by Kira Hillins
She shoved on his chest. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”
“I know you want me.” He dragged his lips from her cheek to her neck. He slipped his hand up inside her shirt and under her bra. He groped her breast. Her entire body weakened. The ache between her thighs worsened when he found her nipple.
Oh God. Maybe she could have sex with him. She’d seen enough sex in movies to know how to do it. Almost all the girls in school had already done it, so why couldn’t she?
She cupped his crotch. He raised his head and groaned as she slid her palm up and down the front of his jeans.
“Let’s go find that room so we can fuck.”
That wasn’t the word she longed to hear. It made her feel like a slut who’d screwed every guy in town. She liked Tad, and hoped he’d treat her with more respect, but he ruined everything.
She shoved him away and folded her arms over her chest. “I was going to do it with you, but not now.”
“What did I do?”
She shrugged then looked out the balcony windows at the pouring rain. “I just don’t think this is a good place and time.”
“Is it because I said fuck?” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “You’ve never done it before, have you?”
“Don’t be absurd.” She swatted away his hands as he tried to cop another feel of her breasts. She stormed off to the sunken great room and sat on the step with a huff. Tad came to stand in front of her. The great metal feet of the suit of armor was huge compared to his white tennis shoes.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed because you’re a virgin.” He held out his hands for her to take.
She looked up to find sincere eyes, but couldn’t see them behind the blond curls hanging down in his face. “I don’t know. I’m just not into this kind of thing, you know, with the party in the other room.”
“You were fine a minute ago.”
She glared. “A tone like that will land you out in the dark in the rain.”
She preferred to be alone here, in his house, anyway. It didn’t seem right to have all these people here where her heart belonged.
“I’m sorry. I promise I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. Why don’t you give me a tour of the rest of this amazing house?”
She accepted his offer and let him yank her to her feet. He pulled her against him but kept his hands to himself. Innocence always turned guilty in some way or another, and his promise to be good looked flimsy with a mere flash of his perfect white teeth.
“There’s a first time for everything.” He glanced down the hall at his friends who still partied like there was no tomorrow. “I mean, I’m looking forward to this tour of the rooms with you.” He led her to the door beside the kitchen and rested his hand on the knob. He flashed a wicked half grin then pushed it open. “Let’s see what’s behind door number one, shall we?”
Her heart jumped to her throat. To see the dreaded basement door open for the first time in years drummed up excitement and fear.
She tugged on Tad’s hand. “No. You can’t go down there.”
He held tight as he took another step into the dark basement. “Oh, is it too scary for you?” He lowered his voice to a playful growl. As he waggled his brows, he dragged her through the doorway with him.
She didn’t want to go, not at all. She stumbled as he practically forced her down the steps. This was where he’d stayed when he’d lived here. She’d made it into a shrine, keeping his bed made with the blanket he’d used during his sleep. On the wall hung a recent picture of her, in case he came back and wondered what she looked like. It’d been six years since she’d changed the photo. So even if he happened to see it, he wouldn’t know her by the way she looked now.
Tad drew a small keychain flashlight from his pocket then turned it on. He led her down the flight of stone steps until they reached the floor of the room. It was cold as a winter’s night, and she shivered from the chill.
“This is spooky.” Tad snorted as he positioned the flashlight beneath his chin and shined it on his face. He sat on the bed, eyes lit up mischievously in the yellow light. “Come on, baby, sit with me.”
Anna shook her head, refusing to touch his bed. “Let’s go back upstairs. It’s freezing down here.”
“I know a way we can stay warm if you’ll just come here. There are other ways we can please each other if you don’t want to have sex.”
A soft thud in the room made her heart beat like a drum. “Did you hear that?”
Tad grabbed her wrist then pulled her down beside him on the bed. Without hesitation, he kissed her hard.
“I can’t do this here.” She struggled to get away, but he held her firmly.
“Come on, Anna. Just let me be your first. I promise I’ll be gentle.” As he relentlessly kissed her with his wet lips, he slid his hand between her thighs.
“Get off me!” Another thud came from the corner of the room, loud enough that he heard it, too. With him distracted, she scooted away from him. “You need to leave now.”
“Damn it, Anna.” Tad groaned as he picked up his flashlight. “There’s nobody here but us.”
A whisper came from the same spot as the thud. Tad shined the flashlight that way. He slinked to the other side of the room and inspected the wall. He traced a notch in the stone with his finger then gave a long, drawn out sigh.
He threw his hands up in the air as he leaned back against the stone. “The house is probably settling or something. Now where were we?”
“Leaving.”
He grinned mischievously as he pushed himself upright. The wall moved back. He stumbled, but caught his balance. Dim light shone through the opening. Tad’s eyes widened with his smile as if he’d found treasure during a scavenger hunt.
“Did you know about this room?”
Anna shook her head, astounded to see light where there should be darkness. “I don’t think we should go in there.”
