I turned my hands over; watching new bruises form on my wrists. How much of a beating could I take from this man before my body would give up? I could only assume I was about to hit my breaking point.
There was a knock on the door. I didn’t know if I should answer it. Could it be Ryan? I kept my nerves tightly wound and found my way to my feet.
“I’m just going to answer the door,” I yelled up the stairs.
Nothing. My mind raced with the worst possible thoughts. What was he doing to her?
I slowly turned the knob but then yanked the door wide open, expecting the worst. Standing in front of me was a familiar yet distant face. I quickly scanned him, looking for a weapon, but stopped instead at the insignia on the sweatshirt. I knew that shirt.
“You know Ryan. Is he here?”
He didn’t answer my question. “So you know who I am?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Yes you do, Grace. Look at me. Do you know who I am?”
He was deeply intense, and his face was becoming redder with every breath. I tried to make the connection. How did I know this man? When had I last seen him? Then it clicked. “It’s Danny, right?”
“Yes.”
“From the match. You fought Ryan.”
“Yes. Now I need you to listen to me.”
“Okay?” What was Ryan planning? Had he made the connection that Sean was here? “Where’s Ryan?”
“Forget about Ryan.”
I stopped. “What?” What did he mean? Wasn’t he here at Ryan’s request? Hadn’t he come to help me?
“I’m serious. I need you to forget about Ryan. If Ryan tries to make contact with you, you tell him you want nothing to do with him.”
“But… why?”
“Fuck, Grace. They told me you were smarter than this.”
They? Who told him…? “Oh God.” My head began to spin, but I knew what was happening. I didn’t want to believe it. “You’re with Sean,” I whispered the words; afraid if they were too loud it would prove their truth.
“There you go. Not just a pretty face, are you?”
“And Ryan doesn’t know?”
“He’s a little cloudy right now, with everything going on, but if I find out that you told him, he’s a dead man. You got that?”
How could I fight this threat too? I nodded. Sean was more prepared than I had thought. All the pieces he had chosen were falling into place. And now, if I requested any help from Ryan, it could mean his death, but I didn’t know how to fight this battle on my own. I would need to figure it out, and fast.
Danny reached his hand out, caressing my face. “Mmm you have the softest skin.” He leaned in closer. “I hope Sean lets me have a taste before he’s done with you.”
“Stop it.” Why were they all the same? “If you so much as lay another finger on me…”
“Don’t talk to me like that, Gracie,” he interrupted. “You have way too much at stake to make demands. Now close the door and remember what we talked about.”
It was as if Sean had written a playbook and Danny was copying his every move. How was I supposed to now deal with two of them?
I turned around to see Sean standing at the top of the stairs.
“Going somewhere, Gracie?”
“No.”
“Who was that?” He smiled his menacing grin.
I wanted to hurt him so badly. “Your minion.”
“Oh, so you met Danny. Charmer, isn’t he?”
“How could you do this to Ryan?”
His face changed as he stormed downstairs, straight at me. “Ryan? Ryan? You mean how could Ryan do this to me? Because of your little tryst I have no club, no family.” He slammed me up against the door, forcing my head to swing back against the wood. His lips were inches from mine. “Don’t question my motives, my little princess. Just do as you’re told.” I felt a rush of nausea hit me as he swung me over his shoulder and carried me up to my room.
I could’ve fought back, but I knew this battle was much longer, and I needed to save my energy. He threw me onto my bed and quickly turned around, flashing his signature smile once more before slamming the door shut.
I heard the familiar sound of the sliding lock that had been placed on the outside of my door a few years back when my father was afraid I was sneaking out at night. It had found a new purpose. How many nights would he try to lock me in here?
I rolled off the bed and ran to the window, quickly peering into the darkness. I was begging for a simple glimpse of my love, but the blackness of the night had taken over. I was alone.
I turned off the light and climbed under the blankets. I lay there for a while, staring into space and listening as the old tree branches scratched hard against my window, distracting me for a moment from the fight I was about to face. But it was just for a moment. Then my mind wandered back to my impossible task. How the hell was I supposed to get everyone to agree to patch over Sean Cassidy? There were rules. This was the mother chapter. There would be a vote and a ruling, and I had no say in any of that. I wasn’t a member. I was only the former president’s daughter. No one would take me seriously, especially after my outburst at the funeral home. But if I failed, he would kill Aunt Kathryn and then Ryan. I couldn’t let that happen. I needed a plan.
The old tree scratched at my window again. The shadows had always frightened me, but today I laughed at my childish fear. There was too much else going on to be frightened by a silly tree. Still, out of instinct, I squeezed my eyes shut as the wind picked up. A few strong winter gusts seemed to shake the entire room of the old farmhouse, and had I not known better, I would’ve sworn the window had opened. But I couldn’t look. I wanted to forget. It appeared only fitting that the hauntingly eerie noises would be the conclusion to such a day of pain. I tossed my body to the other side of my bed, begging for sleep to take over so I could finally forget about this day forever.
