“I haven’t yet decided if I want to or not,” I mutter, eyeing him as I come downstairs.
“You came down. That’s all I requested,” he says, adding a cocky but sexy smile. He walks off toward the open door and stays put, staring out onto his property.
He takes a whiff, and says, “Fresh air always smells good, don’t you think?”
I nod when he looks at me. Is he taunting me to try to anger me further? Or is this a test to see if I’ll try to run when the door is open?
“I’m not going to run,” I say.
“Hmm?” He raises a brow.
“Why would I? We made a deal. Ashanti’s life for mine.”
He just looks at me without a single emotion showing on his face. “I know.”
I frown as he walks off into the garden, leaving me behind in the entryway.
I chase after him, halting right in front of the door as if it’s a magical barrier I can’t cross. He’s never left me like this without hooking his arm through mine, without having his guards escort me outside, or without pushing me into a car. I’ve never had the opportunity to decide until now.
My feet move as if they knew they had to, treading forward across the pavement, along the beautiful flowers and the big fountain in the middle that I’ve only seen from a car window.
My hand slides along the stone and dips into the cold water, and I close my eyes while taking in a whiff of the air, just as Easton did.
When I open my eyes again, he’s suddenly right in front of me.
I clutch my chest, and he chuckles.
“You didn’t have to follow me,” he says, glancing at the fountain.
I wipe my wet hand on my dress. “What else was I supposed to do?”
Easton touches the water the same way I did. “Make a choice.”
He cocks his head and stares at me. Then he turns around and walks off toward the gates, and I’m left trying to catch my breath. After everything that was said and done, this is what he wants me to do? Make a choice? I already did when I chose Ashanti. That means being with him for the rest of my life. I don’t understand what else he wants from me.
I tag along behind him as the gates open, and the outside world is within my reach once again. Approaching a parked car out front, he opens the back door and slides inside, leaving it open while gazing at me.
I stand frozen to the ground.
He doesn’t invite me in, but he doesn’t tell me to stay away either.
Should I run or stay or go with him?
He hasn’t told me what he wants to do or where we’ll go. It could be someplace I’ll never return from. Maybe now that he’s had his way with me, he’s done playing with me and wants to discard me. But that might be my irrational brain talking after all those confusing emotions flushed through me.
Easton apologized to me for what he did. He’d never apologize to someone unless they meant a great deal to him.
Still, I could choose to run. I’m outside the gates with no guards around and nothing to stop me. I could, but my heart longs to know where this may go, and the devil leads me astray.
Before I know it, my feet have already stepped toward the car, and Easton scoots aside while I sit down beside him.
The driver closes the door, but this time, it isn’t a stark reminder of my captivity. It’s a fitting answer to a question that wasn’t asked. A choice … that I just made.
We ride in silence. He probably wouldn’t tell me the truth if I asked where we’re going. His hand slides over mine, squeezing softly, and a warm fuzziness courses through my body. It’s the first time I’ve ever wanted to squeeze back.
Halfway through the ride, Easton suddenly withdraws his hand and fumbles in his pocket. He pulls out a black cloth and holds it up. “I want you to wear this.”
I narrow my eyes. “Why?”
“It’s a surprise,” he says.
A good surprise or a bad one?
He folds the scarf around my eyes and makes a knot behind my head, securing it tight. His finger lingers around my ear, caressing my neckline as he leans in to whisper, “Don’t peek.”
The darkness in his voice brings tingles to my body, and I instinctively lean in to him even though I always swore I’d never want to. No matter how hard I try to deny it, I am falling for him and his seductive ways …
“Where are we going?” I murmur as the car drives on.
“You’ll see,” he whispers, and a smile creeps across my lips.
I don’t know why this gets me so excited, but apparently, I love the thrill of not knowing what’s about to happen. Maybe Easton was right when he said I love to give up control. To surrender brings my body into a trance, amplifying every sensation until I lose myself in the moment.
Just as I do when he’s touching me.
Using me.
Fucking me.
Easton loves control, and I love … submission.
Is it true? Was I this powerless against his seduction all along, while fighting the inevitable?
I can’t ask him or myself that. If I did, it’d mean admitting all I thought about us was wrong.
The car stops, and my moment to myself ends. Easton steps out, and I wait until he opens my door. “Grab my hand,” he says, and I reach out until I find it.
I step out and follow him with gentle steps, afraid I might fall, but I know he’ll catch me if I do. His strong hand keeps me steady as we walk toward something, and Easton rings a doorbell.
A door opens. “Charlotte?”
My heart stops beating.
“You can take off the blindfold now,” Easton says with a soft voice.
I tear off the scarf with tears in my eyes as I rush toward the door.
“Deion,” I mutter, and I hug him tight.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” he mutters, tears staining his eyes.
I smile and try to hold my own tears back in vain. “I thought so too …”
I was wrong.
We both were.
But not merely about us meeting up again. We were wrong about Easton too.
