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“Because it’s important!” I snapped. “This isnota good story, okay? It’s a bad story. It’s asadstory, and I’m trying to let it all out so I can feel better.”
“And we’re here to listen to you, boo,” Eva said, patting my knee. “We just don’t want to waste time with unimportant things, it’s all.”
“This isimportant.” It was very important. They couldn’t see the full picture without knowing everything first.
“It is. Very important. So, you can just start with the moment he took his clothes off,” Patricia said with a curt nod.
“No, no—the kiss is important. Start with the kiss,” Eva said. “I like kisses.”
“Guys, just shut up for a sec,” Hunter said. “Let her get it out. She needs this.” And he turned to me, taking my hand in his. “Start with the first time youimaginedfucking him, and we’ll get through the rest of the story in no time.”
Oh, God. It was going to be alonghour.
ChapterThirteen
Rememberwhen you thought it was going to be a good day today?I asked myself on the way back home. I insisted on walking to clear my head, despite Hunter’s protests, because it had taken metwo hoursto get to the end of the stupid story I told them. I swear, one of them had something to say every five seconds, and once they got started, it was all them making assumptions and not letting me actually tell them what had happened. Needless to say, it wasexhausting.I’d talked so much my jaw hurt because I was constantly trying to talk really fast so they wouldn’t have the chance to interrupt me.
But I’d gotten it all out. All the details—even about Crackdown. I told themeverything, and it felt mighty good. It felt like a weight was lifted from my chest and I could even breathe a little easier. The best part was that none of them judged me for my stupid decisions and for being basically a weak little potato when it came to Dominic. That part they understood perfectly. And though the best advice they could give me was to—and I quote—“go back there and fuck his brains out right now,” it still felt like they understood me.
On the other hand, when I went to see the Research crew downstairs, they wouldn’t even let me through the research area for fear I’d contaminate the environment. They asked me to go take a shower and change my clothes first, which was a hard no, so I had to settle for talking to Robinson, the guy in charge of researching Crackdown.
“Nothing. The magic is incredible—so well hidden, like it has a mind of its own and it sneaks away from us constantly. We haven’t been able to isolate it. But we did find a few of the ingredients. Not all of them.” And he gave me a list.
When I went home, I planned to research the hell out of those things, and then call my mom so she could tell me whatever she knew about them, too. I was pretty sure she would be better suited to answer me than Google, so I debated giving her a call first.
Until I turned the corner to my street and my apartment building was right in front of me…with Dominic Dane sitting on the stairs.
His face was clean shaven, his hair combed back, and his leather jacket was brand new but still as black as the one he’d ruined in that ship.
I stopped walking. I stoppedbreathing, too, and part of me insisted that it was just a dream. No way was hereallyhere. I’d talked so much about him the past couple hours, I’d just conjured him up somehow. And though the wound on my arm was barely throbbing, my mind was still exhausted. My body needed way more rest than I’d given it.
Except…if he had been part of my imagination, he’d have disappeared by now. Instead, as I watched him, frozen in place, he slowly rose to his feet, eyes never leaving my face.
Run,my mind urged me. Just turn around, run and go back to Headquarters, lock yourself in a prison cell and call it a day. Safe. Completely safe from Dominic Dane.
No, another, prouder part of me said. Why would I run away from him when he was in front ofmyapartment? That was where I lived. That was where I was going. He’d basically kicked me out of his house, but he didn’t get to kick me out ofmine, too.
Screw that. I was not going to run and hide…anywhere else.
I would just run and hide inside my apartment.
And with that thought in mind sparking some anger in me, I made my way across the street, pretending to behimfor a change. Remembering how he’d walked right past me that day at the office and hadn’t even said hi.
That’s exactly what I did now, too. I didn’t look at him. I didn’t even turn my head his way—just as soon as I was close to him, I stepped to the side and up the stairs like he wasn’t even there.
And you know what? It feltgreat.
“Teddy,” he said, and despite everything, my name on his lips made my breath catch in my throat.
I didn’t stop. I didn’t turn. I just walked into the building and kept on going to the end of the hallway. Now, if I could only get those keys out my backpack faster and open that door, I’d be safe from him in no time.
But I should have known he would follow me inside, too. I heard his footsteps, and it made my hands shake so badly, I barely found the stupid keyhole.
“Teddy, wait,” he said, and again, I didn’t. I just opened the door, walked inside, and slammed it shut with all my strength.
Safe.
I was in my apartment, the blue and pink lights from the other side of the street from my windows perfectly familiar. I locked the door, too, just in case, and when the lock clicked in place, I breathed a little easier. There. I was done now, for real.
