I am speechless. Reggie is truly a knight in shining armor and I am exactly what he said, selfish and ungrateful. The guilt has risen to extraordinary heights and I need to apologize to him. I can’t believe I acted the way I did. I will be lucky if he ever forgives me, but while I have the boys talking, I might as well capitalize on it. “Did Reggie quit fighting because of me? I mean because I moved in?”
Jake nodded. “You were pretty crazy when you moved in and he couldn’t train for a fight and be out at night with Robert always threatening to take you, so he quit.”
“But he told me he quit when your mom died, why would he lie?” I wonder.
“Because, Darcie, he knew you would feel guilty and that wasn’t going to help you get any better,” Jeremy responds.
The backdoor slams shut with the wind and Reggie emerges from the kitchen, wearing only dark blue basketball shorts and fighting gloves. He looks absolutely gorgeous. The sweat is dripping down his chest and his hair is tied behind his head with a few strands hanging loose. He puts his hands on his hips and I gaze at his rock hard abs along with the happy trail I want to run my fingers through. Jesus, my body is igniting red hot between my legs and I instantly ache to feel him on top of me.
“Jeremy, you can stop now.” His voice is like velvet as he commands Jeremy to stop talking.
I stand to my feet and run into his arms. Reggie is shocked when I climb up his body and wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck before crashing my lips into his. He kisses me back with as much force and we’re lost in each other.
Breathless, I pull away from him and look into the safety of his aqua pools. “You are really a knight in shining armor, always coming to the rescue to save someone you love, and I’m so sorry, Reggie. I should’ve never doubted you about anything. Deep down, I knew you would never do anything to deliberately hurt me or anyone else, but I overreacted like usual and I’m sorry.” I look over to Jeremy sitting on the couch. “The boys explained everything to me and I should be begging you for forgiveness because you are the most loving person I’ve ever met and I’m everything you said I was—”
“Shut up,” Reggie interrupts. “Just stop talking, Darcie. Stop being sorry for everything you think you’ve done. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t do anything I don’t want to. Everything I’ve done for you is because I wanted to. Now just stop.”
I kiss him again. Our tongues dive into each other’s mouthsas the intensity gets deeper and deeper. The warmth in my belly is igniting my core once again. I want him on top of me—inside me—and I don’t think I can wait. I don’t think I will ever wait again.
“OKAY!” Jake screams. “This is exactly what I was talking about! I don’t need to see this shit all the time.” We keep kissing, ignoring Jake’s rant. “Seriously, Reggie, go dry hump her in your own room because, right now, I want to rip my eyeballs from their sockets.”
Reggie doesn’t even break our kiss as he guides me down to his room and we lie on his bed. Tangled in each other we lie on our sides, exploring each other with our hands. I start working my lips down his chin, neck and chest. He tastes of salt and it’s addicting, I want to taste more. Reggie rolls to his back and I straddle his hips, keeping my lips and tongue on his body. His dick is pressing into me and I start to rub myself against it, feeling the length of his steel digging into the softness of my body.
Reggie releases a deep moan from the depths of his throat, but I keep moving my way down. I want to please him as much as he pleases me. I want him to feel good about everything between the two of us. I roll off his hips and slide my hand between the elastic of his shorts and his warm skin. My lips are still planted over his chest, licking, sucking and kissing his sweaty skin. Slowly, I move my hand deeper into his shorts and underneath his boxers. As I put him in my hand, my eyes open at the surprising girth of his manhood; my fingers don’t even wrap around it. I admire it with my hand, stoking my hand up and down his length slowly, gently, until I can feel him grinding against me. Reggie releases another deep moan as he encourages me, “Faster, angel.” I move faster, picking up the pace. He starts to tense then, suddenly, his body stiffens and relaxes around me.
My lips meet his once again and we consume each other with our mouths. He breaks our kiss and slides down to the end of the bed, cleaning and readjusting himself. “Your turn, angel, but if it’s too much, just tell me to stop.”
