Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
We exited the ballroom together; Castle’s hand was clasped in mine, our fingers entwined. We passed the hallway that led to the ballroom and before we could enter a room, Castle rounded the corner suddenly and pulled me against him.
I gasped as his hands, which were splayed on my waist in a possessive grip, tightened his hold over my body. His touch ignited an inexplicable fire inside me.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
He didn’t listen to me; his lips attacked my cheek and trailed a path down my jaw and my neck as his teeth grazed the sensitive skin softly. The slight bristles over his cheek brushed my skin, making my knees grow weaker. I had to hold on to his shoulders for a better grip, and it was a good thing the high heels were giving me a good advantage here.
He smelled of some expensive whiskey or brandy or some other drink, the scent of it mixed with his signature cologne that reminded me of spice and wood.
He was drunk.
“Castle...” I said, trying to untangle his body from mine for fear of getting caught. “Someone can come here.”
He wouldn’t listen to me. Instead, his fingers dug into my hair as he tilted my face to claim my mouth in a hot, searing kiss.
He kissed me like he was dining on one of the finest delicacies he’d ever have.
And I loved it.
To be showered by so much attention, even if Castle was using me for his pleasures, I couldn’t say that I hated it. It was wrong on so many levels to fall for a man that belonged to the family that was keeping me captive and it had more to do with the previous lack of genuine attention that I’d received.
He and I were almost similar.
He was bound by his twisted family, forced to do what they asked, and I wasn’t any different.
I was hungry for this connection. To be wanted with such passion...
His lips continued the assault, his mouth sucking my tongue. I kissed him back, putting my arms around him. My fingers went into his hair. My feet weren’t touching the ground. I was holding onto Castle for dear life.
I pulled away. “We shouldn’t be doing this. Your brother will kill me if he finds out.”
I wondered if Castle had faked about not feeling well when I was talking to Jett so he could get me away from there.
Somehow, the thought of Castle being jealous for me was enticing.
I closed my eyes and relished the way he groaned into my mouth, pressing his thick arousal against my stomach. I felt the desire stirring inside my core. No one ever had this effect on me. His hands strayed from my hips to the slit at the side of the dress and his palm covered between my thighs.
I was breathing hard, but I still managed to say. “No, Castle, not here.”
It was clear that soon he would want more. He’d want to go forward and if he pushed, I don’t think I had it inside me to deny him what he sought. Suddenly, his moments stopped. He stilled, and I wondered what had frozen him.
In my peripheral vision, I saw why he remained immobilized.
Chandler stood a few feet away from us, staring silently. His expressions were unreadable.
He couldn’t be trusted!
It was no secret that Chandler, despite being cute as hell; was also a little runt, unlike Theo, who appeared to be cold from the outside but cared about people and liked to maintain a distance because he didn’t like what his family was doing to innocent people.
Chandler would no doubt spill. I didn’t want to go through another fun episode of ′let’s break-Millie’s legs.’
Castle slowly placed me down. My heels touched the floor.
I walked to where his little brother was standing, his big apple-green eyes watching me as I stepped in front of him.
“Chandler, what you saw here was nothing. Castle and I were only talking to each other.”
“With his hands in your panties?” He snapped.
I stood there, shell-shocked. That sounded nasty coming from was an innocent-looking eleven-year-old spoiled rich brat.
“It’s not what you think. I promise. Castle wasn’t feeling well inside the ballroom, so I brought him here.” I explained.
He looked directly at Castle, ignoring what I’d just said. “Devin said we’re leaving the party soon. You better eat up your dinner or you’re going to be starving when you get home.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he eats.” I assured him.
Chandler frowned. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
His rudeness was next level. I don’t remember hating a kid so much before. Chandler was extremely moody. Sometimes he wanted to play board games with me, and then other times he treated me like I was a garden insect.
We returned to the party with Chandler, had our dinner, which was a long buffet of fine-dining food, and then Devin told me we were going to leave early.
I was thankful for not getting caught up in any drama.
Three days had passed, and I had heard nothing from Devin.
How could Chandler possibly shut his mouth about what he’d witnessed at the party? It was hard for me to assume that this had something to do with luck because I wasn’t lucky by a long shot.
I tried to keep Castle’s hands off me after being seen at the party, just to be on the safer side, but all I could think of was Castle’s mouth on mine and the delicious way his hands would roam all over my body. It was hard to keep myself from fantasizing about what we could be under normal circumstances.
If Castle had been well, would he still desire me? These questions continued to pop up in my mind, refusing to let go.
I sat in the room’s darkness with only my thoughts to keep me company.
There was a soft knock on the door.
It was Castle.
I’d successfully avoided his night visitations by not answering the door, but it was proving to be harder when all I wanted to do was to allow him inside.
Questions preoccupied my mind.
What if Castle had been the same with the caregivers here before me?
What if he did the same with them and Devin had killed them for touching his brother?