The light he held went straight into her eyes blinding her. He pulled her into the secret room. The double rack with catty-corner slots stretched out a good ten feet. As tall as the eight-foot ceiling, it held hundreds of bottles of wine, though several slots were empty.
A terrible chill swept over her. At the end of the room sat a brown leather recliner. On the table beside the lamp was an empty wineglass with an open bottle of this unlabeled wine.
“A hidden wine cellar.” Tad retrieved a bottle from its resting place. He let go of her hand and inspected the glass. Dark red liquid sloshed around inside. “I bet this is very old wine. We should drink some of this.”
“We need to go back upstairs.” The hairs on the back of her neck stood. She took hold of Tad’s hand, but he wouldn’t budge. “Please, let’s just go.”
He slid the wine bottle back inside its slot. “Fine.”
He followed her out into the other room. A relieved breath passed her lips as she led him toward the stairs, eager to get out of this dreadful cave and never return. But he heaved her back—hard enough that she lost her footing.
He shoved her down on the bed then toppled her with his crushing weight. His wet mouth met her face. “We’re not going anywhere until I get what I came for.”
“Get off of me!” She screamed as she pounded her fists against his chest. This time he wouldn’t budge, not even to find out what made the loud thud on the other side of the room.
“You’ve wanted this since ninth grade, Anna.” His voice rose as he gathered her wrists in his hands and held them above her head. He was too strong to fight, so she relaxed her body. The muscles in her arms hurt. Tears marked the outer corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them go. It’s show how weak she was against this guy she used to like.
“Do you really want to do this?” Her voice wavered. “Do you want the town to know their star football player is nothing more than a rapist?”
He chuckled as he slid his hand inside her shirt. He groped her breast hard. It hurt. The whimper she let out turned into a cry.
Tears rolled down her cheeks to the wool blanket beneath her—his blanket. If only he’d come to save her from this jerk. If she’d just left with her nose pierced, she never would’ve run into him. This wouldn’t be happening.
“You don’t have to do this.”
His face was right there, smirk on his wet lips, gaze wild as he unzipped her jeans. An ill sensation worked through her gut as he shoved his hand down inside. This was stupid. This was not how she wanted to lose her virginity. Sure, she’d had daydreams about doing it with Tad, or one of her many celebrity crushes, but not like this.
She shut her eyes tight and screamed. “Stop!”
With a forceful jerk of his hand, he ripped her shirt down the center. He shifted to the side then released her wrists. He yelped as he lifted himself off her body.
Without his weight, her breathing came easy again. Able to move, she sat up and looked around the black room. She patted the bed and found the keychain then shined the light around her. There was nothing but empty space and stone walls.
“Tad?” She wiped her wet face with rigid fingers. What in the world had happened?
She turned on the light to the steps and found him sitting, mouth agape. His body shook as if he’d just faced his worst nightmare in a lengthy battle and sequentially lost the war.
A frigid chill crept up her spine as she rose from the bed. She inched toward him, searching the room with the tiny light, hoping whatever spooked him stayed hidden in the shadows.
“Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” He seized the light from her hands and leapt to his feet. “Something just threw me across the room!” He fled up the stairs. “Fuck this place. I’m out of here!”
“Wait.” She took a step up. “What do you mean…threw you across the room?”
“Just stay away from me!” He slammed the door behind him, leaving her alone in the dark.
She ran up the steps as fast as her feet would take her. With a gasping breath, she closed the door behind her. She went back to the bedroom. Not that she wanted to go near him, but it’d be nice to know what changed his mind, and in such a dramatic way.
The loud engine of his truck startled her. She peered out the window just in time to watch him speed off down the gravel road. She slumped as she made her way to the living room. With a sigh, she tightened her ripped shirt around her then sank down in the old, dusty cushions of the couch.
Happy the few people at the party had left too she lay down. Her eyelids fell, but nothing could stop the tears from coming. Idiot. Why had she let anyone come here? This place held a special place in her heart. It was full of memories of her dark prince who never smiled at anyone, except her. He made her feel safe and loved until the day he abruptly left.
Asshole.
She dried the tears from her cheeks as the blaze in the fireplace dwindled. Here she was warm and comfortable, relaxed. After the incident in the basement, she should feel frightened beyond reason, but she didn’t. It was as though an angel watched over her, arms around her, protecting her from bad things.
She thought of the room beyond his bed. If she’d said yes to Tad, they never would’ve found it. If she’d said yes in the kitchen, they never would’ve ventured down the stairs in the first place. Tad’s hands might have stayed to themselves, though she knew better. By now, she wouldn’t be a virgin.
“Such a nerd, Anna,” she mumbled with a short laugh through her nose.
She added another log to the fire. Night was her favorite time. It was when she dreamed of him, wishing she could see him one more time. It had been over ten years since he’d left her. Coming here tonight, letting this dream of him resurface, was a bad idea. It brought back all the emotions she’d shoved to the corner of her mind.
She drew in a deep breath. The place was a mess. Empty beer cans were scattered around the room. Boxes of cookies and bags of potato chips lay crumpled in the floor. Crumbs were scattered from one end to the other.
