She looked down at the dress Mitch had bought her. She’d completely forgotten about it. Just like she’d forgotten about Carter, her promise to return home last night, and, oh yeah, telling the truth. Well, she hadn’t actually forgotten about that, had she? More like she’d considered it and then deliberately did something she knew was wrong.
Why was she lying for a self-proclaimed-and-proud-of-it bastard, while hurting the man who sat beside her, who had stood beside her for so many years? To protect him? From what? The answer stung even more than the lie had.
Me.
She was protecting Carter from herself.
The drive home felt as long as the Mississippi River. As they pulled up in front of their apartment building, she touched his wrist, drawing a figure eight on it.
“Carter?”
He flicked his arm away from her, flipped the gear shift and looked at her.
“I think you need to move on.” She ignored his confused expression and continued, “I adore you, but I think it would be best for us to live apart from now on.”
“Is this about him?” There was fire in his voice.
“No. It’s not about him. At all. This is about you. You don’t deserve this. To live like this.”
“And you do?”
“No, I—I don’t think I do either, but you can walk away. I can’t. You can have a normal life.”
His eyes shined. “Why would you ever think that I could walk away?”
She might have been out of tears. Or maybe she was just too lost, too overwhelmed, but she had no reactions left in her to give.
He twisted in his seat and took her hand. “If you want to live apart because of any other reason, then that’s . . . fine. But, until this thing with Chastity stops happening, I’ll be spending my nights with you, so deal with it.”
Deal with it. Something she hadn’t really even tried yet. Relying on Carter and then Mitch to help her through. She took a deep breath. Wasn’t it time to start living her own life instead of having other people live it for her?
She pretended to nap for most of the day, not wanting to talk to him—to lie to him—anymore. He checked on her often, standing in the doorway to her room, not speaking, not coming any closer. She hoped and feared that he was formulating a plan for his life without her.
When she finally got out of bed, she didn’t look for the dress. The plastic garbage can had been emptied, a brand new liner in it. He’d stood right next to her when she’d thrown it into the trash.
Their conversations were stilted and awkward all afternoon. “Are you hungry?” “Not really,” said by each of them to the other numerous times. That was pretty much it. Carter sat on the couch and punched the arrows on the remote incessantly.
Eden stared at the calendar posted on the fridge. His study group and workout schedule, the days he would go to the police station to intern, a dentist appointment next week, the day she needed to register for next fall’s classes. All normal things. Her fingers gripped the dry erase marker.
Every four days. Great. How does one mark ‘doom’ on their schedule? A circle? A smiley face? She made a large ‘X’ through every fourth day. Her mouth dry, she counted 1-2-3-Chastity, 1-2-3-Chastity. . . .
From directly behind her, Carter’s voice sent a spasm down her back. “You sure about this every four days thing?”
“Pretty sure.”
His fingers tapped her shoulder, as if the body they belonged to wasn’t sure they were allowed to touch. Or were afraid to. “Until we’re sure, I’ll stay here.”
“Okay.” Oh God, he was really going to leave her. She knew it was for the best. For his best. And it was bound to happen one day. She’d never be able to offer him what he needed, especially now.
He wandered back into the living room and flopped down onto the couch again, the light of the room changing as he flipped through the channels. It was getting dark outside.
Night was coming. If Mitch was right about the pattern, tonight she could sleep. And tomorrow? Well, tomorrow was a completely different story.
§ § §
It was like waiting for the guillotine to fall. Knowing that tonight, as soon as she fell asleep, she would be somewhere else, and Chastity would take over her body. Eden was so tired—she’d barely slept last night, flinching every time her eyes closed all the way. And she’d only gotten a minimal amount of sleep for days before that. Tonight wouldn’t give her any rest either. How can this go on indefinitely? Her mind was already playing tricks with her, sleep deprivation leaving her unsure of what was real.
At ten o’clock, she started to nod off on a kitchen chair. She jerked up and went into the living room.
“Carter?”
He glanced up from the television. He looked as exhausted as she felt. She wondered how much sleep he’d gotten last night, or the night before while waiting for her to come home.
“Can you lock me into my room?”
He dragged his tall frame off the couch and followed her. She flipped the padlock on her window-bars closed and climbed into bed, her heart hammering in her chest.
“Good night,” she said.
His lips were pressed together as he started to close the door.
“Carter?”
He stopped and finally looked her in the eyes. “Yeah?”
“You mean everything to me. I love you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth, words she’d never actually said aloud. “Not in the way I know you want me to, but I love you so much. I’m so sorry, Carter.”
“Yeah.” He swallowed, his eyes filled with pain and disappointment and goodbye. “I love you too, Eden.” He was letting that part of his love for her go, she could see it. “I’ll be right outside the door.”
She heard the padlock snap shut. She was alone.