I inhaled deeply, and slowly released. I felt my breath blown back on my face. It was cool, comforting… but impossible. Wait. What breath did I just feel on my face? I shot open my eyes and searched the darkness. Green emeralds found my adjusting pupils and a hand over my mouth was all that stopped me from screaming. My window was open. Someone was in my room.
“Grace, it’s me. It’s just me,” he spoke frantically, “are you okay?”
I sprang up, flipping on the side table light.
“Fuck Ryan, what is your deal with sneaking up on—“
I didn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t care to. Instead, I threw my arms around him, begging for his warmth to be the truth. Once I was certain I was not imagining his embrace, I pulled away. “You need to leave now. Please, just—“
I couldn’t finish my argument, because before the completion of my rant his lips met mine. He tasted so good. Why hadn’t I kissed him earlier? Why was all this happening now? I pushed against his shoulders, reminding myself that his uncle was in the same house, and he had threatened against this very act.
“Ryan, you need to leave.”
“I can’t do that. Grace, I heard him. What happened?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His face dropped. He knew I was lying, but I couldn’t turn back now.
“That’s impossible. I called you. I heard Sean’s voice.”
I wanted him to see through my lies. “You must have been hearing things. Sean hasn’t been here, believe me.”
“But…”
“No, Ryan.” I slowly thumbed his cheeks. “Please drop it. Sean isn’t here.”
He settled with this new knowledge, contemplating how he might have jumped to conclusions. I saw his thoughts leave the room.
“What aren’t you telling me, then?” he finally whispered.
“Not now.”
“Grace…” he pulled away, clearly becoming frustrated.
“Hey, look at me.” I brought his face to mine and softly smiled. “I’m okay. I promise.”
I took his lips, offerin
g small kisses.
“Grace,” he breathed between our bites, “I thought the worst, I really did.”
“You shouldn’t have… come all the way… here. Everything is okay.”
“You promise me that?”
“I do.” I hated lying to him, but if I was protecting him, was it really a terrible thing? Still, if we made it out alive, I wasn’t sure he’d ever trust me again. I guess that was the price I was willing to pay in order to keep him breathing.
I could see the doubt in his face, but for some reason he accepted my plea. His hand lifted, and he cautiously placed it on my shoulder. I pressed into his open hand, allowing my body to feel his heat.
“You didn’t flinch.”
I shook my head. The truth was, Ryan taught me something by telling me to take off his clothes earlier. Taking power back was exactly what I needed. Sean had just violated me, but instead of harping on the past, I needed to take control of my future. I needed to make myself forget that he was the last person to touch me. I wanted Ryan to help me forget.
He followed with his other hand, and then pulled his body closer to mine. The energy between us was exhilarating. As I closed my eyes, his lips came crashing to mine, pushing me down. His weight was now completely smothering me, but my reservations had vanished. I felt safe. Sean couldn’t hurt me.
Our kisses grew longer, more powerful and my body took over, grabbing onto his mouth with mine. As the heat between us grew stronger, I reminded myself that it might very well be the last kiss we would ever share. How could I end our last kiss? But if I didn’t, Sean could walk in at any second and end it for us. I pressed my lips together, cutting off the taste. I tried to speak, but his reaction stopped my breath.
I watched his eyes fill with fire. It wasn’t over. “No. Come back to me.” He whispered as he grabbed the back of my head, forcing me further into his kiss. We pushed closer, our bodies begging to become one. I felt his hands move to my waist, caressing the curves of my hips. He slid his fingers under my tee, pushing the cotton up over my bare breasts. My body fought with my brain. With Sean in the next room, I couldn’t be with him, not the way he wanted, not in the way I wanted, but the hesitation I felt earlier in the day had completely disappeared. Ryan was allowing me to grow. He was allowing me to move past his uncle’s torture. And right then, that was what I needed. I needed to be reminded that I wasn’t alone, that I wasn’t facing this monster for no reason. Maybe it was selfish, but before telling Ryan he would need to leave and not come back to his face, I wanted to be with him once more. I wanted to feel him inside of me, filling my body and my spirit. I wanted to feel love one last time.
If Sean weren’t patched over as one of The Walking Shadows, I would never know love again.
I threw away my hesitation and grasped for his hoodie. I slipped it up his rippled lats, over his wide shoulders and off his strong arms. My eager fingers moved to his chest, craving to touch as much of him as I could. My fingertips ran over his bandages, the bandages hiding the incisions made by my father, but this time they meant something completely different. Instead of being reminded of our failure, his pain proved to me that we had survived that fight. We had come out alive, and for that, we’d have this night together. Because we survived that fight, there was a possibility we could survive one more.
Ryan tossed my naked body down, flat on the bed. He brought pure ecstasy as he kissed my neck, my shoulders, my chest, and my belly. His hands tickled my ribs in such a way that didn’t highlight the pain of my bruises, and my attention was brought to his peaceful face as he stared at me. His lips met my shoulder.
“You are so beautiful.” He paused, struggling to find his thoughts. A few more kisses pleased my body before he pulled away. Ryan shook his head before he spoke. “But Grace, I can’t do this now.”
