Page 61 of Addicted

I missed Aurora. I missed my freedom. I missedme. The version of me that existed before Stone. Before all this.

I closed my eyes, trying to will myself to sleep, hoping that when I woke up, things would be different.

But I knew they wouldn’t be.

***

I woke to the feeling of the bed dipping beside me. My eyes flew open, my heart racing for a second before I realized who it was.

Stone.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, still fully dressed, staring down at me with that blank, emotionless expression he always wore. And something inside me snapped.

I sat up straight, my anger flaring hot and immediate.

“I can’t live like this!” I shouted, my voice loud in the quiet room. “You’re holding me hostage in this fuckin’ house, and I don’t want to be here anymore! I don’t have a phone, I can’t contact my best friend, I can’t leave, and I don’t even have a way to reach you when you’re out doing who knows what!”

Stone just stared at me silently, emotionless. Like I wasn’t even speaking. And that made me even angrier.

“Are you even fuckin’ human?” I yelled, my voice cracking. “Do you have feelings at all? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Still nothing. No response, no reaction. Just that cold, blank stare.

“Why did you even buy all those fuckin’ clothes and shit, when I ain’t even allowed to go nowhere?” I demanded, my hands clenched into fists. “What’s the point? So I can sit here and look pretty for you when you decide to show up?”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I started swinging.

My fists connected with his chest, his shoulders, his arms. I wasn’t trying to hurt him, I knew I couldn’t,but I needed to dosomething. I needed to feel like I had some kind of power, some kind of control.

Stone let a few hits land before he grabbed my wrists, his grip tight, holding me in place.

I struggled against him, tears streaming down my face now.

“I don’t even fuckin’ know you!” I screamed. “I don’t know shit about you! All you do is fuck me, tell me I’m yours, act like I’m your fuckin’ property, and leave! I hate you!”

Stone stared into my eyes, and I saw something flicker in his gaze. Something dark. Something dangerous. He looked like a certified maniac.

“Quit fuckin’ hitting me,” he said, his voice low and deadly calm. “Before I hit yo’ ass back.”

I curled my lip up at him, ready to go off some more. But Stone kept talking.

“I’ll get you a new phone,” he said. “So you can call your best friend.”

I blinked, thrown off for a second, then I exploded again.

“That’s it?” I shouted. “That’s all you have to say? What about letting me leave? I want to go see Aurora. I want to get out of this estate. I haven’t seen the outside world for real since the night you took me to dinner. I’m going crazy!”

Stone looked conflicted. Like he wanted to tell me no. And if he did, I was gonna hit him again. I didn’t give a fuck about his threat.

He took a deep breath, like he was exasperated by my behavior.

“You can go see Aurora tomorrow,” he said finally. “You’ll have two of my men there to guard you and driveyou where you need to go.”

Relief flooded through me, but it was mixed with irritation.

“I don’t need anyone to guard me,” I said. “I’m just going to see my friend!”

Stone gave me a menacing glare.