CHAPTER XXV
Mitch spent the day pacing a trench into the floor. After about two hours of laps in the pool and an hour pounding on the treadmill, even exercise couldn’t distract him anymore.
The Clinic. He needed to know if Margaret had ever heard of it. If a shrink as well-connected as she was didn’t know, then it didn’t have anything to do with psychiatry. He left a message on her voicemail. When Eden had told him Hyde had mentioned it—or cursed it or groaned it—a spark had lit inside him. He knew that name. He’d heard it a long time ago, but couldn’t place it. A pharmaceutical company? Low-fucking-cost vaccination business? Doc-in-the-box?
Hell, it was probably just some company he’d done a lecture for at some point. Jolie hadn’t answered her phone either, so she was no help. He’d considered going to the office to look, but everything was on that damned computer filing program Jolie had set up and Mitch had never bothered to learn how to use. That was what he had her for.
Night was coming. And he couldn’t get his mind off of that damned girl. Thankfully, he trusted the locks more than that boyfriend of hers, so she’d be safe. What bothered him most was not being able to help her himself. She was tough, he kept telling himself. He just hoped she was tough enough.
He knew Jolie had spoken the truth. Eden was at least part of the reason Hyde had come out early. It was the only thing that made sense. He’d let her inside of him, made him want to be a better man, and that was dangerous. For everyone. He couldn’t be around her anymore. He needed to sink back into the cesspool of his old life. Pre-Eden. Get back to the good ole days of being a prick and not letting anyone close. That was safer.
A very long, very hot shower made it even clearer. He wrapped a towel around his hips and walked into his bedroom. Night was here. Shit. He’d taken a very long shower. The hallway was dark, but the stairway was lit, sending in just enough light so he could make it across the room.
He blinked, seeing the silhouette of a woman in the hallway. “Jolie? Is that you?” He chuckled at the idea that he’d just said a line from every Slasher movie ever made. “Is anyone there?” Funny. Horror movies had nothing on his existence.
The curvy shape came closer, until it becam
e more than an outline.
“Hmm . . . you’re not Jolie.”
She shook her head, but there wasn’t enough light to see her eyes or her hair.
“Which one are you?” Not that it really mattered—he didn’t want either of them here.
She ripped off her shirt and tossed it onto the ground.
That’s an answer I can understand. “Good evening, Chastity.”
She slithered into the room and walked a tight circle around him. Why had she come inside this time, instead of just leaving Eden to wake up on his doorstep?
He needed to figure out what to do with her. But her hand running across his chest was very distracting. Break contact, Mitch. Do something. What are you, fourteen? He crossed his arms, but couldn’t seem to get his legs to work. “How’d you get out of her apartment, Chastity?” Damn, the feel of her breasts through the thin layer of her lace bra pressing against his arm was even more distracting. “I’m afraid you’ll have to go play in another part of the house.”
“Are you saying ‘no’ to me again?” she pouted from behind him, the heat of her body scorching his back.
“I am.”
She reached her arm around him, traced a trail down his abs and settled her grip around his traitorous erection, the thickness of the towel providing too little protection. “But your cock isn’t.”
“Thankfully, my cock doesn’t do all of my thinking for me. Please remove your hand.” When she gave him a firm squeeze, he stifled a moan. He took her wrist and pried her fingers off him. “No means no, Chastity.”
She pulled back her hand. “No one says no to me.” Dumbfounded. “Why do you?”
The long version/truth wouldn’t hold her attention. “Eden asked me to.”
She huffed and came around to face him. “Eden asked you to? Oh well, if Eden asked you to! Anything for her.” She stepped in close and whispered in his ear, “Would you say no to her, Mitch?”
He said nothing. All he wanted was for her to get away from him. Far, far away from him.
Chastity threw her head back and laughed. “Christ, I hope you’re a better liar in front of her. She’ll walk all over you.”
He grinded his teeth together. He had nothing to prove to her. To himself? Now, that was a different story. One he’d deal with eventually, but not now. No, now was the time to focus on breathing and baseball.
“You obviously don’t know anything about your other half.”
She shrugged and ran her hand through his hair, down his back to the too-thin barrier of the towel covering his ass. “But I know all about men. About you. I know you have a fun side. And a dangerous side.”
Could she know about Hyde? Sense him. Or had she seen him?
Mitch took a step away from her grip. “What do you know about my dangerous side?”
“He’s a lot more entertaining than you are. Why can’t you be more like him?” she pouted.
He fought the need to be exactly who this woman—or creature—wanted him to be and backed up until his thighs bumped the mattress. “Have you seen him?”
Her eyes flashed for a moment. “I’ll tell you all about him, if . . .”
This was not going to be good. “If what?”
“If you play with me. All night, like a good boy.”
He sat down hard onto the bed, which she took as an invitation because she wiggled over to join him. He barely got his hand out in time to stop her, his palm pressing into her tight belly as she leaned toward him.