My eyes widen from excitement as he crawls back on the bed and lies down over me and between my legs. Reggie takes my mouth back into his and resumes exploring me. His mouth moves away from my lips and down my chin then over the tender spot just behind my ear. I tremble from the touch and bite my lower lip. This is much hotter than our storage room make out. Reggie is half naked and lying on top of me, but this is so much more than physical because it’s passion fostered by love and it’s wonderful.
The assault with his lips continues as they make their way down my neck, over my throat and back the other side. Reggie’s hand is under my shirt and his fingers are inching their way inside my bra, brushing over my nipples. The feeling is so much more exhilarating than I thought it would be. After everything I’ve been through, this is the part of my life I have prepared to go without, and now, I’m glad I don’t have to. The way he makes me feel, I can’t describe, I’m lost for words, lost for thoughts, completely lost in him.
Reggie’s fingers slide down my stomach and rest inside the waist of my jeans. I push my hips up, guiding his hand to go deeper into my pants. Then he does. His finger slides between my slit, finding the sweet spot I’ve only attempted to explore, but was never brave enough to follow through. In slow, massaging circles, Reggie starts to rub his fingers over the spot and the heat grows from the deepest pit of my belly. My core begins to tremble as he rubs a little faster and harder. I can’t breathe. The intensity is making me red hot and I begin to pant with desire. Reggie’s lips are devouring mine as he rubs me faster until I erupt in his hand. My back arches, legs tingle and I’m instantly floating. This is the most incredible feeling in the world and I don’t want it to end.
I feel like a million bucks. My body is tired, but in a good way. As I come down from the clouds, I open my eyes to see the ocean staring back at me. His smile is enormous as it spreads across his face. The stubble of his five o’clock shadow is stretched across his beautiful, chiseled jaw and the golden strands of his hair are loose, brushing my face. I take a moment to stare at him. God, this man is breathtaking. I wonder if he even realizes how hot he really is.
“Do you even know how gorgeous you are?” I ask, staring into his blue eyes.
Reggie lets out a surprised laugh and presses his lips to mine. “Um…thanks?”
“No, I’m serious, Reg. You are so fucking hot, it’s ridiculous. Really! Your face is perfectly handsome, yet rugged. Your body is…amazingly flawless. Your muscles are lean and sculpted, but not freakishly giant and the way you walk…” I let out a deep sigh. “Holy shit, it’s all I can do not to stare. However, the sexiest part about you is, you don’t let it go to your head. You’re humble and reserved. You don’t brag about yourself or try to impress anybody and that is such a turn on.”
That is merely one of the many things I hated about Grady. He always had something to say about himself. Whether it was a fight he got into, a race he won, or the millions of girls he bagged; it was always about him and it was nauseating to hear. Over and over the word vomit would spew and I would have to zone myself out in order to keep my sanity. How I put up with it for so long is beyond me.
Reggie kisses me again and I can’t help when I deepen it. I wrap my arms around his neck and let my fingers wander into his hair. I can feel him getting hard underneath me and my body is lighting up again. How do people even function outside of bed, knowing they have to stop this? Right now, I don’t care about anything else going on in the world except what we are doing right now.
Reggie breaks our kiss and lifts himself off me. He slides down to the end of t
he bed and grabs a clean pair of shorts and boxers. I look at him, confused, but can’t break my eyes from the view of his sexy ass. Dammit! This is not helping my libido any.
“Darcie, we need to slow down. I’m finding it impossible to be around you without wanting to be with you. This is very new for both of us and I don’t want to rush into anything, especially after everything you’ve been through.” Reggie’s eyes are concerned as he looks over at me.
“I somewhat agree with you, but honestly, I don’t want to plan it. You know, you give me flowers, go to a fancy dinner and get a hotel room. I hate all that stupid shit. I just want our bodies to tell us the time is right. Spontaneous, not planned. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, it makes sense, but you have to realize that you’re still young. I think we should wait until you’re at least eighteen and out of high school before we let it get that far.”
