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Judas’ old house had something similar to this, only that one was a ruse. This was the real deal. Ironically it had been something I’d noticed right away back then too. That day was deeply etched into my memory.
I swore this family had no bearing on my life or any of the decisions I made. I’d never idolized them as everyone else had. I went and did something even worse. I fell in love with their heir.
Diego, the private jet, and the sight of the house felt like nothing more than a prelude leading up to this moment. I didn’t understand why the higher powers or whatever the fuck-controlled fate kept making our life paths connect.
“Come.” Judas grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the room’s focal point. I glanced back to check for my best friend and saw no sign of her.
“Where’s Audrey?”
“Gavin’s taking her to bed.”
I wondered if that meant how it sounded. I allowed Judas to lead me through his home, up a second elaborate set of stairs we’d reached after venturing through the house for a solid two minutes.
As we continued down a long hall upstairs, my shoes were oddly quiet against the swirled marble floor. I took in as much as I could with us moving at such a rapid pace. Most of the house was too dark for me to make out any key features.
Part of me didn’t want to know what it looked like.
If I couldn’t see, then maybe this wasn’t real. Logically I knew no amount of wishing or theoretical analyzing would bring comfort to this kind of reality. I expected my emotions to peak at any second. There were years of rage and hurt pooling inside every crevice of my chest, seeping into the parts of me that were hollow and brittle.
I managed to suppress it beneath an eerie sense of calm. I wasn’t sure if this was the kind that came before a deadly storm or from resignation. Would this situation be worse if I were taken by some random stranger?
Judas slowed at the end of the hall after we walked for what felt like a mile. He pushed open one of two heavy wooden doors and revealed a master suite that was like a mini penthouse.
An abstract-shaped lamp was on low, leaving a huge portion of the room shadowed but I was able to make out a small bar and mini-fridge. He led me deeper inside towards a bed with a headboard that extended halfway up the wall. I was studying it when he abruptly released my hand and turned around.
We were so close my face wound up in his chest.
I sucked in a sharp breath and got a mouth full of jasmine and spice. His cologne was the same, or at least it was relatively similar to the kind he’d worn before. The familiarity pounded on a door of sealed memories. Without warning, he grasped my chin and tilted my head back.
“What are you doing?” I grabbed his wrist and attempted to remove my face from his grip.
“You’re exhausted,” he noted, easily keeping hold of me.
I grimaced, digging my nails into him. “I didn’t exactly get to enjoy a good night’s rest.”
He nodded as if he agreed and let me go. “You can now. Sleep, we’ll talk later. After you’ve had a chance to settle in.”
I took a step away from him and glared. “You didn’t bring me here to sleep.”
“I did. Unless you have something else in mind?”
“Don’t play with me, Judas. I’m not in the mood.”
“I could easily change that, but I want you well rested and desperate.”
“Do you hear yourself right now? Or ever? You’re insane!”
He crowded into my personal space and regarded me with an inscrutable expression. “I’m trying to be good for a solid twenty-four hours so that you have a grace period to adjust, but you’re not making it easy.”
I think my jaw hit the floor. There wasn’t enough facial training in the world to keep a poker face in place right now.
“We have two very different definitions of what the word good means,” I snapped. “Why am I here?”
He continued to study me with an impassivity that stoked the emotions I was determined to keep in check.
“Get some sleep.” He brushed by me, boldly placing a feather-light kiss on my temple.
I whirled around fully intent on demanding that he tell me what I wanted to know. He’d already made it to the door and was slipping into the hall. I stayed as I was for a few minutes half expecting him to come back, but he never did. He left me for the second time that night with a cyclone of bittersweet emotions to appease behind a locked door.
CHAPTER SIX
Once it was obvious Judas had no intentions of returning, I climbed onto the thickest, fluffiest mattress known to man and was out like a light. When I opened my eyes again there was warm sunlight flooding through the room. I guess I’d been more exhausted than I realized.