I’d done some research on the previously employed caregivers. Most of them seemed to be in their late thirties or forties. There were only two who were as young as me. Three of which had died tragically. Two others had left the job. Nobody under the Montgomery employment was allowed to quit their jobs. According to what I’d learned, they either ended up dead or stayed on the estate.
There were far too many secrets buried within the family, and Devin didn’t want it to be leaked outside. After all, they had a reputation to keep.
No matter how perfect the outside world thought they were, the truth was that they were beyond fucked up.
There was something bad going on, but I was yet to find out what.
Another soft knock brought me back to reality.
I asked him to come inside.
Castle stepped into the room. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and only a pair of sweatpants riding low on his hips. My eyes glazed over as I took in the vast expanse of his brawny chest, the muscles, and the set of abs that looked almost sculpted.
This is a bad idea, whatever it is that we’re doing.
If Castle had tried to do something to the previous caregivers, I’m sure they would have opened their legs for him willingly.
I was going crazy. He was driving me crazy.
“Hey, sweetie…”I whispered, as if the walls could hear us. “What’s up?”
He looked straight at me. “Don’t call me that.”
“What?”
He looked at me, then looked away shyly. “I’m not…I’m not a child. Don’t talk to me like I’m…some kid.”
He lowered himself onto my bed, the whiff of his familiar scent tinged my nostrils, and if I was shameless enough to admit, I was probably soaking with desire. Despite his silence, he seemed to always find a way to communicate with his eyes, those deep brown-golden eyes that looked almost luminous in the dark.
Since I’d stopped giving him the medication, his eyes had a distinct glow about them. They weren’t devoid of life like how they used to be when I first came to the mansion, and he was far more expressive about his feelings.
“Oh, I didn’t realize you thought that way. I’m sorry, I won’t call you that.”
The fog was slowly lifting from his mind and body. The panic attacks had also minimized.
He placed a paper crane in front of me. A small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “For you.”
If not for Devin, I would have died from a sugar-coma. Castle was really sweet.
I picked it up, “Thank you.”
He leaned in and kissed me. The paper crane slipped from my hands as they circled around his neck.
I don’t know how long I’d spent kissing him, but I was suddenly aware of what was going on when Castle’s hands caressed the skin of my thighs, reaching up to peel off my panties.
“Castle, no!” I shrieked in a whisper as loudly as I possibly could allow myself in the night.
I couldn’t be mad at him for his indecency with the way he was innocently looking at me.
His hand still stayed on my lap, and he asked, “Why not? You…don’t like me?”
“It’s not that. Devin won’t like it.”
“But I’m his older brother. He can’t…tell me what to do.” Castle pointed out.
“I know you are, but he’s currently in charge of taking care of you.” I touched his cheek. “If he finds out about us, he’ll destroy me.”
“I won’t let him…” he stared at me for a few seconds, looking for the right words, “hurt you…I promise.”
I nodded, still smiling. My heart skipped a beat.
He traced the pattern on my nightgown and sneaked a glance at me.
I grinned, “What is it?”
“Millie…you won’t ever leave me…would you?”
I was going to cry.
If Castle got his memories back, maybe he wouldn’t want me, but that was a risk I was willing to take.
“I’ll stay as long as you want me here.”
“I’ll never stop wanting you.” He whispered. His voice was raspy and his fingers now slowly tracing the lace on the hem of my gown. He applied gentle pressure on my thighs. “I feel…like…”
I urged him to go on.
“I feel like…I’m myself when…when…I’m around you.”
“Me too. I want you to get better, so you can remember everything that happened.”
“What if I remember everything…and,” he paused, giving me a pained look, “What if I forget you?”
I laughed, feeling a little melancholic about what Castle not remembering me. “I’ll make you remember me again.”
He pulled me close, and I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his body relax against mine. There was nothing sexual about the embrace, only a sense of mutual contentment.
He placed his head in my lap and looked up at me as he played with my stray curls. “You’re so beautiful.”
I leaned in and kissed his forehead. In return, he picked up my hand and kissed it, and then proceeded to kiss every finger.
And I was falling harder for this broken man.
Castle and I had slept together that night, just holding each other, and I didn’t remember ever sleeping so peacefully before. I had to send him back to his room before dawn for fear that a servant would see him leaving my room in the morning and get any wrong ideas.
Gossip spread like wildfire in this house, and that’s the last thing I needed.
After I made sure that Castle had sneaked into his room, I went back to mine and had fallen asleep.
When I finished having my shower and stepped out of the steaming bathroom, I was a little shocked to find two maids standing in the room with a dress laid out on my Queen sized bed.
Penelope and Sally looked like two robots operated by batteries. I wondered if they ever showed any emotions like humans. I wouldn’t be surprised if Devin had trained them to be that way, given how sick and twisted he was.
I looked at the dress and then at the two of them. “What’s that for?”
“The dress is for the wedding this evening.”
The dress was pearly white, nothing too fancy, but elegant.
“Whose wedding am I attending?”
The two looked at each other in some silent communication.
“You’re getting married to Mr. Montgomery.”