Page 89 of Psycho

I bark out an insincere laugh, and shake my head.

“No, not friends either. Frenemies.”

She laughs along with me, but says, “We’ll see. I’ve seen how my son looks at you. Massimo, my guarded boy, will realize what he has. I just hope it’s not too late by then.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

PSYCHO

It only took two weeks for the workers to fix my house, although the gardens Hadley loves so much were destroyed. I promised her the gardener would make it right, but it’ll take time. I haven’t touched her much at all, because I’m trying to not be an asshole with her, and let her decide when it’s right. For her. It’s completely at odds with the man I am. I’m used to taking what I want, when I want it, but I’m truly afraid of pushing her too far. Hadley acts like she’s fine, but I know she’s not. I see it in her far away glances, the way she sits in a spot, still as stone, before her hands tremble, yet she won’t talk to me about it. When I move the hair that’s fallen on her face, the way she flinches from my touch, it all tells me what those assholes did to her is still with her.

I sit in my office working, when something on my camera feed catches my eye. What the fuck is she doing? Pulling up camera three to get a closer look, I expand it so it covers my entire screen, as I watch Hadley crawl across my living room floor. Turning the sound up all the way, I hear her heavy breathing, along with a strangled sob, and get off my chair and race to her.

When I reach her, I stand staring at her like an idiot, unsure what to do. It’s clear she’s not here, but remembering what she went through. She has had a few nightmares since I found her in that goddamn hole, but this is new. Every few minutes, she screams out like someone is striking her, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so fucking lost in my life.

Dropping to my knees, I say her name softly, afraid of making things worse.

“Hadley. Baby, it’s me.”

Her face is drenched with tears, and her eyes are wide, with what can only be described as sheer terror. For the first time, I can see what I did to her, what she must have gone through, and it does not fucking feel good. When I was a boy, my mother frequently said to be careful what you wish for, because you might actually get it. She’s broken, exactly like I wanted her to be, as the truth crashes into my chest.

Her pain is my pain.

Hurting her means hurting myself.

I pull her into my arms, and hold her tight against me.

“Hadley, come back to me, little lamb.”

She blinks fast at the sound of my voice, as if she’s trying to adjust to new surroundings, before gasping my name.

“Massimo.”

I haven’t held her in my arms since that first night, because she hasn’t wanted me to. Maybe I’m an asshole, but I like it when she wraps her arms around me, and clings to me like I’m the only thing holding her together. I’ve had several conversations with my brother, Bones, about her state of mind, and the nightmares haunting her. She has refused to talk to a therapist, but right now I’m thinking Bones is right. I need to force the issue.

“Hadley.”

She tilts her head back, and gazes at me the way she used to when we were kids. Like I’m a fucking hero, and I almost wish I was worthy of her devotion.

“I’m going to make an appointment for you to talk through this shit, with someone that can help you. You went through a lot, not just with Jimmy, but the loss of your little boy.”

I can see it in her eyes, she is considering fighting me on this once again, but this time I won’t give in. Personally, I’d never talk to someone about the shit in my head. Hell, they’d probably fucking lock me away, but she needs this, and I know Athena saw someone for a while and it helped.

She nods slowly.

“Alright, but can you just hold me a little longer?”

I rise to my feet, holding her in my arms, walk to the couch and sit down. Hadley lays her head on my shoulder, and breathes out a sweet sigh.

“I love you,” she whispers softly, and I want to give her the words back. It’s what she’s desperate to hear, but I can’t, so I just hold her.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

PSYCHO

Three Months Later…

I sit behind my desk as the frustration builds, not only behind my eyes, but in my pants. Hadley has tortured me for days, by brushing up against me with her ass, as she pretends like there isn’t enough room to get by me. When I kiss her, she sucks on my tongue like she did my cock, and every fucking day it’s all I can do to control myself. Now, I turn on my camera system to check on her, she knows damn well they’re there, and she lies on my bed in a black lacy negligee, with her hand between her legs. She tosses her head back, stares right at the goddamn camera, and moans loudly.

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