Consequences of Deception (14 page)

Once I get down to the garage, I do a few minutes of stretches before heading off on my run. As I run, I imagine Killian’s face is beneath my sneakers, a visual that makes me run harder and faster. The anger that I’m feeling towards him is staggering, but I am also just as angry with myself for so easily giving in to him and allowing him to have any kind of hold on me.

When this all started, I wanted so badly to believe that I could remain aloof and detached, but the reality is that I’ve done a shit job. As angry as I am with Killian, and as much as his actions have hurt me, underneath it all I obviously still have feelings for him. Realizing that I’ve never really let him go, no matter how I’ve sworn before that I have, is a tough pill to swallow. It is a terrible feeling to love someone that doesn’t care at all for you and I wish that I could turn my feelings off like a switch. Life would be so much easier if that were a possibility.

To Killian, I am nothing more than a warm body and an opportunity for revenge. He’s never told me why he hates me, but I’ve had years to think about it and it’s clear to me now that the answer is simple—he hates me for surviving because his sister didn’t. There’s nothing that I can do to change that; reality is a cold bitch and no amount of begging or pleading with God can change the fact that Shannon is gone.

The Florida humidity is making me feel like I’m breathing through a warm vat of soup, so I decide to turn around and run back to the resort. I stop in my tracks when I see how much lower the sun is in the sky and I realize that the resort isn’t even a speck in the distance.

Taking the last sip of water left in my bottle, I let out a groan. Normally I run three to five miles a day, but since we arrived in Pensacola, I’ve only been doing two to three miles on the treadmill in the resort gym each day. For me, I’m out of shape, and judging by the fact that I can’t even see the resort in the distance I’m guessing that I’ve gone over five miles—at least.

I want to cry as the reality of the situation hits me. I have no phone, no water, and I’m five miles or more from the resort. My legs burn, my shins are killing me, my vagina feels like it went a few rounds with Rocky Balboa, and to top it all off my stomach is eating itself since the last time I ate was a salad at lunch—hours ago. Why the hell did I let myself run this far?

Having no choice but to power on, I start the journey back to the resort. Within a mile I’m totally kicked as far as running is concerned, so I switch over to power walking. Power walking lasts less than a mile before I start walking at below regular speed, my energy level having completely deserted me.

Finally, the resort comes into view on the horizon and I gauge it to be about two miles away. When I see a little area with bathrooms and water fountains, I almost weep. Making my way across the street, I head right for a water fountain and gulp down a ridiculous amount of cool water before leaning my head forward so that I can rinse my face off. I left the resort around four and it is definitely well after five now, probably closer to six.

Realizing that I need a break before continuing the trek back to the resort, I walk to the sand and sit down with my back against a dune to watch the water. Even the ocean breeze does nothing to cool the air and I’m so hungry that the heat is making me nauseous. Setting my head back against the dune, I close my eyes and start taking some calming breaths.

“Miss? Excuse me, Miss? Can you hear me?”

I jerk awake in fear, shocked to find a man standing over me, pointing a flashlight at me.

Seeing that I’m frightened, the man takes a step back and holds up a hand reassuringly. “My name’s Jim and I work beach patrol during the day. Got a call from my daughter and her fiancée in a panic, alerting me that there was a passed out girl on the beach that didn’t look so good. You wouldn’t wake up for them and I didn’t get a response out of you ‘til I got the flashlight out. Are you okay?”

My brain feels like pure mush, I’m exhausted, starving and thirsty as hell, but I nod anyway. “I was jogging and I didn’t realize how far I had gone. I stopped here when I saw the water fountains but I didn’t have any more energy to keep on going so I sat down for a minute and I guess I must’ve fallen asleep. What time is it?”

“It’s going on nine. Is there someone that I can call for you?”

One simple throwaway question is all it takes for me to almost completely lose my marbles. My lower lip wobbles as I shake my head. “No. I don’t know the phone number of the condo we’re staying in and I don’t know anyone’s number by heart.”

“Alright, how about you tell me what condo unit you’re staying in so that I can give you a ride back?”

If I had any energy, I would be jumping up and down to show Jim my gratitude. At this point I just want to eat, take a shower and forget this whole ridiculous day ever happened.

After I tell him where I’m staying, he gets me into his pickup truck and makes quick work of getting me back to the resort. As soon as we turn in, I see Trey standing in front of the guard station, obviously agitated and having a heated discussion with the resort guard. After thanking Jim for the ride, I get out and start walking towards Trey. When he sees me, his face lights up with relief for about two seconds, and then a mask of pure frustration descends.

I expect him to chew my ass out in front of the resort guards, but instead he thanks them for their help before taking my arm and escorting me toward the tower that our condos are in. As soon as we are hearing distance away from the guard, I start to explain but he just shakes his head and tells me to save it for Killian. Pulling out his phone, he makes a call.