I did not want to hear those words. “Why?”
He lowered back down, his face landing just a breath’s from mine. He whispered, “Because I know you’re hiding something from me.”
His words were honest, and they hurt. My face scrunched as I felt the tears attempt to sting my eyes. I looked away, trying to hide the pain, but a single droplet slid down my face, begging to be noticed.
“No, no, Grace. Why are you crying?”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to give him another reason to pull away. I didn’t want to be the girl who cried. If I had it my way, I would never cry again.
“Be with me, Ryan.” I whispered.
He slowly shook his head. “I can’t. Can you understand that?”
“I need this. I need you.” It seemed pathetic, me begging, but I couldn’t explain this to him. I couldn’t tell him what I was hiding. I couldn’t tell him our story might not have a happy ending.
“Grace, just talk to me. That’s all I’m asking.”
“I want to. And in time I will, but I need you to trust me. This one is my battle, Ryan. Not yours.”
“That’s not how it works, Grace. It’s you and me. Everything is you and me. I never want you to feel that you can’t come to me.”
“I don’t feel that way.” God, why wouldn’t he drop this? “It’s just one more loose end that I need to tie up myself.” I tried to keep it together, but I was breaking. I didn’t know how much longer I could put up a fight. I was imploring him to just give me one more out. “Please.” I murmured. I looked deep into his eyes, begging without words for this one act of love.
It was enough. He didn’t ask for a further explanation of my tears, only nodded and lowered his lips to mine as my warmed body welcomed his. I moaned in acceptance and clung tight to his back, praying for the moment to never end. He stayed on top of me, allowing me to receive him with each slow thrust. His weight was comforting, soothing, and I had to dig my teeth into his shoulder to keep from ending the high too soon.
I had thought my broken body had become numb, unwilling to experience love ever again. I was wrong. I was so wrong. I happily accepted the pleasure and moved with him, our hips finding ways to bring our bodies closer. With each thrust, painful visions of Sean were replaced by loving visions of Ryan. I was rebuilding myself. I was finding control. I was taking back my life. We pushed harder, faster, deeper, greater, tighter, stronger, together, apart, together, apart… together. And together was how it ended. Together was how we stayed.
At least it was.
But then I had to push him away.
A cold breeze from the open window stung my damp body. Ryan had climbed the tree, sneaking into my room. He would need to leave the same way.
“Is Danny is waiting for you?”
“He should be.”
How could I warn him to stay away from Danny without having him immediately confront him upon leaving? Despite his warning, Danny surely would think that would be my first instinct, so he would certainly be prepared.
I leaned in close to him. “I don’t trust him.”
“He’s a good guy, Grace. I know him.”
“Do you?”
He laughed. “Stop worrying about me. That’s my job.” He ran his fingers through my hair, landing his palm on the back of my neck. “Danny is my friend. Everything will be fine.”
God, Ryan, did I have to spell it out for you? I tried to work out the logic in my head. If I told Ryan I knew Danny was working with Sean, not only would Ryan confront him, but he would also know Sean were here, and he wouldn’t leave me to take care of this on my own. Both his and Aunt Kathryn’s lives would be the price for my confession.
I brightened the side table lamp. I needed him to see me. I needed him to know I was serious.
“Please Ryan, stay away from him.”
He looked at me quizzically. “Why?”
“I’m asking you to do something for me. Don’t make me explain why.”
Did he think I was playing a game?
“What aren’t you telling me?” He lowered his face from view, touching me lightly with small kisses. He was carefully and deliberately staying away from my bandaged c
hest, which only made my head spin more.
“Ryan, stop.” I tried to lift his head.
He ignored my request and kept tantalizing me with his lips. He moved down my arm, adding small nips to his kisses.
“Why aren’t you taking me seriously?”
“Do you know something I don’t, Grace?”
“No, it’s just… a feeling.”
He sat up, looking directly into my eyes. “No. No. Don’t pull that shit with me. What do you know?”
I reached out my hands to his, hoping to calm him down. If he were to raise his voice, Sean would be instantly at the door.
He accepted my touch and I watched as his gaze left mine. He rolled my wrists over in his hands… my wrists… my bruised wrists. No! I tried to hide my hands behind my back, but he moved quicker, grabbing at my arms. He turned my hands over, studying the obvious, finger-marked bruises.
“Grace?” I could feel the heat in his voice as he pondered the origin of my markings. Before I could respond with a likely story; I heard footsteps in the hall.
“No,” I whispered, my attention drawn to the door. “Ryan, get out of here.”
“Where did you get those bruises?”
“Ryan, I’m serious. Get the hell out.”
“Answer my question, Grace.”
I ran, naked, to the door, turning the deadbolt. I spoke fast, knowing my time was almost up. I quickly threw on the clothes that I had strewn across the floor. “If you love me, you will leave.”
“Where is he?”
“It’s not what you think.” I lied, but it was the only option. I needed to protect him.
“Then enlighten me.”
“Leave. Now. Get on your bike and never come back. And don’t trust Danny.”
Betrayal of Cupids Page 7
