Chapter 27
Rebel's parents are gone now, but Sainte refuses to sleep in the vacant bedroom. He insists on still sleeping on the couch. He's been here three days and it’s only gotten worse. I've been having trouble sleeping at night and tonight is no different. I decide to go downstairs and get something to drink. When I get to the bottom of the stairs, the house is dark.Good, he's asleep.It's always a plus when I don't have to interact with him.
I quietly make my way into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I see that there is an open bottle of sparkling grape juice. What I really want is a glass of wine, but this is the next best thing. I take it out and proceed to the cupboard to get a wine glass, because using a wine glass makes me feel as if I am really drinking the good stuff. Just as I'm pouring my juice, a voice in the darkness startles me. I spill it everywhere as I jump.
"So what's your story, Feisty Pants?" Sainte asks.
I ignore him as I clean up my mess. Then I turn and face him.Fuck!He's standing there in a pair of black sleep pants that hang low on his hips and he's not fucking wearing a shirt. He's ripped, and he's got a tat on his left shoulder that comes down over onto his pec. I can't quite make out what it is in the dark, but it's intriguing. My eyes take in his body and I have no words. He really is fucking beautiful. It's a shame his personality doesn't match his looks.
"Well?" he prods.
"That is none of your business," I reply.
"Oh come on Honey, I know you've got a story." He moves in closer to me and says, "What's the matter, Feisty Pants? You afraid of what I might think of you when you tell me?"
"You know what, Sainte? You're a cocky ass. I'm not afraid of anything and frankly, I don't give a shit what you think of me." I grab my glass of fake wine and start to walk away.
Before I get too far, he grabs my arm and pulls me back. Taking the glass of out of my hand, he begins to back me against the kitchen counter. He sets the glass down and leans in close. His body is right up against mine and I can feel his erection pushing into my core. My body betrays my mind and I can feel the wetness pool between my legs. "Look, darling, you may think that you hate me—hell, right now, you probably do—but that doesn't stop you from wanting me." He pauses and leans in to whisper in my ear and says, "And even though you hate me, it doesn't stop me from wanting to tear your clothes off and fuck you into oblivion."
Oh my. I thought the chemistry between Hawk and I was strong, but it's nothing compared to what I feel with this guy … which only makes me hate him more.
I'm breathless from his words and his close proximity and before I can utter a word, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me, hard and possessively. Everything in me fights to not kiss him back, but I can't. My arms reach up around his neck and I greedily kiss him back. My body melts into his. The kiss seems to last forever and when he breaks the kiss and steps away from me, I feel cold and bereft. "Told ya," he says smugly and suddenly I remember that I hate him. Before he sees it coming, I reach up and slap him hard across the face.
"Don't fucking touch me again!" I spit. As I storm out of the kitchen, I can hear him laughing behind me.How dare he laugh at me!
I get back up to my room, without my grape juice I might add, and I am even less tired than I was before. I'm fuming mad.Why the fuck did I fall into his trap? Why did I let him get the better of me? Fuck! I've known guys like him all my life. I know the signs of an asshole, and he fits the bill perfectly. Then why? Why the fuck did I let him kiss me, and more importantly, why did I kiss him back?
That kiss. Oh my … No man, not even Ice, has kissed me like that. It wasn't a kiss of just passion or lust. No, it was a kiss of dominance, power, and complete control. He fucking owned me during that kiss, devouring my mind as well as my lips. And I fucking let him!
I was definitely right about him. He's trouble. I can't let this happen again; if I do, he will destroy me.
As I lie in bed, I can't stop thinking about the feel of his lips or how his body felt pressed up against mine. And then, reality takes a front row seat, and I think about Hawk. He's always been there for me and this is how I repay him, by kissing another man.
I need to tell him. I have lied to him about so many things, mainly for his own good and to not hurt him, but I can't keep this from him. First, it's the right thing to do, and second, I don't trust Sainte to keep his mouth shut about it. Hawk is safe. He's strong and grounded. He won't hurt me. And he's who I need to be with. I'll tell him tomorrow.
As I finally start to fall asleep, I have one last thought.
I'm so screwed.
The next morning, I'm stalling. I've been in my room much longer than normal; frankly, I'm afraid to go downstairs and face Sainte. But I have learned over the years to not run from my fears, so I take one last look at myself in the mirror and decide that I have to do this. I can't hide here forever, or until he leaves. When I walk down the stairs, I find him and Emma sitting together on the couch watching a movie. I can feel my blood pressure rise when I see that she is sitting so close to him. If I didn't know better, I'd swear they were snuggling.What the fuck?
That's when I decide that Ice needs to know what's going on. I grab my purse and keys and head for the door.
"Where are you going, Feisty Pants?" Sainte asks.
Without turning around, I say, "Out," and slam the door behind me.
I get in my car, slamming that door as well. I am so mad I could spit nails.How dare she do this to Ice? Doesn't she get what he's done for her? Doesn't she understand that he's in jail because of her? And Sainte! He's supposed to be Ice's friend. Ice trusts him and he should respect their friendship. And he was fucking kissing me last night!
I get to the prison and register as a visitor. They say that it will take a few minutes and tell me to have a seat. I sit down in the outer lobby and wait. I can feel my heart hammering through my chest. My blood pressure must be through the roof. Finally, an officer comes out and says, "Miss Benson, follow me please."
I follow him through a doorway and down a long hallway. He takes me into a room, but it's not like a visitation room. There is a woman in the room and he says, "Officer Chapel needs to pat you down."
I nod and the woman takes me behind a screen and gives me the standard pat-down. Then she says, "She's good." He nods and walks out the door and I assume that I'm supposed to follow him.
He then takes me into another room that is small, consisting only of a table and three chairs—two at the table and one by the door. "Wait here," he says and leaves the room, closing the door behind him. A few minutes later the door opens back up and in walks Ice, followed by a different security guard. Relief washes over me. It's so good to see him, even if they have him wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. I smile and he smiles back. The guard says, "Fifteen minutes, Jackson, then you go back."
Ice nods and the guard parks himself in the chair beside the door.
