Page 62 of Let Me
“You’re not what I thought you were, Riley. I thought you were fucked up. I thought you were strange. But I never knew you were such a goddamn monster.”
She twists her way out of my arms.
“Run,” I taunt her, my mouth curving into a smile. “Run.”
She stares at me blankly, then she shakes her head. “I’m not playing these—”
“I’ll give you a head start. When I find you, I’m going to tear you apart.”
And she runs, without a glance back.
I’m true to my word. I can at least be that. I wait, count to ten, really slow, like I did before a wrestling match. Like I do before a meeting. Like I do when I fire someone. I wonder if she’ll try to leave. But I hear her stop on the first floor. I take the stairs down quietly, two at a time, holding my breath. Waiting to see what she does.
She heads down into the basement.
I didn’t even have to try very hard. She doesn’t really want to runaway.She just wants me to chase her.
I follow her quietly, know she’s probably fumbling along the wall, looking for a light switch. She’ll find it, but it’s not going to come on. It was always going to end here, in this room. I take the last step down into the basement, a quick glance along the walls and I see the cameras are invisible. I don’t even know where they are.
Besides, it’s nearly pitch-black in here. She won’t see anything. And she definitely doesn’t see me. Through the darkness, I can hear her breathing. She lets out a small whimper, and I wonder if she’ll change her mind. I wonder if she’ll come back up this way.
I slip into the shadows along the wall opposite her, still watching. She’s a dark figure in the absence of light, but her hair, with those natural highlights, almost shines in the darkness. That’s all I can see of her, like she was in the woods at Lake Jordan. Too bad Benji is still upstairs, not yet ready to play.
“Caden.” Her voice is so small. She whispers my name and I close my eyes against the rush of feeling that runs through me as she does.
Then the moment is gone.
Quietly, on silent steps, I cross the space between us.
I stand behind her, close enough to touch her if I wanted to. And I do want to. But I won’t. Not yet.
She feels me behind her. I know, because she’s holding her breath now. I don’t hear her little inhales and exhales. She twists her head, but I catch her hair in my hand, yanking her head back.
Her breath catches.
“Caden,” she whispers my name again, and I look over her, into her eyes, gleaming in the darkness.
“Do you like this?” I pull harder on the fistful of her soft hair in my hands, and she nods, her eyes not leaving mine.
I press her closer to me, until she’s flush against me, my cock throbbing at her nearness. At her fear.
“Do you want this?” I ask, pressing into her more.
She hesitates. I wait. I can be patient for this vengeance.
Finally, she nods.
“Do you want it more than you wanted Jack?” I know that’s not part of the plan. I know I shouldn’t ask it, because it only hurts both of us. But I like the pain.
Her eyes darken.
“I hate you,” she whispers, and she thinks she means it.
I put my hand on her throat. “That makes it more fun, doesn’t it?”
She moans softly as I press into her again, and then I spin her around by her hair, so she’s facing me, my fingers still tangled in her waves.
I move my free hand down her back, cupping her firm ass. Her eyes stay on mine as I move my hands to the front of her pants, pushing her against the wall at our backs.
