VI
STORM
“Y ou can touch me all you want, Bambi.’’
My fingers remained on his cheeks, unmoving. Slowly, he grabbed my wrist and leaned his face into my entire palm after giving it a small kiss.
I didn’t know it was possible to miss a person’s eyes this much, but now that I was looking at him, an inch away from his face, I couldn’t deny the way my body started reacting. My chest warmed with excitement.
That and the pure desire to strangle the shit out of him.
The sincerity laced behind those gorgeous green eyes pissed me off. There wasn’t an ounce of doubt after seeing him like this that he planned on coming back to me. He was just late, almost too late.
I tried yanking my hand back, goosebumps tugging on my skin as he raised a curious eyebrow. He clutched my wrist, not enough to hurt, but enough to prevent me from moving further.
“Let go,’’ I warned.
“Or what?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Or I’ll kill you.’’
Micah grinned. “I love it when you flirt with me.’’
“I don’t remember you being this irritating.’’
“I don’t remember you having an attitude.’’
I snorted. “I’m surprised you didn’t know, given that you’ve been following me quite closely in the past three years.’’
“You don’t know how much it was killing me not being by your side at all times.’’
“Apparently, not enough.’’
“Will you ever let me off the hook?”
I grinned, snatched my hand away once he didn’t expect it, and placed my thumb underneath his chin, bringing it upward.
Shock flashed behind his eyes, and I tried not to let him see just how nervous I was. Surprisingly, my hands didn’t tremble, and my body remained calm. I didn’t remember ever being this bold with him, given the way he was looking at me.
“Beg.’’
It was a half-joke.
I was aware that there wasn’t a way to dominate Micah this early on. The first thing I wanted to do was mess with his mind. I needed him to regret leaving me alone for such a long time. I needed to see him break before I could mold him into the person I wanted him to be.
So I didn’t expect to see delight written all over his face.
It was unexpectedly arousing.
“Do you want me on my knees?”
I tilted my head to the side, slowly distancing myself from him. This proximity was dangerous. I couldn’t allow him to sway my emotions any longer. It was difficult being able to stand my ground when he gave me a look filled with desire.
On my feet, I slowly started retreating to the room.
“It’s all up to you.’’ I shrugged, acting nonchalant. “But you better make it memorable. Who knows? Maybe I can find someone else who can beg prettier.’’
A low growl rumbled from his chest, eyes narrowing at me. He followed me into the room and slammed the door shut. I didn’t know what to expect next, so I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, somewhere deep inside of me hoping he’d leave the room before my heart burst.
It didn’t happen.
He was on top of me within seconds, and I had no idea how to react. I couldn’t for a few seconds.
His hands came beneath me, hugging me tightly as he buried his head in my chest. Even with his heavy breathing, I couldn’t feel all of his weight on my body. He was controlling himself better than I thought he would.
“If you continue to say things like that, I can’t guarantee I’ll remain sane.’’
“As if you’ve ever been sane.’’
He chuckled darkly. “True as that may be, you didn’t get the chance to know just how fucked up in the head I am. You don’t know the lengths I’d go to keep you chained by my side.’’
“Careful, your possessive side is showing.’’
Micah ignored me, and briefly, silence surrounded us. Our hearts beat in a matching rhythm, and it sounded like the most beautiful melody. I wished I could pause the time and remain like this forever. In peace, with this sick and twisted man on top of me.
“It’s in your best interest to take my warnings seriously, Bambi.’’ His voice was barely a whisper. How could a whisper sound so threatening?
“Or what?”
I knew I was pushing him. However, if there was anything I truly knew about this man was that he liked his buttons pushed. The only way for me to find out something was to push beyond the limits, and then some more.
“Or I might truly go insane. This world is meaningless if you’re not by my side. I’m tempted to gouge the eyes of every man you’ve ever encountered.’’
I couldn’t stop a laugh from slipping.
“You keep count of all the men I’ve ever encountered?”
Finally, he looked up at me, resting his chin in between my breasts. I started to melt beneath him as his scent filled my senses. This tenderness and the feeling of safety were enough for my mind to go blank.
“Of course,’’ he responded immediately. “How else can I keep you safe? Even if it’s from the shadows, a day hasn’t gone by without me checking in on you.’’
I remained silent.
“So, you can’t leave me, Bambi. I’m nothing if I don’t have you.’’
Who the hell was this man?
Was Micah always this vulnerable?
The man I remembered, the man who was intensely engraved in my soul, was a hot-headed, act-first, think-later type of man. He always got what he wanted, no matter what he had to do to acquire it.
But the man I was seeing right now was softer.
Vulnerable.
Miserable.
Desperate.
The same man who once told me desperation didn’t look good on me.
It was only then that I realized how antagonizing these past three years had been on him. He was suffering. He was watching me, stalking me, and taking care of me from afar in his own way, and for reasons unknown to me, he was unable to approach.
