Jessica

 

I tug at the ropes that hold me in place. I can’t get free; I don’t know why I try. Maybe I like the sting of the ropes on my skin. When I hear the door open and slam closed, my heart starts racing. He left me here. Phoenix left me here tied to his bed and naked, shivering from the chill in the room. He walks into the bedroom, tossing a bag onto the end of the bed near my feet before heading to the bathroom. Never once did he look over at me. I need to see him, to see his face, so that I can try to get a read on him. Phoenix walks back out and drops into the chair he sat in earlier. His eyes assess me much the way mine do him.

“I need to use the bathroom,” I say, my voice shaky and my throat dry. Whatever he keeps pumping into me is horrible. It makes my head spin. “Did you hear me? I need to go to the bathroom,” I say a little louder this time. Phoenix doesn’t move. He slowly drags his gaze over my bruised body and up to my eyes. Heat dances inside of me just from his stare. An involuntary shiver races over my skin. His eyes linger on my lips as he leans forward a little.

“Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll let you go.” His tone is deadly. Something happened when he left.

“Jake told you,” I say softly.

“Jake’s told me a lot of things, but I want to hear them from you.” I watch the way his eyes drift from mine to my lips and back. The thought of him kissing me, touching me, it all devours me. Warmth heats my skin, my insides. God, why does he have to look at me like that? What does he want from me?

“Who hit you?” The bob of his throat intrigues me. I want to tear my eyes away from him, but I can’t. Instead, I pull back into myself. I hide away from anything that could hurt me aside from myself. The only pain I need is my own.

“This doesn’t make sense, Jessica. You know that? Everything I’ve known is sitting on the edge of a cliff, and I’m afraid of what might happen if it tips over. Do you understand that? Those marks on you piss me off. You know what I want?” He asks, climbing to his feet. I watch him as he inches his way closer to the bed. His hand comes out, and I try to slink away. He tilts his head, watching me with curiosity in his eyes.

“You see that? How you jerked when I raised my hand? Someone made you that way. I want to know who it was!” he screams, vibrating the room. My insides tremble. He’s just like him. He’s just like Jake. He’s going to hurt me, I can feel it.

“What do you care, Phoenix? I’m nothing to you.” My silence didn’t last long. He’s pushing me though, and I want to push back. He may have all the power right now, but I can still play the game. His throat bobs again before his hand touches my skin. I jolt but still can’t move from being tied to the bed. His fingers don’t stop, and I don’t know if I want them to. He’s touching me. Phoenix, the boy I’ve lusted after for years, has his hands on me.

His truth scares me. He wants to hurt me like Jake does. The reality isn’t lost on me, but this is Phoenix. He’s touching me. His fingers travel from my shoulder, down my arm, until it stops on my hip bone. He rests it there as his eyes dance over my heated skin.

“Do you know how pissed it makes me that you fucked him? That you wanted to fuck him? I should throw you to the wolves. I should let you fend for yourself! I know now that I can never have you the way I wanted to because of him! Because of you!” His roars send daggers right through my heart. He’s slowly ripping me apart with his words, words I never thought I’d hear from him. His hand jerks away before he climbs on the bed. Hovering over me, he reaches up and unties my wrists before moving to my ankles.

“Get up,” he snarls. I climb up and sit in the middle of the bed, my head spinning. I sway before Phoenix pulls me off the bed and onto my feet. He drags me into the bathroom, shoving me toward the toilet. I look over my shoulder as he stands there menacingly. His broad shoulders heave with every breath he takes, his arms crossed over his massive chest.

“Are you going to watch me?” My voice cracks.

“I don’t trust you. So… yes.” I roll my eyes and sit on the toilet and do my business. When I’m finished, I wash my hands and dry them on the towel. Holding it tightly in my hands, I wonder if I can choke him with it. Would I have enough strength? If I could just knock him out, I could run.

“Where would you go? Where would you be safe?” He asks me as if reading my mind. My eyes jump to his, and he smirks. How did he know what I was thinking?

“I know what I see. It’s like looking into the eyes of my reflection, Jess.” What the hell does that even mean? I don’t understand what he means by that.

“Get out here,” he growls. His voice vibrates over my body as I force my feet to move. Phoenix grabs the towel from my hand as I walk back, tossing it back on the bathroom counter. I stand, silently awaiting his next demand.

“On the bed on your stomach.” Chills race over my skin. I climb on the bed like I was told. I can hear him moving around behind me. I want to look to see what he’s doing, but I don’t. I can’t risk his anger. Trying to lie as still as I can, I close my eyes when I feel the bed dip. Is he going to take me like Jake did? Is he going to force himself on me? Neither of those happens. Something cold touches my skin, and I gasp.

“It’s just cream. It’ll help these heal faster,” he mumbles as his hands roam over my back. The initial shock of the cream has given way to his touch. I try to control my breathing, but this is the man that I’ve wanted to touch me, to kiss me, for as long as I’ve known him. My teeth sink into my bottom lip, effectively cutting off the moans that threaten to fall free. I know it’s wrong. It’s beyond wrong. He took me, drugged me, and then tied me to his bed, and now I can’t think straight because his hands are on me. His warm, calloused fingers are touching me. The more I relax into his touch, the more I become aware of him. His scent. His aura. A moan falls free and surprises us both. His hands stop moving, and my pulse starts racing. After a long second of hearing him control his breathing, his hands leave my skin. I almost cry from the loss.

“Get dressed. We can’t stay here. They’ll find you.” I roll onto my side as he drops some clothes next to me. Looking at the clothes then back to him, I ask, “Why are you doing this? Why don’t you just give me back?” His face turns to stone. Something clicks in his eyes. He moves back like he’s afraid to be near me.

“Something is happening. Something isn’t right, I can feel it, and until I figure it out, you aren’t going anywhere.” The fire that’s building in his eyes concerns me, but the way he licks his lips unnerves me. I don’t know how to take any of this. It’s not right. Something is not right.

“I don’t understand,” I whisper. Phoenix’s control snaps. He lunges toward me, grabbing me by the back of my neck. He pulls my face toward him. Shakes begin at the tips of my toes and race through my body.

“You don’t need to understand. You need to answer me so that I can tell where the truth lies.” I swallow hard and raise my chin. He thinks he can beat me? He can’t. I won’t let him. He thinks he can break me down and have me telling him the shit that Jake did to me only to be called a liar? That will never happen. I’d rather die than be called a liar by Phoenix. I’d rather die than be given back to that monster I call a brother.