Great. Not only am I blind, confused, and maybe on fire, but there is also a strange dude with me.
I rack my brain for memories of how I ended up in this position. All I can remember is the fishbowl dream, thinking I’m dying, and that I’ve been dead before.
What’s happening to me?
Panic blasts through my veins, and the heat under my skin increases as my pulse skyrockets. I feel as though I’m in a sauna.
“Are you the one who stabbed the needle into my arm?” I ask tensely, wishing to God I could see where I am, see the stranger, see something,
He chuckles. Fucking chuckles. The sound makes me grit my teeth.
“No, sweetheart, I’m not.” His amusement is annoying. “If I was, though, you probably should be more frightened.”
I don’t believe him. He had to be the one who kidnapped me.
Trust no one, Alexis. Ever. Once you do, you’ll end.
My mom whispered those words to me once, granted she was drunk, which is why the last part didn’t make much sense. Still, after she died, I took those words to heart. I rarely trust anyone, and I’m not about to start now.
“Great, you’re one of those creepy pervs who gets their kicks off frightening women.” I shake my head, disgusted and freaked out. But I’m not about to show my emotions. I need to stay calm. I need to pretend I’m not scared shitless. I need to pretend my skin doesn’t feel like it’s on fire. “Is that why you tranquilized then took me?”
“So, you’re calling me a liar? That’s pretty brave of you.” The heavy silence that follows his statement makes my anxiety soar. “Obviously, you’re one of those stupid girls who doesn’t know when to keep their mouths shut.” His low tone sends a chill up my spine, but the heat in my body quickly wipes the sensation away. “Because, if I had kidnapped you, this would be the part where I punish you for talking back to me.” A cold palm cups my cheek.
I jerk back, but another palm is molded over my other cheek, trapping my face between a pair of hands. I shiver, but I refuse to show any signs of being scared.
“Let me go.” Frustration rumbles through me.
This would be a hell of a lot easier if I could see him. Then again, maybe not. Perhaps he looks as creepy as he sounds.
“Again, I stress, if I had kidnapped you, this would be the part where I punish you for talking back.” His grip on my face tightens, not in a painful way, but the added pressure makes me feel even more trapped. And the startling heat blaring inside my body is only adding to my skittishness.
What on earth happened to me? What sort of drugs did this guy inject in me? Is the heat a side effect? Is that why I felt like I was dying?
I gulp as he drags his finger back and forth across my lips. Yep, this guy is a creepy pervert. This isn’t good. At all.
I’m so screwed.
And where the heck is West? Did he get kidnapped, too? Or did this guy just take off with me?
“Let go of me.” I aim for a firm tone but epically fail. “And stop touching my lips. Who knows where the hell your hands have been?”
He fucking chuckles. Again. And it pisses me off. Well, more than I already am.
“Your feistiness isn’t going to do any good right now. It’s only going to encourage me.” He traces his finger across my lips again, as if to prove a point—that he holds all the power over the situation.
Powerless. I feel so powerless. It’s scaring me a bit. And pissing me off.
“I’ll f-fight you.” I despise my uneven tone. “Whatever you’re planning on doing to me, I’m going to fight back. I’m not going to make this easy for you.”
“And what exactly do you think I’m going to do to you?” He sounds amused as he brushes his finger across my lips again.
“Who the hell knows, but I’m sure it probably involves living out your disgusting, perverted, creeper fantasies. Sucks for you, though, because it’s not going to happen.” Then I open my mouth before sinking my teeth into his finger.
Take that, fucker.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t jerk back, allowing my teeth to sink deeper.
Lovely. He’s a freak who loves pain. That’s going to make fighting back a pain in the ass.
Still, I continue to sink my teeth into his flesh until I feel a soft pinch through the fabric of my shirt, right below my left breast.
I wince and jerk back, releasing his finger from my teeth. “Ow! What the hell?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t like it.” He pauses, and the silence drives me mad. “And just for future record, when you go through with your fighting back plan, you should probably know that biting turns me on more than it hurts me.” His low tone conveys a silent warning that I’m unsure I fully comprehend.
