting star flashed across the darkness. “Make a wish.”

That night I’d wished to be with Ax forever, and it didn’t turn out as I’d planned. Instead, it left me torn wide open. Now he was back in my life. What that meant, I was still up in the air about. And now this tape coming back to life… How did my life turn so hard on its axis all of a sudden?

Gizmo started yapping or barking’ one could call it either. Maybe a yapbark?

I shook my head at my crazy thoughts. “Come on, Gizmo! Time to eat.”

She bound in like I knew she would. Girl loved to eat. I locked the door and gave her the food, then proceeded to make something for myself. Popcorn at the game did not cut it, but the look on the girl’s face who Ax bought it from was priceless.

Sitting down to eat, the doorbell went off. Ax didn’t ring bells. He just picked locks and came right in, so it couldn’t be him.

Gizmo started barking as I put down my fork and went to the door. I peeked outside the window though the blinds. The front lights were on, but no one was there.

No one in front of the door waiting to come in.

No one walking on my driveway or the street.

“You heard that? Right, Giz?” Surely, I wasn’t hearing shit now. I had enough on my plate as it was dealing with Ax, the tape, and life. Lord knew I didn’t need anything else.

Gizmo yapbarked, her head moving up. “I guess that’s a yes or, at least, that’s what I’m taking it for.”

I wasn’t stupid. There was no way in hell I was opening that door, especially when I saw nothing. I’d seen a few horror films, and I wasn’t going to be the stupid bitch who let the crazy ax murderer in to slaughter me up. If there were something there, I’d want to see it in the light of day. Not the dark of night.

I rested my back to the door. Why on earth was that the first thought I had? An ax murderer? Seriously? It’d been forever since I’d watched Emily D. Baker and listened to the trials and her commentary. Was I warped from watching true crime sometimes.?

Ax was crossing all of my wires as of late.

More than likely it was kids doing the door dash. I wouldn’t be surprised if I stepped on a bag of dogshit on my front stoop in the morning. Too bad for them I used the garage. Ax could have the pleasure of stepping in it if he attempted to come into my house tonight.

While part of me wanted to stay awake and see if Ax would show up, it was past ten, and I had to be up in a few hours for work. A yawn escaped.

Ax would either have to use his magic to get in, or he’d have to come another time. I really wasn’t sure I wanted him to come at all. That was a lie. I’d felt safer with him here. How fucked up was that? The one person who’d destroyed me as a teen was the one man I felt the safest with.

Changing my clothes, I dropped Gizmo on the bed and climbed in behind her.

I put on the Hunger Games and quickly fell fast asleep.

26

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