“I haven’t agreed to anything.”
“Yet.”
Jesus, she was so sure of herself. Or of him. Damn it. He shook his head. “I haven’t agreed to anything. Period.” Was he actually considering this? Putting out to get some information from her? The temptation was definitely there. But, while he’d never met a promise he couldn’t break, this involved Eden too. Chastity would be using both of them. How much did he owe the girl?
Chastity straightened up, crossed her arms around her ample breasts and tapped a foot on the hardwood floor. “This is boring.” She had the attention span of a spaniel.
If he didn’t say something soon, she’d just move on to other prey. Maybe he could use something other than his body and hers as leverage. “Okay, Chastity. But not here.”
She smiled, her tongue peeking out as she ran it over her pearly whites. “Where?”
“Follow me.” As he walked by her, she grabbed the edge of his towel and yanked it off him, giggling.
“That was completely unnecessary,” he grumbled.
“I know,” she said, tossing the towel onto the ground and following his naked body.
He took her down the hallway into Hyde’s room.
“I’ve seen this room before,” she said.
He glanced at her, shocked. “When?”
She shrugged. “I get images of places she’s been, the boring shit she does. Almost all of it is boring.” She rolled her eyes.
“You get to do all the fun stuff, right?”
“Sure. Lots.” Her voice was lower than Eden’s. And the more she spoke, the more Mitch felt like he was talking to a cast member of The Real World. Not that he’d ever really paid attention to reality television, or much of reality for that matter.
He led her into the cage. “What kinds of stuff?”
“Boys. Booze. Drugs. You know, the things that are—” Her eyes widened when she saw the straps. “Are you going to tie me up or can I do you?”
“What kind of drugs?” He cringed at the idea that Eden had been doing drugs without her knowledge. “Ladies first.”
She ripped off her bra, slid her skirt down over her hips and hopped onto the mattress. Spreading her arms and legs out to each corner, she said, “What are you waiting for?”
He was waiting for his eyes to go back into their sockets. Yeah, and it would be nice if his cock would stop throbbing. Damn it, focus. He ran a hand through his hair and bent down to attach the cuffs to her wrists. “What kind of drugs do you do?”
She tugged against the straps, satisfied they were tight enough, and grinned. “Whatever I can, but never any uppers. That might wake her up and I would have to go away.”
Interesting. “You’re a smart girl.”
“Yes, I am.”
Not smart enough to know what I’m about to do, though. No, she definitely wasn’t Eden. “What else do you know about her?” Aside from his rapid heartbeat and dry mouth, this was incredible. He was getting a glimpse into Hyde in a way he’d never thought possible. But he needed a cold shower. Maybe he could have one installed . . .
“I don’t want to talk about her. I want to play.”
He rubbed his face, thankful the sight of her body outstretched like that was gone even momentarily. “Now we play.” He turned and walked out of the cage. With a quick glance to the table, checking to see if the keys were still there, he locked the door. “Chastity, have you ever heard of The Clinic?”
“Mitch, let me out. Or come in here.” She yanked against the straps. “This isn’t fun.”
“What do you know about Hyde?”
She clenched her jaw, squeezing the words through it. “Mitch, let me out!”
“Tell me what I want to know and I will,” he lied. His heart was pounding, not from lust—which was present—but from misery. He tried to think of her as an animal that needed to be protected from herself. But she wore Eden’s body, Eden’s face. Everything but the hair and eyes. That’s what he focused on.
Once she understood that he’d played her, she screamed at him for hours, shouting obscenities and threats, and tugging against the bonds with her entire body. Eden would feel it tomorrow. Eventually she calmed down and tried another tactic—manipulation. She rubbed herself on the sheet and arched her back, then contracted her hips up and down, dry-humping the stiflingly hot air of the room.
It was torturous for Mitch as well. He kept his hands gripped onto the arms of the chair, as far away from his cock as possible, and fidgeted, unable to leave even to g
o get some pants on. Both of them were sweating. He tried to get her to talk, but aside from suggestions of how he could be using her body right now, she stayed mute.
Not what he’d hoped. She told him nothing about Hyde, what she’d done, or anything she’d witnessed. A total bust. With one last struggle to free herself, she sighed, almost crying. “You’ll be happy now, Mitch. She’s coming back.” Her eyes closed and her whole body twitched. Then she was still.
Mitch approached the cage and watched her. As her hair shortened and darkened, he waited. She was truly beautiful. He knew he shouldn’t be a part of her life. Wondered if that was possible. It was easier to blame it on Chastity, take no responsibility at all. Truth was, he wanted to be with her. And if he couldn’t have Eden, then, at some point, he might convince himself that Chastity would be good enough. Hell, he’d done worse things.
Hyde, an Urban Fantasy Page 20
