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“Good. I’ll be retiring for the evening. If you need anything else, there’s a phone in the kitchen that leads directly to my suite.”
Though she can’t see, I offer a quick smile. “Thank you. Oh, before you go. Can you tell me where to find Valerian, please?”
“Sorry, Miss Kincaid. He’s not home. He hasn’t been for days now.”
My heart sinks. I didn’t realize how much I wanted to see him until just now. “Right. That’s what I thought. Good night, Mabel.”
“See you in the morning.”
With Mabel gone, loneliness sets in. I head for the stairs ready to call it a night when I catch sight of the rose garden through the windows. There has to be a door around here somewhere.
I move through the mansion, turning on lights as I go. Flowers adorn a few tables scattered along the long corridors. I find the kitchen and sure enough there’s a door that leads to what I hope is the garden. I try the handle and step my bare feet into lush grass for the first time in forever. It’s cool. The little bristles against the bare soles of my feet are divine.
I turn back to see a house cast in deep gloom. It gives off a coldness that has chills running over my spine. He really isn’t home. He’s left me here to rot. All the signs are there. If he wanted to see me or speak to me, he would have by now. I’m nothing but a burden to him.
Well, screw that. And him.
It’s like stepping into a fairy tale. The smell of roses fills the air. It’s summer and the warmth from the day lingers in the air. Rain too. I can see the clouds brighten with lightning from an incoming storm. I have time though.
Roses line the entire mansion. And in front of me is a beautiful rose garden with a trellis woven with tiny white roses. I walk among the well-tended rows. I haven’t seen anyone touch the garden since I arrived. Whoever tends the lavish bushes does so with love and care. I trace the curled edge of a deep red rose. Soft as satin against the skin.
It reminds me of him. A hulkish man who possesses a gentle hand.
I can still feel the whisper of his touch on my skin. And the firmness of his lips against mine. I didn’t know what the man looked like until a few days ago and now his face is all I see when I close my eyes. The memory of the feel of his hard erection between my legs ready to take my virginity steals my breath away even now.
He’s screwed my head up in every way and trashed my heart. A stranger. Who lets another person have that much control over their emotions and thoughts? I can’t be right in the head to be so damn obsessed with him.
But I am. I squeeze my eyes closed and try to clear my mind but it’s his shattered blue eyes I see. I wonder what it would feel like to have him fully take me? I’ve felt the delicious pressure of having his weight hold me down. But I can’t stop thinking about the feel of his arousal stroking over the entrance of my virgin channel. Would it hurt? Better yet, will I crave the pain?
He said I would call him Daddy. He growled it with so much conviction that I have a hard time convincing myself he’s wrong. Goosebumps rise along my arms as the thought comes back to me. He’s twice my age. Maybe more. Definitely more, I correct.
You know what. I would do it just to hear that primal sound come out of him again.
Shadows pass over the moon, throwing the roses into pitch black. My brain screams danger and signals my limbs for me to freeze. What was once a garden of stardust and moonlight is now a vast blanket of nothing. I pause mid-stride. I’ve been so wrapped up in my head I lost track of time. The distant storm rolled in faster than I thought possible.
An overwhelming sense of being watched takes over me. Valerian? But he’s not home. I turn toward the house, but find everything the same.
A shadow moves through the sudden darkness. I’m in a strange place with people I’ve barely talked to. Anyone could be out here with me. I’m sure Valerian has enemies.
Heavy foot thuds reach my ears.
“Hello?”
Nothing. Of course if there’s someone there they will not give away their position. Then again, my head is foggy and I’ve been on high alert for days on end. I’m tired, too.
Drops of water patter against the fine petals and I raise my hand to feel cool rainfall. It’s gentle at first, but by the time I walk a few paces the summer shower turns into a downpour.
I grab the ends of my gown—what a stupid, fanciful pick!—and dart for the bushes. I can make my way around to the front door. It will be a long walk and potentially leave myself exposed for twice as long as it would take me to reach the atrium.
I turn to gauge the distance and sure enough. I’ve walked deep into the grounds and I’m closer to that than the kitchen door. I can stay in the atrium, let the storm pass and then if all is clear go back to the house.
Valerian never has to know.
I move in the direction of the glasshouse. In only a few steps my bare feet slip on the wet grass. I right myself and pick up speed. I don’t know what has me looking over my shoulder like I’m being hunted. Shadows move through the burst of lightning. Footsteps sound off and I swear they're coming from behind me. My heart thuds heavily, forcing a rush of blood through my veins.
I break out in a run when light bounces off the glass of the atrium. Thunder rolls and I put knees to chest. I was stupid to leave my phone behind. I pick up my pace. And so do the steps behind me.
Darkness overtakes everything, and as stupid as it sounds, I can feel the shadow reaching for me.
