Chapter 33
The second we stepped into my apartment, Jackson grabbed hold of my hand and led me toward my bedroom. We barely made it inside before he stripped us both of our clothes.
“Are you in a hurry?” I laughed when he wiggled his brows and pushed me onto the bed.
“To get inside you, yes. But once I’m there, I’m going to take my time.”
“I don’t have any problem with that.”
“I didn’t think you would,” he replied, his mouth lingering inches from mine, teasing me.
I lifted my head off the pillow and tried to kiss him, but he pulled away before I could, the slight curve of his mouth telling me everything: he wanted to be in control, to set the pace.
I was only too thrilled to let him. “I need you,” he said, spreading my legs and resting his hips over mine.
The tip of his arousal pressed against my clit, and a shiver of deliciousness raced through me.
“I’ve waited all day for this,” I confessed, hooking my ankles behind him.
“I’ve been counting the seconds since you left my bed this morning. It drove me crazy not being able to touch you, but now I can do whatever I want. You said so.”
“I did say that, didn’t I?” My grin mirrored his.
All I wanted to do was melt into him, to stay right here, locked in this moment for as long as we could.
He pressed against me, and while I wanted him to just take me, I had to be smart.
“There was one caveat to what I told you. I’m game for whatever you want except having sex without a condom. ”
“That’s the only stipulation?” he asked, the mischievous look in his eyes making me rethink my statement.
“Are you referring to anal?” I asked.
“It did cross my mind.”
“Well, get rid of that thought because that’s not happening anytime soon.”
“So, you’re saying there is a possibility in the future?” A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“I’m not saying anything.”
He leaned down and pressed his mouth against mine. “Tease.” He hopped off the bed and redressed. “I’ll grab a condom. Be right back.”
“I’ll be right here waiting.”
Jackson briefly stopped by the door and looked back at me; the peaceful expression he wore was a sight I longed to see more of.
Two minutes later, he poked his head into my bedroom. “I don’t have any left, so I have to run to the store. It’s only a few blocks away, so I won’t be long. Is there anything you want me to pick up for you while I’m there?”
“Can you grab me some vanilla ice cream?”
“Sure. Anything else?” His gaze traveled the length of my body, the heat from his stare setting me ablaze.
I trailed my fingers from my breasts to my belly, dipping lower the longer he stared at me. “No, that’s all.”
His eyes were fixated between my legs. “Are you… you sure?”
“Yes.” I removed my hand, snapped my legs together and flashed him a bold grin. “Hurry back.”
I didn’t believe I’d ever seen anyone move as quickly as he did, disappearing from the doorway faster than I could form a thought.
As I lay on the bed, I couldn’t help but be grateful for how my life was turning out, especially after everything I’d been through.
I felt alive for the first time in years, truly optimistic for what my future held.
I had a job I really enjoyed with a man who was quickly becoming more than a simple attraction.
Before I’d gone back down to the gym, I’d turned on the air-conditioning in my bedroom, and it was getting a little chilly.
I used the restroom, and after I freshened up, I threw on my white silk robe.
The prospect of Jackson slowly pulling apart the belt aroused me all over again, and I glanced at the clock, counting down the minutes until he was in front of me once more.
It’d only been five minutes, yet the time apart felt like an hour.
The click of the front door alerted me he’d returned, and, in my haste to seductively position myself back on the bed, I tripped over my feet and almost fell on my face. Luckily, I caught myself and had just enough time to move to the center of the mattress just as he reentered my bedroom.
Only it wasn’t Jackson who stood before me.
All my deep-seated fears bubbled into hallucinations. There was no other excuse as to why Mitch had suddenly appeared in the doorway of my bedroom.
I blinked once.
Twice.
But he was still there.
“Expecting someone else?” he asked, the familiar tenor of his voice solidifying the reality that the man I’d run away from was really standing in front of me.
The sound of the door closing behind him echoed in the small space. Terror reached up from the deepest parts of me and strangled the breath from my lungs.
His hate-filled gaze combed the length of me, and the second I came out of my horrified and surprised trancelike state, I scrambled to get away from him.
But he rushed toward me and jumped on top of me, spreading my legs, which caused the sides of my robe to separate.
I wore nothing underneath, a blend of mortification and dread battling for the win.
He pinned both of my wrists above my head with his right hand, immobilizing me.
Regret curdled inside me. Had my desire not held me hostage whenever Jackson was around, had we not given in to our baser needs, had he not needed condoms to fulfil our lust for each other, then I wouldn’t be in this predicament.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, frozen beneath him. “And how… how did you know—”
“Where you lived? You didn’t really believe I couldn’t find you, did you? You belong to me, Sophie,” he said, my name like acid on his tongue. “You always will.”
“I’m not yours. Not anymore.” I tried to buck him off me, but to no avail.
“I have a legal document that says you do.”
The last thing I wanted to do was mention Jackson, but maybe if he was aware a trained fighter was on his way back here, and soon, he’d come to his senses and leave.
“Jackson is going to be back any second.” I struggled to free my hands from his grip, but he tightened his hold, bruising my flesh.
“I’m not worried about him. Some of my buddies will keep him busy for a while.”
“What did you do?” I asked, panic threading through every word I spoke. “Did you set him up? He has nothing to do with you and me.”
“He’s fucking my wife. He has everything to do with this.”
The man I once pledged to spend my life with now looked like a stranger.
Gone was any reminder that he ever loved me.
Although, I doubted he felt anything toward me other than his warped sense of ownership.
But at least there had been times he faked it so well, I’d believed he truly cared for me.
But the man pinning me to the bed had a dead look in his eyes, as if every trait that made him human had morphed into something else entirely.
His dark hair, which he’d kept short, was slightly longer.
And he’d never worn facial hair but was now sporting several days’ growth.
Mitch had been meticulous with his appearance, careful not to allow his mask to slip long enough for anyone to see the real him.
Other than me, of course. These slight changes told a story—unfortunately, a dangerous one.
He reached behind him and withdrew his gun from his waistband. He looked at the weapon, then at me, and I was sure he witnessed the terror on my face.
Would he really kill me?
Was he delusional enough to think he’d get away with my murder?
Was it possible he could?
Would he try and set Jackson up for my death?
So many questions rattled around inside my head, but none of them distracted me enough to calm the erratic beat of my heart. My fear thickened the blood in my veins, and every breath I took was stolen by the next.
“What are you going to do?” I asked, unsure if I wanted him to answer. The less I knew, the better. Right now, delusional was probably the safest place for me to mentally reside until I could figure a way out of this. If that was at all possible.
The clank of his gun hitting the bedside table made me flinch. “I’m going to punish you for running away.”
“I didn’t run away,” I argued, my tone lighter than I intended. But panic was to blame for the display of weakness. “I left because you abused me. You pushed me down those steps and killed our baby.” I hated using the word “our” because he never wanted that child.
“I did.” This was the first time he admitted what he’d done. “I wasn’t going to share you with anyone,” he said, the coldness behind his eyes terrifying me. “And I won’t start now.”
With his free hand, and with force greater than he’d ever used before, he squeezed my right nipple.
I cried out in pain. He repeated the torture several more times before he wrapped his fingers around my throat and restricted my air.
As black tunneled my vision, I thought of my dad and Abby, of Jackson, and how I’d never see any of them again.
But right before I passed out, Mitch released his grip, and I was thrust back into full consciousness.
Through every painful cough and stuttered breath, I held on to hope I’d be rescued, but when I looked at his gun, then veered my gaze back to his and saw his expressionless face, which frightened me more than if he flashed an evil smile, I quickly realized this would be the end of my time on this earth.
The only question was: how long would he drag out the torment?