“Reggie, how much will I mature in eight months? Let’s not talk about this and just see what happens, okay?” Reggie leans down over the bed and kisses me.
“Okay. I’m going to take a cold shower before you end up killing me,” he says, then kisses the tip of my nose before he strides out of the bedroom.
I hop off the bed and make my way over to my bedroom. A shower sounds good right now. Yanking clothes from my dresser, I hear the chime of my cell phone, alerting me to a new text message. I dig into my school bag and pull out my phone. The picture text is from Presley. As I swipe my finger across the screen, my stomach sinks and every ounce of blood rushes from my body. There is no way anyone could be prepared for that and I can feel the walls closing in as the darkness starts to absorb my vision. The nightmare is happening all over again.
Chapter 30
Darcie
I drop the phone on my bed and fall to the floor, clutching my stomach. I open my mouth to let out a scream, but the sound chokes on the vomit making its way up my throat. My body starts to heave violently as I rush to the toilet and expel everything in my system. My eyes water, my throat burns and my body trembles from the fear of what I just saw. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening, I chant over and over, willing it to go way, to be a bad dream, but the pain in my body tells me this is real. I lean back against the wall and catch my breath. Take deep breaths in and out, trying to keep the darkness from plaguing me again.
How is this possible? How the hell did Robert get to her? Unless…she’s his niece? Then, I think about the last time I saw Presley. She was at The Slab. She and Drake were walking to talk to Grady and I when she received the text message and suddenly was withdrawn, then gone. Then, I recall she never even talked about her home life after her parents died and how she never wanted to go home. Rose Hill Terrace, that’s where Robert’s house is, the house I lived in before my mother died. Oh my God, Presley has been living with the devil this whole time and I can’t believe I didn’t realize it.
I close my eyes and see the picture of Presley. She is lying on the same junkie metal bed, handcuffed by her wrists and ankles, eyes masked and wearing only her bra and panties. Crimson is painted all over her body. She’s been beaten and covered in blood. I need to help her, but how?
Reggie.
He will help me and know what to do. I will show Reggie the picture. He saved me, he can save her. I pull myself off the floor, making my way to the bedroom door. Grabbing my phone off the bed, I tuck it into my pocket. As I put my hand on the knob another chime rings from my phone. I read the next message.
You know where we are, Margaret. Come alone. You know the consequences for her if you don’t.
The breathing in my chest becomes rapid as I release the knob. It’s all too familiar what consequences Robert is referring to and she will be lucky to survive them. My head is spinning and my body is weakening, dizzy and discombobulated. I fall to my hands and knees, trying to clear my mind. Erase the fear of what I’m about to do.
It’s up to me to save her, she has no one else.
It’s all me.
I stand on my shaking legs and force myself to move out the door. The water is still running from the hall bathroom and confirms that if I want to get passed Reggie, I need to move now. As quickly as my feeble legs will carry me, I run down the hall, into the kitchen and out the back door. I plod down the stairs, but miss the second to last step and send myself flying forward onto the cold concrete. My palms are scraped, but not bleeding. However, I can’t feel the pain now. I have to move. Rubbing my hands over my jeans, I try to step forward. I scream inside my head to run.
Move, Darcie, move!
The sky is black and clear as the moon shines above my head. The bones under my skin feel like they are going to combust as the subzero temperatures penetrate my body. I make my way down to the sidewalk and, just as I pass through the gate, I zip up my sweatshirt and pull the hood over my head. Brownish gray snow is piled high along the sidewalks which helps disguise my sudden exit. It won’t be long before Reggie is looking for me. The boys are in the garage and once he recognizes I’m not with them, the hunt for me will be on. Dammit! I should have left him a note. I contemplate turning around, but it’s too late. I can’t hide a single emotion from Reggie and he will know instantly something is wrong.
