Each day that passes, she’s burrowing herself into my life, into my mind. And even though I know I can’t fall for her, something’s happening. The need to protect her has overtaken me, and I want to lock her in my bedroom and keep her there.
My phone buzzes as I make my way to the garage and I notice my call ahead to have the cabin stocked with food and drinks has been completed. I haven’t had time to go up there in a while, and I know the place had been empty for a couple of months.
At the car, I shove my bags into the trunk and shut it before heading to the driver’s door. Once I’m seated, I start the engine and head down the drive to the gate. My plan is to take Arabella to the cabin. It’s our family’s private residence, and we’ll have some quiet time to get to know each other.
The night she got arrested seems to be a block for her, but more than that, I have a feeling she may know where her dad is. If she does, I’ll hopefully be able to coax it out of her while gifting her with endless orgasms. All I need to do is remind myself she’s nothing more than a pawn in this game.
When I pull up to the house, Arabella is standing at the gate, her face a picture of worry as I come to a stop and she races toward the car. She shoves the small suitcase into the trunk before pulling open the passenger side door. The moment she’s beside me, her breath whooshes from her lips.
“What the hell is wrong?” I stare at her, taking in the anxiety etched all over her pretty face. I can’t deny she’s beautiful. It’s not something I should be noticing, but I’d have to be blind not to see it.
“Nothing,” Arabella breathes before she offers me a smile. But it doesn’t meet her eyes, and I know something is wrong.
“I don’t like lies, little deviant,” I grit out, my fingers squeezing the fucking steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white.
“I just … it feels like someone is watching me,” she finally admits, and I can’t deny my blood burns hot. “And …” Her words taper off when she twists her hands in her lap, sending my rage through the fucking roof.
“And fucking what, Arabella?”
“The other night, after dinner,” she starts, lifting those stormy eyes to mine. “Well, the next morning, I found … I mean …” I’m about to grab her and shake the information from her, but then she whispers, “I found a mess in my underwear drawer.”
All I see is red. My rage is at boiling point. “What?”
“It’s as if someone … It was all dried, but it wasn’t something I’d dropped in there.”
Starting the engine, I pull out onto the road, the tires squealing against the tar, and we shoot forward, zero to fucking sixty in a milli-fucking-second.
“Elian,” Arabella tries to call to me, but I’m too enraged to think straight. My focus on the road ahead blurs, and I know I should pull over, but I don’t. Instead, I race for the highway which will take us out of Black Mountain and up toward the cabin. She doesn’t try again. She doesn’t touch me. We just sit in silence as I simmer at what she just said.
We’re nearing the cabin when I finally speak, attempting to keep my voice calm. “Why didn’t you tell me the day it happened?”
“I was scared. I don’t know.” She lifts her watery gaze to mine. “I think I know who it is, and … I’m not sure he’s going to stop.” Her admission makes every part of me go rigid.
I kill the engine when we get to the cabin and turn toward her. “I want all the details. His name, age, where he lives, anything you know about him. Am I understood?” I’ll sort the bastard out. He’ll never come near her again.
I push open the door and exit the vehicle, making my way toward her side. Offering her my hand, she accepts with a small smile, and I know I need to distract her from what happened. This is a good thing. But the problem is, it’s all my fucking fault she’s in this mess.
Inside the cabin, I watch as Arabella moves through the comfortable living room, which is furnished with soft couches and bean bags. We used to party out here, but since I started teaching, my focus had shifted from parties to revenge.
The girl before me spins on her heels, meeting my stare. “This is perfect,” she tells me with a grin on her face. The haunted look she had in the car has dissipated, but I’m certain it will return.
Unless I do something.
32
Arabella
He has a smirk across his lips, but there’s emotion shining in his eyes I can’t quite put my finger on. It could be guilt, or worry, I’m not sure.
“It’s one of my favorite places.” Elian moves toward me, stopping inches from me. “We’re alone here.” His words skitter over my skin, making me shiver. “And nobody can hear you scream my name.”
“Is that a promise?” I tease, twining my arms around his neck, and I hold on as he lifts me against him. My legs wrap around his waist, but he doesn’t walk us into the bedroom. Instead, he settles on the couch, leaving me straddling him.
“Tell me your secrets, little deviant,” he says, not entirely a question, but also not an order. “I want to know you. Tell me about your folks, about you growing up.”
He seems genuinely curious. I open my mouth to respond, but I’m not sure how. The reminder of why I came to Black Mountain flicks through my mind, bringing with it the heartache I’ve shoved down into the recesses of my soul.
“If I talk about it, I’ll only break down.”
“Let