I force down a shaky breath, trying to collect my nerves. Then I part my lips to fire off a comeback, when my vision suddenly returns. I snap my jaw shut as I realize where I am.
What the heck? This is West’s bedroom. I know because I helped him paint the walls and hang up decorations when he moved in.
Oh, my God, I’m in West’s bedroom. In West’s bed. With West’s comforter pulled over me. And now that I’m paying attention, I can smell West’s scent on the blanket. The problem is the guy sitting on the edge of the bed isn’t West.
He has short brown hair, a faint scar along his hairline, and his eyes are a crazy shade of silver. He’s wearing a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up; dark jeans; a thick, leather watch covers his wrist; and a barbell piercing decorates his arched eyebrow. He’s gorgeous, but in a scary, intense, bad boy sort of way, kind of like West, only way more intimidating. I don’t know why, but it feels like I know him from somewhere, yet I can’t place from where.
“You look confused,” the guy says, observing me with his head tilted to the side. “Can you see now?”
I consider lying. After all, if he did kidnap me, it might be beneficial to have the upper hand. But if he did kidnap me, then why am I in West’s bedroom?
I decide to ignore his question. “Where’s West?”
His gaze bores into me as he studies me closely, too closely. “He’s around.”
Okaaay …? That’s vague. And not very reassuring.
“Who are you?”
Again, his stare is unnerving. “Well, according to you, I’m a creepy pervert.”
“Maybe you are.” I’m pushing my luck, but I hate backing down from cocky people, and everything about this guy screams, no one ever tells me no.
He cocks a brow. “Do I look like a creepy pervert?”
I shrug. I don’t even know why I do it. It’s not like he looks creepy, but sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Trust me; I know. It’s why I went from a pink and frilly sort of girl to a girl who rocks a lot of black clothes, clunky boots, and leather jackets. Changing my style helped me alter my sweet girl image that I wanted to get rid of after my parents died.
“It’s hard to tell if someone’s a creepy perv just by looking at them.” I eyeball the distance to the door, contemplating if I should make a run for it. “And you do look sort of scary and intense.”
His intensely scary eyes bore into me. “Oh, I do, do I?”
I nod, slowly sitting up, deciding that I need to at least try to get out of here. “Yeah, you kind of do.” I suck a breath in through my nose then mentally count backward from five. When I reach one, I fling the covers off me and bolt upright, ready to flee.
I barely get my feet under me before he loops his arm around my waist. Then he effortlessly pulls me back onto the bed and onto his lap with my back pressed against his chest and my ass against his manly goodies. The scent of his cologne engulfs my nostrils as he dips his lips toward my ear.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he whispers in a low tone that I swear feels threatening.
Warning flags start to pop up everywhere. This isn’t a drill, Alexis. This isn’t a drill. You’ve really been kidnapped.
I’ve never been one for showing vulnerability, so instead of pani
cking, I growl out, “Who the hell are you and why did you bring me to West’s apartment? Does he know you’re here with me, or did you do something to him?” Then, to prove I’m a badass chick, I fling my head backward, straight into his face.
“Fuck,” he grits out in pain, his hold on me loosening.
I seize the opportunity to fling my weight forward and slip out of his hold. Then I run like hell across the room and throw the door open. But I slam to a stop as a guy with dark brown hair and a scruffy jawline steps up and blocks the doorway.
He takes one look at my face then raises his hands in front of him. “Just calm down. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“Calm down? Are you fucking shitting me? This guy”—I gesture at the guy in the room—“kidnapped me. And I’m guessing you helped him since you’re here. And you want me to calm down?”
He blinks at me in shock. “No one kidnapped you.” His shock quickly wears off as he slants his head to the side and scowls at the guy in the room behind me. “Steel, what the hell did you do?”
So, the other asshole’s name is Steel. Seems fitting, especially with that crazy silver eye color.
“I didn’t do anything.” He gets up from the bed with his hand cupped over his nose. “She panicked before I could tell her what was going on.”
