The Dark Forest: A Collection Of Erotic Fairytales(151)

Except this.

He’d been her monster, and her savior—and she had no idea which version of him was stronger, all she knew was that she needed him to live.





Chapter Eight





Three Weeks Later


Rebecca double-checked the room number as she turned down the hall, and paused outside when she heard voices.

“You’ll need help for the next few weeks, and I have to encourage you not to lift anything heavy or exert yourself. You still have a lot of healing to go.” The chiding tone of a doctor, followed by a gruff acknowledgment.

“Now, how will you be getting home?”

“Taxi,” a low, rumbling tone that even now she recognized instantly.

“Of course, I’ll call you—”

“That won’t be necessary.” Rebecca walked into the room, and all three faces turned in surprise. “I’m here to take him home.”

“Oh, well, that’s wonderful.” The nurse smiled at her, and then moved to slip past her. “Let me just get the final paperwork.”

“Think you can keep him from doing anything strenuous for the next few weeks?” The doctor looked at her, a joking tone in his voice, and she turned on the smile she’d practiced over years and years.

“I’ll do my best.”

“All right, well, you have the post-op instructions in your folder. I’ll go talk with Sandy and get you discharged. Hope you’re feeling better soon, Mr. Gothel.” The doctor shook his hand and then nodded at her as he left the room.

Adam was almost too still on the edge of the bed, his gaze floating somewhere in the middle distance between them.

“Are you going to say anything?”

He shook his head slowly, staring down at the floor as he gripped the edge of the hospital bed.

“All right, maybe start with, ‘Thank you for saving my life, Rebecca.’ Go on.” She smirked when he looked up at her, those dark brows lifting just a fraction.

“I believe I saved your life.”

“But I kept the pressure on you until William’s medic friends arrived.” Tugging her purse higher on her shoulder, she leaned against the wall and spoke a little softer. “And you did kidnap me, and did a lot of terrible things to me.”

“So, we’re even?” His lopsided smile reappeared, but she just rolled her eyes.

“You owe me a lot of answers.”

Adam nodded and tried to stretch, but flinched and stopped short, groaning. “I believe you may have mentioned that when I was dying.”

“And you stayed alive like I asked, I appreciate that.”

His expression grew dark suddenly and he looked away from her again. “Why didn’t you tell the police about it, about what I did?”

She stared at him for a few minutes, turning over the possible answers in her mind. It wasn’t just that William’s cleaning crew had erased the hard-drives on Adam’s computers, torn down the cameras, and obliterated any trace of her being there. It also wasn’t the strange confusion she’d felt in the last few weeks when the memory of his touch would appear like a phantom on her skin, and she would react with a surge of heat, not fear. The way his voice would buzz in her mind as she touched herself, remembering his strength, his hard body pressed against her. No, it had been something more inexplicable. Something darker, something no one but the two of them could possibly understand. Rebecca swallowed, and told the truth. “I didn’t tell them about it, about any of it, because I wanted you back.”

His eyes snapped up to hers with such a look of shock that he almost looked angry. “You what?”

“I want you. You. The person you finally let me see, the one under the mask. The real you. The one who referred to hating me in the past tense, the one—”

“Stop, Rebecca.”

“You saved me, you took a bullet for me.”

“Yes, I did, and I’ve spent three weeks in a hospital because I was that foolish.” His words froze her tongue in her mouth, making her flinch as he turned away from her again. “It’s time for you to go.”

“No, Adam, I—”

“Get out!” He shouted at her and she took a step backwards, shocked by the sudden outburst of rage. This was not how she’d imagined this going in her head.

He’s all you have left.

Turning, she shoved the door to the room closed and then rounded on him. “No! I’m not going anywhere. You promised me answers.”

“Fine. Ask away, princess,” he growled, his knuckles growing white as he clenched the bedding in his fists.

“Do you still hate me? Do you still want to destroy me?”

“Oh, there are a lot of things I want to do to you right now for being this fucking stupid.”

“Answer the question! Do you still hate me?”

“No.” The word came out through gritted teeth, and she could see the monster underneath the angelic exterior, the flash of darkness, but she was hopelessly drawn to it.

“Do you still want to destroy me?” Her voice wavered as those tawny brown eyes met hers with a fierce glare.

“Right now I want to get a belt, bend you over the end of this bed, and whip you until you’re sane again.” Adam shook his head and looked away from her. “But no, I do not want to destroy you. That would be such a waste.”