Chapter 14
CATHERINE
Oh, God.
It was him.
He was back.
He raised his arms and tried to silence me. “Catherine. It’s not what you think. It’s me, Jekyll.”
I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t able to see clearly without my glasses, but I wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t Jekyll, it was his brother Hyde.
I backed up against the broken headboard as I scrambled to reach for the blanket, which had been out of reach on the floor earlier. I swept the blanket over my body, holding it tightly against my breasts. “You’re lying. I know you two look alike. You’re Hyde.”
Jekyll approached.
I stiffened.
He backed up a few steps. “Sweetheart, it’s me, Henry Jekyll. Hyde is gone. I’m so sorry. He’s never coming back. I promise.”
My eyes narrowed.
He was telling the truth. It was Henry. Hyde would never apologize, and he certainly wouldn’t back away when faced with my opposition.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to rescue you.”
“Did Hyde tell you… did he tell you about us… about what we’ve been doing?”
He averted his eyes. “Yes. Well, some of it.”
My heart sank.
I leaned up, cringing when the handcuff chain clattered against the headboard. “I can explain.”
He shook his head. “Believe me, you don’t owe me an explanation.”
I gripped the sheet between my breasts. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I like you, Henry. I truly do. Hyde is just… He’s just…”
“A better man. I get it.”
I rose up on my knees, stretching my shackled arm behind me in an effort to lean in and make him understand. “No! No, don’t say that. Don’t ever say that. He’s not a better man. He’s just so intense. It’s, well, it’s hard to resist a man like him.”
Henry blushed. I knew I was hurting him with my honesty, but I needed him to understand.
I took a breath and continued, “You have to understand. Some men, they appeal to a woman’s darker fantasies.”
Henry’s brow furrowed as his lips tightened but he remained silent.
“Those men are like the handsome and devious villain in a romance novel. They are intriguing because of the danger and adventure and passion.”
Henry cleared his throat. “Really, Catherine…”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I’m making a mess of this…
what I’m trying to say is those men are only good for a taboo read.
In real life, they suck. In real life they are mean and selfish and arrogant assholes.
” I lifted up my handcuffed wrist. “In real life, those men leave you bruised and naked, handcuffed to a bed, and don’t give a fucking damn how you get loose or how embarrassing it will be for a friend or… or… or your boss to find you this way.”
Henry approached the bed and gingerly sat on the edge. “It was not my intention to embarrass you. I was just concerned about your welfare.”
I brushed my tangled hair out of my eyes. “That’s my point, Henry! You are kind and considerate and gentle. You are boyfriend material. Hyde is one-night stand material.”
I was surprised how much I meant that. Henry was boyfriend material. I had known it from the first moment I met him. Hell, I had a crush on him after my first interview. That was until Hyde had come crashing into my life like a freaking bulldozer, trashing everything and everyone in his path.
Henry played with a wrinkle in the sheet as he kept his eyes downcast. “Yes, but Hyde is the man you want in your bed. You barely tolerated my kisses.”
I reached out and caressed his jaw. “That’s not true. I liked your kisses. They were sweet.”
Henry rose and paced around the bedroom. “Sweet. You are just trying to spare my feelings. A woman like you doesn’t want sweet. Like you said, you want passion and danger.”
“I admit it. I thought I wanted passion and danger. I don’t anymore. I don’t think I’m cut out to be with a man like Hyde. I don’t think I have the emotional fortitude.”
Henry turned to face me. “Does that mean you could want a man like me?”
I bit my lower lip.
Henry ran his hand through his hair. “Stop. Wait. Don’t answer that. It’s unfair of me to ask you that. Not now.”
“I’m not saying no, Henry. It’s just been a rough night. I need a shower and time.”
“Oh, my God! Of course! Of course! I can’t believe I’ve been grilling you about your feelings when you’re,” he gestured to the broken bed and handcuffs, “obviously indisposed.”
Henry circled around the bed assessing my situation.
I waved in the direction of the fallen bedposts. “I tried to break the one post but as you can see it didn’t go very well.”
Henry frowned. “If only we had the key.”
His eyes widened. He patted his denim pockets in front then in back. He reached inside his back pocket and pulled out a key. “The handcuff key!”
My eyes narrowed. “How do you have that?”