I shake my head. “I’ve been awake for at least five minutes and you’ve told me nothing, other than that I was stupid and that, if you did kidnap me, I should be more frightened.”
Steel gives me a dirty look, but I detect the faintest, amused smile playing at his lips. Apparently, he thinks my attitude is entertaining, which would definitely be a first.
The guy in the doorway sighs. “I knew he shouldn’t have let you keep an eye on her by yourself.”
I glance back at him. “Why is anyone watching me? And where’s West?”
The guy in the doorway trades an unreadable look with Steel before his gaze settles back on me. “West is around.”
I cross my arms and stare him down. “Quit being vague and give me a damn answer.”
Steel snorts a derisive laugh. “Word of advice; if you ever do get kidnapped, you should probably keep your mouth shut. Because, if we had kidnapped you, this would be the point where I lose my cool.”
I peer over my shoulder at Steel, hoping I don’t look as nervous as I feel. “You say that like you’re an expert kidnapper.”
“Either that or I’ve been kidnapped a lot,” he replies in an emotionless tone.
My head spins. What in the wild monkeys is going on? How did I get here? And who are these guys?
I’m about to demand some answers when the guy in the doorway sighs again.
“We didn’t kidnap you,” he says. “And we don’t plan on kidnapping you. West is in the apartment in a … special room, doing special things.”
I cock a brow. “Special things? Do I even want to know what that’s code for? Because it sounds like he’s locked up in some room, living out someone’s perverted fetish.”
“I think you might be a little obsessed with the concept of perverted,” Steel says. “Makes me wonder how perverted you are.”
I throw him a nasty look from over my shoulder. “You’re the one who wouldn’t stop sticking your finger in my mouth.”
“What the fuck?” doorway guy exclaims.
Steel ignores him, keeping his gaze welded on me. “And you’re the one who decided to fuck my finger with your mouth.”
I turn around to face him, fuming mad, my cheeks warming from embarrassment. “I didn’t fuck your finger with my mouth.”
“You sucked on it,” he says simply. “That’s pretty much the same thing.”
“I bit it,” I correct.
Steel’s eyes glimmer wickedly. “Bit, suck—what’s the difference?”
“A lot. Biting is usually more of a violent act while sucking is …” I trail off as more warmth rushes to my cheeks.
Wonderful. Now I’m getting embarrassed.
He totally notices, too, his lips tugging into a cocky smirk.
“Sucking is what? Kinky? Sexy? Solely for the purpose of getting someone off?” He leans in toward me, lowering his voice. “Biting can be all of that, too, sweetheart. And maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll show you.”
I refuse to let my jaw drop, but seriously, who is this guy?
“No thanks,” I manage to get out evenly while giving him a bored look. Then, for added emphasis, I yawn.
Instead of getting annoyed, his amusement doubles.
“You know what? I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with you.”
“Steel,” the guy in the doorway says warningly. “You’re crossing a line.”
Steel rolls his eyes. “Lines only exist to be crossed.”
“That’s the most twisted logic ever,” doorway guy says, shaking his head.
“Yeah? So? I’m a twisted guy.” Steel shrugs, his gaze never wavering from mine.
Now I’m the one to sigh. “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on? Because, right now, I feel like I’ve gone mad. Like I’m Alice, but instead of being in Wonderland, I’m in Wonderhell and you two are about to pull an ‘off with her head’ on me.”
Steel’s eyes dance with amusement. The other guy appears more rational, shifting his weight uneasily.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” doorway guy tells me. “We’re going to help you.”
“Help me how?” My eyes drop to a bruise on my arm, the same spot where the needle pierced my skin. My lips curl with irritation. “By doping me up again?”
Doorway guy tracks my gaze, and then his mouth curves into a frown. “We didn’t do that to you.”
I suspiciously glance back and forth between the two of them. “And how do I know that for sure? I don’t know you guys at all, and from what I’ve seen so far, I’m not impressed. So, how do I know you’re not going to hurt me?”
“Because I’m here.”