He was in pain too.
Yet, no matter how much I wanted to keep him by my side, I couldn’t find it in me to care.
The forgive-and-forget rule was for those unable to take revenge on people who hurt them. It was the easy way of making yourself seem like the bigger person.
I was never the bigger person.
And I didn’t believe in forgiveness.
Strangely enough, I managed to fall asleep soundly.
However, the peaceful sleep didn’t last for too long. Micah managed to roll us over, so that I was asleep on top of him, and I was woken up once I felt something hard pressing against my stomach.
Alarms went off in my head. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have sex with him, but it was too soon. Well, with him, there was no such thing as too soon, but before I could do that, I wanted to torture him a bit more.
Once I managed to detangle myself from the sheets and his tight hug, he opened his eyes. Confusion was set on his face, but one look at my flushed one was enough for him to grin widely.
“Good morning, Bambi.’’
“It’s far from morning,’’ I mumbled.
“Did we sleep in?”
“More like you didn’t let me sleep enough.’’ I pointed toward the small clock on the wall. “It’s three in the morning.’’
He was looking at me, up and down a few times, his smile never faltering. Slowly, he rose to his feet, and the quicker I was backing up, the quicker he was walking toward me. I found myself stuck between the door and him, and in this position, I had no way of unlocking the door and opening it.
“Why are you running away from me?’’ he teased.
“I’m not running,’’ I lied.
I was, in fact, trying to run away.
Truth be told, the plan I had about taming him was just theoretical. Micah was unpredictable, and there was a high chance of it backfiring horribly. I didn’t want to believe it at first, but now that he was staring at me with his signature, predatory gaze, I had to admit it.
Despite my efforts, this was still his game, and it was going to take some time before I turned the tables.
“That’s right.’’ He took a step forward, leaning toward me. His lips reached my ear, and he grazed it with his teeth. “There’s no way you could ever escape me, Bambi. The only way you can escape me is if you kill me. And you won’t do that, right?”
My teeth clattered together as I placed my palms on his chest, trying to shove him backward. It didn’t work, as he didn’t budge even an inch. His firm chest under my fingertips nearly knocked me off my feet.
The man had enough time to work out.
I wanted to suck on his tits.
“Right,’’ I responded, unsure of the question. At this point, I was staring at his chest, imagining the most unholy, filthiest things known to mankind. My mouth was dry, and I forcefully tore my gaze away, breaking the dirty thoughts.
Just how I planted my thumb under his chin a couple of hours ago, he was doing it to me now. Tenderly, he brought my chin up, forcing me to look at him. And I wish I was able to resist him. I wish I was able to ignore the fire that erupted in my body.
I couldn’t.
Micah was my only weakness.
“I know that there are so many things you’re curious about...’’ His soft voice reached my ears. “And I know you’re bent on making my life a living hell until you’ve made sure I would suffer as much as you did, and I won’t stop you. In fact, I’ll gladly take any punishments from you, Bambi.”
I swallowed roughly, blinking. “Does this little speech have a point?”
His gaze hardened. “Yes. I’ll tell you everything. All your questions will be answered in due time. So for now, why don’t you let go of that grudge and let me show you just how much I’ve missed you?”
“I can’t,’’ I whispered. “If I let go of the only thing that’s keeping me from shattering, I’ll have nothing left.’’
That was all it took for me to remember the past three years.
The pain.
Nights filled with terrors. I couldn’t count how many times I’d woken up in the middle of the night, screaming for him, begging for him to come and save me from the brutality of reality. How many times I was daydreaming of him coming for me, how many times I was crying myself to sleep knowing that I could never show him off to the world.
And the fact that he was there, right there all the fucking time, broke me. He quite possibly saw me breaking down, crying for him, shaking all alone in my bedroom, wishing he was with me.
It was anger.
My hands trembled on his chest as I bit my bottom lip until blood filled my mouth. Some managed to slip out, sliding down my chin.
Micah brought his face closer to mine, licking the blood that tickled. My body was on fire, half from anger, half from sadness. I couldn’t pick one and stick with it; a whirlpool of emotions overwhelmed me.
His hands were on my hips, holding me in place.
Tears pooled my eyes, yet I saw everything so clearly. My heart was clouded, but not my mind. My mind was lucid. I was fully aware of what I needed at this moment, and I didn’t want to hesitate anymore.
I needed an outlet for all this pent-up anger. I didn’t have a safe space where I was able to let go of all frustrations, insecurities, and doubts. Yet a mere touch from him told me it was okay to let it all out.
In a way, this was what I truly desired and Micah knew it.
“Show me just how angry you are, Bambi.’’
Not a single trace of doubt laced his tongue.
So, I embraced it.
All the darkness, all the anger and pain, I decided to overdose on it.
And I placed my lips on his.