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“Orth wasn’t the only one who bought himself a cabin in the woods,” he replied with a wink.
“Yes, but one of them is significantly closer to Afterlife,” I pointed out, although this was when Jared shocked me by quickly correcting,
“Not just Afterlife, Red.” I frowned at this before following him as he made his way toward the steps, and when I was within arm’s length, I reached out to stop him.
“What do you mean?” I asked, grabbing onto his forearm.
“Been keepin’ tabs on you since you were eighteen, Ella, what do you think it means?” he replied before slipping his forearm from my grasp, instead taking my hand in his so he could walk us both up the steps into his home. One that this time hadn’t been gifted to him by his brother.
Which was most likely why I was more excited and nervous at the same time. Because this was a Jared-bought space and I didn’t know what to expect. Of course, I knew him better now than when I had first been walked into his home. Which meant that as soon as we were inside, I wasn’t surprised to see it void of Demonic hunting trophies on the wall in the way of mounted severed heads, and piles of bones in the corner. Instead, it was a beautiful cabin in the wilderness, complete with rustic charm.
Naturally the logs on the outside were also visible on the inside, giving it that more authentic log cabin feel. We walked straight into the living space from the porch, which I also couldn’t help but notice had a cozy sitting space for two, thanks to the couple of handcrafted wooden rocking chairs sitting there. As for indoors, it was a nice open-plan living space with the kitchen area tucked under a mezzanine level above. To my right was a sitting area, with a modest three-piece couch facing the wall of windows and a couple of matching brown leather armchairs positioned at the sides.
A dark stone fireplace managed to break up all the wood, that matched the dark-gray window frames. It was decorated quite modestly, with the kitchen not being state of the art but still clean and tidy, with dark navy cupboard doors and light granite countertops. A small island big enough for two people to eat was at the center with a bigger, wooden dining table off to the right of the kitchen.
The appliances weren’t new or shinning stainless steel but again, they were out of place, nor did they look worn or untidy. Off to the left-hand side was a staircase that led to the upstairs, that had railing along one side so you could look down into the living space. Up there was where I gathered the bedroom was, and a place I was hoping we would definitely be seeing sometime soon.
“Wow, this is…”
“Nothing like my brother’s place, I know, but it will do us for…” I quickly interrupted him as he tossed the car keys to the kitchen table, and I did so by framing his face with my hands so I could pull him down for a kiss after I finished off my sentence,
“…Perfect.” And kiss him he let me do, until he decided he had hit his limit on letting me lead. Which meant I was soon being lifted to make our height difference more manageable. This, naturally, made me wrap my legs around his waist as he started to walk from the kitchen area.
Well, I didn’t know or care where he took me next, as long as it involved a bed, then I would be happy. However, when I finally came up for air was when I noticed we weren’t in a bedroom like I hoped but instead, he had walked us upstairs and straight into a modest bathroom. A single sink vanity with a pale marble top was sitting on a carved wooden frame, with black wrought iron handles that matched the taps and faucet. A tall arched black framed mirror above, also tied in with the theme.
As for the rest, the bathroom didn’t have a bath but, in its place, it did have a shower big enough for two. A place he clearly was heading for because he placed me down in the countertop next to the sink. Then without a word, he started to rid me of my clothes, making me start trying to tear at his own.
The second we were both topless, he pulled me in tight to his frame, moaning in my mouth as he kissed me. As if now being skin to skin had been something he had been craving to feel again. It was as if all our pent-up emotions kept spilling out of us but instead of being voiced as words, they were expressed through touch. As if in this moment, we didn’t know how else to communicate them.
Which was why moments later, we found ourselves naked in the shower, using the simple bar of soap as just an excuse to touch every inch of each other. However, it was the moment Jared had just about worked his way up to my hair that everything came to a sudden halt. Because it was when he was soaping up my scalp that he came across the bite at my neck, a scar I knew from seeing myself now looked different than what Jared had obviously remembered it being.
“Jared?” I spoke his name, hoping the sound of it would jolt him from whatever emotion now gripped him. Because his fingers had frozen in place for long moments before finally, I felt them tracing the double bite mark.
My reply to this was a harsh and ragged question that nearly caused me to place a hand to my heart.
“He bit you?” I swallowed hard before shaking my head softly and telling him,
“No, you did.”
He growled at that, because we both knew what he meant by the question and why he was referring to his past self as a separate person. I ended up sucking in a stuttered breath when he abruptly left the shower without another word. The warm, earthy tones of the small mosaic tiles now felt cold as I leaned my deflated body against them, this despite the warmth of the water still pouring down on me. In fact, I could have fallen to the shower floor and sobbed my heart out, for how it made me feel.
But I didn’t do this. Because that wouldn’t have achieved anything right now, like getting to the bottom of why Jared just walked away. Hence why anger started to replace all other emotions, making me wash the soap from my hair with unforgiving motions… I was surprised my scalp survived.
I was soon storming from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel with my hair dripping around my bare shoulders ready to give him a piece of my mind. But then the second I found Jared sitting at the edge of a rustic wooden framed bed, now leaned forward with his head in hands, the sight stopped me from just outright raging at him. Because he suddenly looked so vulnerable. So, fucking lost. I knew that, in that moment, I had a choice to make. I could either focus on my own hurt and make the situation worse, or I could try and help him through his own turmoil and therefore heal my own.
A sound plan, that nearly took a flying fuck out the window the second he asked,
“Did you fuck him?”
“What?!” I hissed, taking a step back in utter shock. He lifted his head and asked again, just in case I could believe that insanity had taken me the first time.
“Did you let him fuck you?”
“Are you being serious right now?” I asked, my tone saying it all. But then he started shaking his head as if this was all the answer he needed. The only answer to know the truth, when in reality he had no fucking clue.
“I don’t need details, Ella, but I just want to know the truth,” he stated making me suck in a quick breath.
“The truth?” I asked, shaking my head after asking this in a mocking tone.
