A Kingpin Love Affair: The Complete series(21)

I couldn’t drag her through the dirt and mud, tainting her with the mess I had made out of my own life. With one last glance over my shoulder, I walked away, my footsteps deafening against the ground as if there was a hidden meaning behind them. It was as if every step I took away from her was causing a rift to grow between us.

How was it one girl could cause everything to crumble that I had spent years building?

She didn’t know her worth. She didn’t know the power she had over me, and I hoped she never would, because the second she did was the second there would be no saving either of us from the destruction I would cause.





Chapter Eleven


Isabella

“I wish boss would let us f*ck ‘em.” The man’s words rung in my ear. I could still feel his breath hot against my skin as his hand explored my body in ways that I never even had.

“You’re a monster,” I whispered. I could hear his muffled laughter against my cheek. He lifted his face to stare down at me, preparing to beat me or punish me. I didn’t know.

“You’re just as disgusting as she was.” The meaning behind his words was hidden, but the complete disgust in his voice told me whoever ‘she’ was, wasn’t someone he liked.

“Isabella.” My name was being called. The voice was thick and smooth, a voice I would love to get wrapped up in breaking through my past.

“You’re having another nightmare. Wake up.” Jared? The recognition took root, and immediately, I sat up on the bed, cradling my blanket to my body. I blinked my eyes open only to discover Jared was in fact standing at the foot of my bed. His chest was bare, and he looked less than pleased that I had woken him up from his slumber.

“Goodness, I’m so sorry,” I said nervously. Jared had that effect on me. It didn’t matter what time of the day it was, or what I was doing. He caused a nervous tick to form in my body, one that only came on when he was near.

He scrubbed a hand down his face and over the light stubble that marred it. His hair was a mess, giving way to just how asleep he was.

“You know if you wanted a cuddle buddy that bad, all you had to do was say something.” He sighed, dropping down to the right side of the bed. I was still recovering from being awakened. I didn’t realize what he had said or what it was he was doing.

“What are you talking about?” I almost yawned but stopped myself. It was when I felt his warmth against me underneath the blankets that I realized what he was getting at. Turning, I looked at him with a shocked expression written on my face.

“What are you doing?” I questioned. This wasn’t supposed to happen again. No, there was no way it was supposed to happen again, it couldn’t.

“Making sure you don’t have any more nightmares.” He stated nonchalantly as he pulled me down into his chest. Was I so weak that I wouldn’t even protest against it?

“You know you could just buy me some lights to hang in here. It would be less…” I paused looking for the exact word to use, but my mind drifted just as Jared’s hand did. My hip. His hand. I almost couldn’t form a thought.

“Less what?” He whispered into my ear, causing goose bumps to erupt all over my skin. I could no longer remember what it was that I was going to say.

“Less…” I stuttered. “Damaging. Exhausting. Embarrassing.” The words left me without mere thought. I could feel his body tensing. Was he upset with me?

“I’ll get some lights, but for now, you’re stuck with me.” He sounded so sure of himself and I almost budged.

“I’ll be okay,” I whispered on the borderline of giving in. Was I so lonely I would allow him to lay with me, even if it was to calm me after a nightmare?

“You’re right. You will be… now that I’m here.” He situated me against him, my hips lining up with his groin perfectly. One arm wrapped around me while the other cradled my head. Moments of silence passed between us, the only thing that could be heard were our breaths filling the air. My eyes drifted closed as I allowed the peace of what was taking place to sink into my skin. I wanted to soak up every ounce of joy.

Jared’s heartbeat was loud, pounding against my skin. My mind drifted to the kiss we shared in the hall earlier and to the things he said to me. It was as if he wanted two very different things from all of this.

“What causes your nightmares?” His voice was like velvet against my skin. I stayed silent for a moment trying to determine if I should share that with him. It was intimate to me. A secret really, and if others found out they could use it against me.

“The darkness,” I finally answered. Silence formed between us again, and I wondered if he had fallen asleep, and then he answered me.

“There’s a dark side to everything in life.” His words told me he understood the real meaning of darkness.

“Even you?” I questioned, unsure where the question even came from.

“Yes, even me. Even the brightest of people have a small part of them they keep hidden away from everyone, a dark hole that eats away at them piece by piece.” It was in what he said that I understood what tormented him. He was confessing his pain, his griefs without even admitting them to me.

“Your secret is safe with me,” I muttered, allowing my eyes to drift closed. I could feel his breath on my neck and it caused me to fall deeper and deeper into a comatose state. Right before I fell off the cliff of darkness, I swear I heard him say ‘thank you.’