With no vacuum anywhere in the house, the task at hand looked bleak. How would she explain to Betty that she needed to borrow hers? She couldn’t come right out and tell her about the party, but she’d never lied about anything. Rebellion or not, the truth would come out. Then she’d be in trouble, more so than she was already going to be.
As she picked up a plastic grocery bag, a knock came from the back of the house. The angel that held her fear released her, leaving her vulnerable to whatever lingered in the house.
Maybe the place was just settling. It was fairly old and carved into the edge of a rock that was constantly bashed by waves. Or maybe the ghost or whatever it was that tossed Tad around like a toy had come back.
The hinges on the door to the back bedroom creaked. Icy fingers clawed at her spine as she held her gaze on the dark hallway. If a ghost wandered into the room, she was going to faint. She should be high-tailing it out of here instead of standing here like the dumb chic in a B horror movie.
“Hello?” She spoke in a hushed voice. “Who’s there?”
She glanced out the front window. Her car was the only one parked in the driveway. There was nobody here but her and possibly a psycho-killer.
“Anna.” The deep voice whispered from the shadows of the hallway.
She huddled closer to the fire as panic set in. “Quit messing around and come out!” Maybe it was Tad. He’d come back to finish what he’d started. “You can’t have everything you want, Tad. So just go home and leave me alone.”
A shadow appeared in the hall. Darkness surrounded it like a sheet of black. It wasn’t Tad. This figure stood tall. Lean. A scream formed on her lips, but she couldn’t get it out. There was no point in calling for help when nobody was around to hear her.
Tears fell fast down her cheeks as she picked up the shovel beside the fireplace and held it out before her. “Who are you?” She wiped the blur from her eyes, attention on the motionless figure. “I’m not alone, you know. My boyfriend…he’s here with me.”
That sounded good, but how many horror movies taught her words like that never worked? By this time, the unpleasant boyfriend had already gotten his comeuppance. “Please, Tad. If that’s you, just come out into the light. You’re scaring me.”
The figure moved toward her, but no footsteps tapped against the floor. He said nothing as he made his way into the room.
Her hands shook so much, the shovel slipped from her grasp. An empty bottle caught its descent to the floor, and glass shattered into pieces at her feet. With no exit but the balcony overlooking jagged cliffs, she was trapped.
As the strange man drew closer, all hope drained away. She shut her eyes tight and accepted the inevitable. To die on graduation night, wire bra showing from her open shirt, a little drunk, and still a virgin, might not be the most honorable death, but it’d be all right.
Even if the angel’s arms enclosed her now, fate left her no other choice but to hold her breath and wait for this intruder to throw her to the floor. He’d stab her with a knife, a rusty one. Tetanus, yes, it’d be a slow end to her miserable life. Or maybe her attacker would leave her to bleed to death instead.
Unable to move, her body would grow cold, her breath would shallow. Then, she’d find her way to heaven. At least Mac wouldn’t need to worry about paying for college anymore.
She opened one eye, and the other followed. No sharp blade through the chest was a good sign. Then again, maybe the perpetrator thought of other things to do to her.
She shivered, waiting patiently for her vision to adjust to the room. Though he was dimly lit in the lowering light of the fire, she could see him near the couch. Tristan.
Her heart jumped to her throat. “Am
I dreaming?”
He stepped farther into the light. His pale face looked grim. The half smile on his dark lips reminded her of the man she remembered, the prince who left the blue hearts and stole hers in a mere second of just standing here.
“You’ve come home.” She mouthed the words, not making a sound, afraid if she breathed he’d disappear.
He lifted his dark eyes to hers. Frightened tears turned to excitement. She ran as fast as her wobbly legs would allow then threw her arms around his neck. Tears she’d hidden away since that terrible night he’d left fell from her eyes.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. This wasn’t a dream or a strange man invading her space. Her dark prince had come home.
His chest rose and fell. She trembled as it brushed against her exposed skin. Her body ached for him. With all her strength, she held on, wanting him to breathe, wanting him.
He pried loose of her grip then shoved her away. “You look dreadful.”
All the pent up anger that had built up inside came to a brink. She drew her arm back then took a swing at his face. He caught her wrist before she made contact.
“After all these years, why did you come back to put me down?”
He shoved her hand down to her side then let go. “I am not…back.”
She scoffed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shook his head. “I did not come to see you.”
That hurt. She looked down, feeling like the shattered glass at her feet. She’d cry again, but then, she hadn’t quit since he’d revealed himself in the light.
The coolness of his palm on her cheek startled her. He curled his finger under her chin then lifted. “Look at me.” When she caught his gaze, he thumbed tears from her cheeks. “You are too beautiful to hide behind all this black.”
“I could say the same for you.” Lost in his abyss, she covered his hand with hers then pressed her cheek to his palm. “You’ve always hid from me. Just once, I want to see the real you.”
“I will frighten you away.”
“No you won’t. I know who you are, Tristan.”