I make myself run. I need to get to Presley. I’m her only hope. I’m her only hope, I chant over and over. I need to say it in order to keep myself out of the invading darkness in my head. I need to say the words over and over. My feet start to obey and they move, quickly. One block away from the house, I stand in the shadows and stare at it. I haven’t seen this house since Reggie pulled me from it three years ago. Even though it is three blocks from where I live now, I’ve never once laid eyes on the rundown house. It looks the same as it did back then; the paint is faded and chipping off and the shutters hang from the windows. Then I look to the room. A small light is shining from the window where Presley is captive. The same room I was held, the same fucking room in which I spent eight months of hell!
Releasing a breath, I walk across the street and stand just inside the fence of the property. My body is pressed against the chain link as I walk as quietly as I can toward the back of the house. My shirt catches on a jagged piece of metal and I feel my arm scrape the cold steel. I release a muffled grunt as I yank my shoulder away, causing the sweatshirt to rip and leave a small section of cloth still attached.
The drive has been recently plowed and it’s hard for my shoes to get traction on the icy terrain as I inch my way up the long, single lane driveway. I stop about half way up and shake my hands out. The adrenaline is building with each step toward the house of horror.
Just go Darcie.
Move forward.
Save Presley.
Just save Presley and worry about the other shit later.
I start moving my feet once again and cross the gravel and ice covered drive to press myself up against the house. Standing on my tip-toes I peer into the downstairs window, looking for Robert. His Mercedes isn’t parked in the drive, but I know he’s here and waiting. I walk up the back porch steps and a small creek from the wooden boards sounds under my feet, but I keep going, through the old screen door, until I’m in the house of hell.
The smell of mold instantly brings back all the tortuous memories and pain. I look to my right and then my left. Clearing my thoughts, I make a mad dash to the stairs. I know exactly where she’s at and I have to get to her. When I pass through the kitchen, arms secure themselves around my midsection and a cigar smell infiltrates my senses. Robert’s got me cinched like a vise, pinning my arms to my sides and my back to his chest. His hot breath is next to my ear, panting as he struggles to keep me confined.
Then it invades.
Blackness.
I close my eyes and feel my body weaken, melt into his arms as my system starts to shut down, taking me back to the horror of three years ago. I am falling into the well and I’ll never get back out.
“Hello, my little Margaret Darcia. Oh, how I’ve missed you. You look so much
like your mother, too. This pleases me.” Robert licks from the base of my neck, up to the top, and then sucks on my earlobe, but I feel nothing. I’m in the dark and that’s where I’ll be when he finally kills me.
“AWWWWWW!” A blood curdling scream snaps me from the dark. Let the blue eyes pull me toward their light, I think to myself. The terrified sound of her scream breaks the spell. Presley! I need to save Presley.
Making my body and mind work as one unit, I take a moment to think. I have to get out of his arms. I am strong. I’ve beat the shit out of dudes tougher than Robert. I’m not the same person I was three years ago. I’m. A. Fighter!
Drawing my foot backwards, I move it up and plant my Converse right between Robert’s legs. He releases a guttural moan and loosens his death grip on me. He bends over from the pain I inflicted to his manhood and I use the opportunity to jack my elbow back and slam it into his kidney.
I’m free.
Robert is buckled over on the floor, now gripping his side as I turn around to cripple him even more. With all the strength in my body, I draw my foot back and kick him again, right between the eyes. “Fuck you!” I scream and round the stairs, taking them two at a time.
At the end of the hall, I push open the door and see the horror Presley has been through the last two weeks. The room smells of urine and is cloaked in evil. She’s been stripped down to her black underwear. Purplish-red welts are covering her entire body, lashings from a belt, no doubt, but it’s the cuts from the razorblade that make the tears stream down my face. Fresh blood, as well as dried blood, covers her legs and stomach, her breasts have hickies and her hair has been cut and lying in piles around her.
“AWWWWWW!” Presley screams again.
I fall to my knees beside the bed and yank the blindfold from her eyes. “Presley!” She’s still screaming. “Presley, it’s me, Darcie!” I grab a hold of her shoulders and shake her. “Look at me, Presley, please!”
Scarred Love Page 20