The voice comes out of nowhere, but I don’t need to see a face to know who the person is.
West.
Alexis
A moment after I hear West’s voice, he steps up beside doorway guy. He’s wearing the same black pants and shirt he had on the last time I saw him. His blond, chin-length hair is a bit messy, and if he opened his mouth, a glint of metal would shine on his tongue. He’s the same West I grew up with, in terms of looks. Yet, two things are different now. For one, he has a crazy intensity to him, as if he’s suddenly become an alpha male. But that might be from the situation we’re in—whatever that is. And the other thing that’s different has more to do with me. Or, I should say, has to do with the way my body reacts to him.
My heart is fluttering in my chest, and the spot on my neck where he sucked and bit me earlier feels all tingly. I’ve never reacted this way toward West before. It’s weird and kind of freaking me out. But not as much as this situation. And I don’t even know what this situation is yet!
“What’s going on?” My tone is a mixture of caution and nervousness.
West looks from doorway guy to Steel. “Didn’t either of you two explain anything to her?”
Doorway dude looks at West and shakes his head. “I was trying to, but Steel wouldn’t shut up.”
West’s gaze lands on Steel and he raises his brows.
“I don’t know why you put me in charge of keeping an eye on her,” Steel says with a lazy shrug. “You know I’m not good at that sort of shit.”
“So, neither of you has told her anything?” West shakes his head, seeming frustrated. “Nice, guys, really fucking nice.”
“Oh, get your panties out of a bunch. We were planning on telling her. I just wanted to play with her for a little bit.” Steel braces his hands on the doorway and slants closer to me.
Even with my back to him, I feel crowded by his presence. I want to step forward, but doorway guy is right in front of me. Suddenly, I’m way too aware that I’m completely surrounded by three guys who could very well do anything they wan
ted to me. And while I want to trust West, I can’t. Not until I get some answers.
“She’s really fun to play with,” Steel adds, pressing his chest against my back.
West’s eyes narrow into slits. Then he reaches around doorway dude, snags ahold of the hem of my black tank top, and pulls me toward him.
“You two go to the cage room and check on him,” he says as he steers me down a narrow hallway. “And Ellis is in charge.”
Doorway guy—Ellis, I’m assuming—nods then turns in the opposite direction. Annoyance flickers across Steel’s expression, but he doesn’t utter a word as he follows Ellis.
“He doesn’t take orders very well,” West explains to me as he guides me into the living room at the end of the hallway. “Steel, I mean.”
“Why are you giving him orders at all?” I ask as West releases my shirt and closes the blinds, which seems super strange for several reasons. Then again, everything seems strange at the moment, from the cautious way West moves, to the way my body won’t cool down, as if a permanent fire is scorching under my flesh.
“Because he works with me.” He sinks down on the leather sofa and pats the cushion beside him.
I don’t budge. “So, you’re like his boss … Wait. I thought you worked at the bank?”
West hesitates. “I used to.”
“But you don’t anymore?”
He shakes his head with a drop of remorse in his eyes. “I haven’t since I was sixteen.”
“But you started working there when you were sixteen.” The heat in my body increases, and my head becomes a bit foggy. “Or, at least that’s what you told me.”
He gives a long pause while studying me with hesitancy. “I did work there for about two weeks until I got this job.”
“And what’s this job exactly?” I ask, although I’m not sure I want to hear the answer. “Because, the last thing I remember is being in the car with you, and we were …” My cheeks glow with heat as images of him rubbing me while biting my neck flood my thoughts. “But anyway, yeah, one minute I was in the car with you, and the next, I was falling to the ground and being stabbed with a needle. Then I blacked out and woke up here in your room with some random guy who, FYI, is a total asshole. And now you’re telling me you’ve been lying to me and working at some unknown job for over two years. I’m really trying not to freak out, because I thought I knew you, but now I’m worried I don’t, and that maybe you work for some sort of trafficking operation and you’re about to sell me off to some creep.” I let out an exhale as I run out of breath.
The Other World_A Reverse Harem Series Page 6