Chapter 20
Charlotte
It’s nice to talk to Deion again. It feels like ages ago even though it was only a couple of weeks. Even Ashanti is surprised to see me and hugs me right away. We all stand there holding each other in the middle of his tiny garden. The people walking and biking by probably think we’re crazy, but I don’t care.
Nothing can beat this smile on my face as I hold these two. Even though we only lived together for a short while, I consider them my family.
“C’mon, let’s go inside and have something to drink,” Deion says, coaxing me in.
I turn my head and look at Easton for approval.
He nods. “Go on. I’ll wait out here.”
Deion pauses and gazes at him over my shoulder. “You can come inside too. If you’re thirsty, of course.”
Easton’s lip curls up into a half-sided smile. “No, thanks. I’m good. You two have some catching up to do.”
“Are you sure?” I don’t know why I ask him. It’s almost as if this whole thing is suddenly normal. As if he isn’t my captor, but just a guy I married who came to drop me off. But none of that is true, and this whole gesture … it means something.
“Yes, I’m sure.” Easton nods. “Besides, I have some phone calls to make.”
“Work?” I ask.
He nods again. I’m not sure if it’s the truth, but I don’t question him further because I recognize his expression. It’s a face that says, “I don’t want to bother you any further,” and I respect that.
Respect … I never imagined I’d feel any for Easton, yet I’m grateful for what he’s done.
With a smile, I nod at Easton and follow Deion inside, who closes the door behind me, leaving Easton alone outside. It’s the first time that I ever felt bad about being away from him.
“I can’t believe you’re actually here,” Deion says as we go into the kitchen, and he makes a pot of coffee.
“I know. I can’t either,” I say, sitting down.
He grabs two cups. “Did you ask him to bring you here?”
“No, it was his idea,” I reply. “As a surprise?”
He stops in his tracks. “Wait … what? As a surprise?”
I make a face. “I know, it’s hard to believe.”
“Wow.” He shakes his head as he pours two cups. “I did not expect that from that man.”
“Why not?” Ashanti asks as she sits down beside me.
“Well, because …” I clear my throat and look at Deion. I don’t know how to say this or even if I should. “Easton isn’t the easiest man to live with.”
“Like my dad,” she says, which makes me choke on my own saliva and then burst into laughter.
Deion raises a brow. “It’s gonna get harder if you say things like that, Ashanti.”
“I’m joking,” she says with a big smile on her face.
“Of course you are,” he retorts.
I can’t help but smile when I’m around them. Their presence could make anyone happy, and they always light up the room with their banter. The two of them are enough to make me feel right at home.
Still, the moment Deion places the cup of coffee in front of me, it’s as if something’s missing. Something I didn’t have before when I was still living here with them, hiding from the very man who brought me back; an ache for something more than this.
I clutch the coffee cop and try to remind myself that I’m here, in their home, under their wing. That I should be happy to see them again. But it’s Easton who thought this up on his own and brought me here out of his own free will.
He wanted me to be with them without him looking over my shoulder.
A taste of true freedom with no man hunting me in secret and no one to come and snatch me away. And that means so much to me that I want to run out there and pull him inside.
But I don’t.
It wouldn’t be right.
After all, Easton stole me away from them. He’s the sole reason Ashanti got kidnapped and why he had to bring her back. Deion knows what kind of a man Easton is, and it shows on his face.
“You’re still thinking about him, aren’t you?” he asks.
I nod. “I can’t help it.”
“He’s gotten to you,” he says, setting down a drink for Ashanti too.
I lick my lips and stare at my coffee. “Is that bad?”
There’s a long pause before he answers. “That depends on you and your needs. None of that is up to me to judge.”
I look up, and the gentle smile on his face makes me tear up. He’s too kind for this world.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he adds, clearing his throat. “Are you?”
“I’m okay,” I reply, taking a sip of my coffee. “Strangely enough, I’m more than okay.”
“Hmm.” He sits down too and cocks his head. “Does he treat you right?”
I nod. “In a way.”
He puts his coffee down and gives me an awkward smile. “What does that mean?”
I shrug. “He’s just … Easton. I can’t explain it. It’s how he’s always been.”
Ashanti throws us both a glance after every single sip she takes of her drink.
“Okay … but he doesn’t hurt you?”
I lick my lips. “Define hurt.”
His brow lifts, and we stare at each other for a second while my cheeks start to glow. “I don’t think I want to know anymore.”
I laugh at his response, and then Ashanti asks, “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Deion explains. “Adult joke.”
“What joke?” She frowns. “Tell me.”
He pets her hair, and says, “Maybe when you’re older.”
“Aww …” She pouts.
I grab her hand, and say, “When I was your age, no one ever told me anything. And you know what? I wish I didn’t know now what they were talking about. It’s much easier not knowing than knowing something you wish you could forget.”
“Hmm … so it’s something bad?” she asks.
“No, not necessarily,” I say.
“Yeah, it’s bad,” Deion interjects. “Very bad. So bad, Charlotte can’t even say it out loud.”