“Hyde tossed it to me this morning, saying I might need it. I didn’t think anything of it at the time and then when you didn’t show up for work, I got worried and forgot all about it.”
It seemed plausible but still…
I shrugged. Now was not the time to look a gift horse in the mouth.
I lifted my wrist. Henry unlocked the handcuff.
I let out a long sigh of relief as I rubbed my wrist. I was surprised to see there weren’t any real marks with the exception of a faint red mark near my thumb from where I had tried to pull my hand through the metal bracelet.
I wrapped the sheet around myself more securely. “Thank you. I’d like to get dressed now.”
Henry jumped back. “Of course! I’ll just be downstairs.”
I nodded.
Before he left the bedroom, he surveyed my broken bedroom door. Pointing to it, he said, “I’ll fix this for you later.”
I gave him a faint smile. “That would be nice, thank you.”
It would be a nice gesture. I hated to think what Mr. Langon would say if he saw the shattered door.
After Henry left, I rose from the mattress on the floor and hobbled to the bathroom.
Every muscle in my body hurt. I reached down and turned the knob for the shower.
Usually, because of my pale, sensitive skin, I took lukewarm showers.
Not today. I turned the knob as hot as it would go and stepped under the stream.
I couldn’t contain a groan of relief as the hot water hit my sore back and shoulders.
I soaped up a washcloth and rubbed it down my arms and legs.
I then twisted to catch a glimpse of my ass.
I was surprised to see only creamy white skin.
No marks. My cheeks flamed at how Hyde had put me on all fours and whipped me with his belt and then fucked me hard from behind.
My orgasm was so intense I’d passed out.
When I woke up, he was gone. I was so overtired from sex with him that I fell asleep again, not caring that I was still chained to the bed.
Later, when I was alone with a bottle or three of wine, I would let myself dwell on what happened.
Right now, I was content to think Hyde was the biggest, most arrogant asshole in the world but also the greatest sex partner I’d ever had in my life and leave it at that.
There would be plenty of time later for guilt, regret, second-guessing, and analyzing every detail with girlfriends.
Maybe in time, when I was older, married, and settled with a few kids, I would look back on this with amusement as a final reckless fling, like most people did with their stupid mistakes in their twenties. They chalked it up to being young and stupid and left it all in the past.
And that was where Hyde belonged. In the past.
I slipped into a simple black dress and a cozy pair of socks before heading downstairs.
The smell of coffee drew me to the kitchen.
Henry was standing in front of my tiny stove wearing my frilly French maid-inspired apron.
I laughed.
He turned and gave me an innocent look. Feigning confusion, he held up his spatula and said, “What?”
I kept laughing.
He winked and turned his attention back to the stove. He gestured over his shoulder. “There’s fresh coffee.”
I poured myself a cup in my favorite mug and took a seat at my kitchen table.
I silently watched Henry cook me eggs. He looked absolutely ridiculous in my apron, but I had a feeling that was the point.
I smiled. Henry was a keeper. He was the type of man a girl could spend the rest of her life with.
He wasn’t like Hyde who would only bring tears, worry, and fear. Nope. Henry was husband material.
He grabbed a plate from my clean dish rack and loaded it up with scrambled eggs just as the toaster popped up with two pieces of wheat toast. He spread both slices liberally with butter and placed the plate in front of me.
I wrinkled my nose. “This was really sweet, but I’m not sure I’m hungry. I usually just have coffee in the morning.”
He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “Nonsense. You need to eat. Just try at least a bite.”
With a sigh, I lifted my fork and scooped up a bite of eggs just to make him happy.
The moment the eggs hit my tongue I closed my eyes and groaned with satisfaction.
They were warm, buttery perfection. Before I knew it, I had eaten the entire plate and half the toast. I lifted up the second piece and spread it with some lingonberry preserves before finally looking up at Henry who sat across from me sipping his coffee, a finished plate of eggs pushed to the side.
I smiled again. “This is nice.”
Henry smiled back. “Yes, I could get used to this.”
So could I. It felt comfortable and domestic in a good way.
It seemed silly to be sharing this intimate moment after all the taboo things I had done with his brother just upstairs only a few hours earlier.
Guilt twisted my stomach. “Henry, listen…”
He set his coffee mug down and stared at me. “Before you say anything, there is something I need to tell you.”