triple decker card castle, reflecting on each card and how they all held a purpose.
They all leaned on each other, and without one, the rest would fall. I somehow
doubted Darren’s empire resembled the same fragileness of a card house, but like
any structure, if the foundation cracked, the whole thing would crumble. A simple
flick of the bottom middle card and the entire house fell to a scattered mess in the
blink of an eye. I hoped it would be that quick.
The following day, Darren worked from home, and since I was successful at my
hourly activities schedule, he assured me we would walk through the woods
together after my lunch. I was a little reluctant, afraid he might find some reason to
keep me from the trees, or that he would be looking for a reason. I had to express
the importance of this to him; that if he wanted me mentally healthy, I needed a
moment of fucking peace.
After my lunch, I paced in front of the back door as I waited for Darren. Dressed
in my pink Nikes, white skort, and black tank top, I was beginning to think I’d wear
my shoes out before he got here. I kept checking my new watch, watching the
seconds tick by agonizingly slow. This was bullshit.
“Ugh, where is he?” I whined to my shadows, throwing my arms out
dramatically.
“He’ll be here soon, Miss Jaden,” Owen replied. “He’s handling something right
now.”
I wanted to break something. I loved how if I was three minutes late for
something, I got an ass beating over his knee, but he could take his sweet ass time
with whatever the fuck he wanted. I guess that was the highlight of being the boss.
Stupid fucker.
An hour and a half later, Darren finally emerged, dressed in dark jeans and a
dark maroon button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He didn’t
usually dress that casual, but when he did, fuck, it was sexy, especially when I could
see his tattoos.
“Ready?” he asked me.
Snapping the book I had been reading closed, I rose from the couch,
nonchalantly shoved the book in Clive’s arms, and headed over to Darren. I tried
hard not to glare at him for making me wait so long, but it was difficult to placate
my foul attitude. Taking my hand in his, Darren led me outside, leaving Clive and
Owen to watch from the windows.
The sun was bright and warm as we walked through the grass, but I couldn’t
help but feel a twinge of nervousness. I’d hoped this would go well; otherwise, I
didn’t know what I was going to do with my life.
Even though he kept me waiting, Darren’s demeanor seemed light and carefree,
though I knew his guard was still up. My hand still clutched in his, we walked past
the hammock and stream, and I released a deep breath.
“Why are you so nervous?” he finally asked me, a smirk hiding in the corners of
his mouth.
Goddammit.
I huffed again. “I’m afraid you’ll find some bullshit reason to take this away
from me.”
“Mouth,” he warned, tightening his grip on my hand. “And I will do whatever is
necessary to make sure you’re safe.”
I scoffed. “This isn’t about my safety. This is about your obsessive need to
control everything concerning me, including the damn environment.”
“And why do you think I need that control?” he asked me.
Good question.
I shrugged. “You tell me.”
“Because it’s safer that way, Jaden,” he replied, halting us so he could stare
down at me. “The more I can control, the more likely you will be safe.”
“I thought we agreed that sheltering me was a bad idea.”
“We never agreed to that. You will be prepared for any type of situation, but I
will shelter you from any such potentially harmful situation as best I can.” His tone
was getting angry, and I didn’t need that right now.
“Whatever. I don’t want to argue. Just keep in mind this is important to me.”
“That’s a first,” he replied snidely.
I rolled my eyes and suddenly found my arm yanked, my body following while
Darren’s palm struck my ass with a quick hard slap.
“I saw that,” he admonished.
I wanted to roll my eyes again but thought better of it.
“What is it that you do out here?” Darren asked me a few minutes later as we
kept on the trail.
“Find ways to make peace with my life,” I replied darkly.
“Oh? By doing what?”
“By enjoying what little freedoms I have been granted, however long they may
last.”
Darren sighed. “You’re really expecting me to take this away from you.”
“I have learned to always expect the worse with you … so yes.”
“You only have yourself to blame for that. If you’d listened to me months ago
and settled, you’d be in a much happier state of mind.”
“I disagree, but then again what do I know? I’m just a worthless whore with a
tight hole