The mortified look on his face makes me laugh. “I can, but I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your kid.”
“Good, because I won’t be able to finish my drink if I don’t get this image of you and Easton out of my head.” He shakes his head and takes a reluctant sip of his coffee while I laugh my ass off.
It’s the first time in a long while that I’ve felt so at peace with who I am and where I’m at.
And there’s no place I’d rather be at right now than with these two.
* * *
Easton
From afar, I peek through the windows. None of them see me while they talk as I’m hidden behind the darkened car glass, but I can see her. In all her beauty and pride, she radiates when she speaks. Her eyes sparkle, and her locks dance as she moves.
It was hard to let her go, to give her that freedom she craves so badly knowing she could use it against me. She could run away and never come back to me again.
But I had to take this chance. Had to make this leap of faith … for both of us.
The more I watch them, the more I realize I’ve taken from her the very thing that would make her happy, and that seeing her happy brings me immeasurable joy. This was the right thing to do.
I used to think I only wanted her to punish her and her father, that I wanted to control her so I could use her against him, but now I’m beginning to understand that was only a part of my obsession with her. Because the other part … it’s fallen so damn hard for this girl I can’t even keep my head straight.
“Sir, we should be going, or you’ll miss your appointments,” my driver says.
I sigh and nod. “Let’s go.”
But I don’t take my eyes off the window. Not until he’s started the car and driven out of view. And even then, I still picture her in my head, and I can’t help but smile.
* * *
Charlotte
I spend an entire day with them, playing with Ashanti in her room and in the garden, cooking food with Deion, and then eating a fabulous meal. We even play a game of cards afterward. It’s the perfect way to spend a day, and nothing was spent in angst or fear for what’s to come.
By the time someone rings the doorbell, I’m re-energized despite the whole day having passed. I’m not afraid as I open the door even though I know who’s there. Easton waits for me, but this time, there are no tears, only smiles.
“Hey,” I say, licking my lips. “I’ll go grab my coat.”
“I’ll wait inside the car,” he says, and he turns around and walks off.
Just like that, he’s left me alone again in their house again. It’s so unlike him, yet he managed to leave me without starting an argument or acknowledging his own dislike for leaving me with another man. Because I know how much he hates seeing me in another man’s arms. He must’ve cringed hard when I hugged Deion. Still, he didn’t say a word and let me spend the day with them. I can’t believe he did that. Has he changed so much?
As I grab my coat, I kiss Deion and Ashanti on the cheeks, and say, “I will see you again soon, I promise.”
“It was lovely seeing you again,” Deion says.
“More kisses next time!” Ashanti says, giggling as she hugs me tight.
“Agreed,” I reply, laughing too.
I make my way outside, and they wave at me as I walk across the pavement toward Easton’s car. With a heavy heart, I open the car door, sit down, and close it with a last, bittersweet wave goodbye.
Then the car drives off.
For the first time ever, I don’t feel bad about sitting next to Easton. It was my feet that pulled me toward him, my hands that opened the door. I sat down on this seat out of my own free will. No one forced me; no one made the choice for me.
It was me and
me alone who chose, and it felt good.
Easton’s hand grazes over mine, and electricity shoots through my veins. He closes the window between this compartment and the driver’s compartment. Then he gently leans in and presses a kiss to my neck so soft that my lips shiver with delight.
I glance at him from the corner of my eyes, straight into his … and the deep, dark abyss sucks me in. I want to forget about my past, my pain, my life. I just want to live in the now with no regrets, no guilt, and no shame.
So I let him caress my hands and kiss my neck as I cock my head and close my eyes while a moan slips from my mouth. I no longer want to have shame for craving a man who’s bad for me. How can it be so bad if it feels so good?
“I missed you,” Easton whispers into my ear, and he nips at my earlobe.
“How could you stay away for so long then?” I murmur, gasping when his hand slides across my thigh and down between my legs.
“Because it’s what you needed from me … freedom.” His fingers graze my pussy, not enough to set me ablaze but enough to make me beg. “I hope you liked my gift.”
Liked it? I adored it. I finally got to see the only people in this country who I consider my friends.
Easton stops petting me and leans back. The sudden lack of touch and kisses leave me aching for more. “Would you like to go home with me?”
I frown, confused as to why he would stop and ask me things he’s never asked before. He’s normally so aggressive, yet it’s as if he’s holding back for me. Why?
I crawl onto his lap and wrap my arms around his neck.
He narrows his eyes. “Is that a yes?”
I smile, and say, “Thank you.”
And I cup his face and kiss him right on the lips.
This time, it’s not taken. This time, I’m not used.
It’s my choice to give.
And I crave to give him all.
Chapter 21
Easton
I don’t know this Charlotte who’s sitting on my lap, kissing me right this very second. I know her lips, I know her body, and I know the way she holds her breath every time my hands touch her skin.
But I don’t know this girl who throws herself into my arms so willingly.
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