“Chord. Trey here. I’ve got her and she’s fine. Tell Killian that I’m taking her back up to the condo now.”

After he disconnects from the call and slides his phone back into his pocket, Trey looks over and gives me the evil eye. By the time we get into the elevator, he is straight out glaring at me.

“Do you have any idea how much Mr. Brandt pays to have security around at all times? If you don’t have any respect for us, at least have some for him. You have no idea how much trouble you’ve caused. Killian, Chord and Adam have all been out searching for you for three hours! Three hours! Me, Chord and Adam will probably get fired because of this.
What the hell were you thinking?
”

He might as well have hit me. “I’m sorry! I needed some alone time and I…”

“Don’t you get it, Sloane? You don’t
get
alone time! There’s a reason we’re here and you need to let us do our jobs!”

The elevator comes to a stop as I’m about to respond but Trey doesn’t wait for me to say anything. Stomping out of the elevator, he storms down the hall to the condo and inputs the code for entry. Holding the door open, he ignores my attempt at eye contact as I walk past him.

“Killian should be back in about thirty minutes. I’ll stand out in the hall until he arrives.”

“I’m sorry!”

Shaking his head at me, “I get that you’re sorry now, but you need to realize that you being sorry is probably not going to save my job.” Giving me no time to say anything else, he walks out, shutting the door quietly behind him.

I’m ravenous so I inhale two yogurts and a glass of orange juice before heading off to rush through my third shower of the day. Once I’m done, I quickly throw on a t-shirt, a pair of sleep shorts and my new favorite white thigh high fluffy socks.

Knowing that Killian is likely to be even more pissed off than Trey, I’ve pretty much been shaking like a leaf since the second that Trey closed the door. It’s been about twenty minutes since he left, and I’m trying to use the last ten minutes before Killian comes home to calm down.

Any hope of achieving calm before Killian comes home goes right out the window thirty seconds later as he barrels into the condo and slams the door behind him so hard that I swear the entire building shakes. Standing just inside the door in the kitchen, he quickly locates me.

“What. The. FUCK. Were. You. Thinking?” He explodes.

I knew that Killian was going to be pissed, but now I am freaking the fuck out because I hadn’t expected that he would actually be yelling at me.

“I just went for a run! I didn’t—”

“BULLSHIT! You were gone for over four hours! You snuck out of here like a thief in the goddamn night and it wasn’t because you wanted to run. You were trying to run away! Who did you call?”

He is scary angry and unglued in a way that I have never seen him before. “I didn’t call anyone! I swear to God, I went for a run. I didn’t realize how far I’d gone until I was at least five miles away. I turned around to come back and the heat, lack of water and the fact that I was starving got to me. I stopped at a little bathhouse on the road, drank some water, sat down in front of a sand dune for a minute to catch my breath and promptly fell asleep. I didn’t wake up until a nice man—”

“You fell asleep on the fucking beach? Are you simple? You could have been raped, kidnapped or killed! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Clearly I didn’t mean to! I was just—”

He’s so mad that he completely ignores me. “And who was this
man
that woke you up, Sleeping Beauty? Trey said he saw you getting out of someone’s truck. Who is he, Sloane?
WHO. IS. HE
?”

I back up, only stopping when I come up against the countertop. “He was an off-duty beach patroller! What the hell is wrong with you? It’s not that big of a deal!”

He gives me no space at all, instead walking as close to me as humanly possible and slapping each one of his hands down on the counter behind me. “What’s
wrong
with me is that I paid seven million
fucking
dollars for you and I expect you to follow my goddamn instructions. If what you’re telling me is true, you put yourself in danger!”

He’s too much, absolutely too much. “What do you mean
if
what I’m telling you is true? Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like this?”

I see the snap as it happens, the very moment where his temper gets the best of him. Within a nanosecond, he has me up and in his arms as he storms toward the bedroom. Whatever he plans on doing, I want no part of it. Wiggling against him, I push at his chest and try to break free, but of course I am no match for him.

“Put me down, Killian! Stop it!”

As soon as we are in the bedroom, he turns on the lights and kicks the door shut behind us before setting me down so that I am standing next to the bed.

“Who I am, princess, is your fucking owner. You knew the rules and you chose to break them.”

He makes me so angry; partially because he’s an asshole and partially because, even though he should repulse me, he turns me on.

“I didn’t—”

“Yes, you did! Take off your shirt and turn around.”

“I—” I try to tell him one more time that I’m sorry.

“Just do it.”

My hands shake as I pull the shirt over my head. After folding it, I throw it on top of the bureau across the room. The cold breeze from the frigid central air immediately makes my nipples diamond hard, and I shudder as I wait for him to give another instruction.

“Now the shorts.” The sound of his husky voice hits me right in my center.

I pull them off quickly and toss them onto the dresser, as well. Figuring that the panties are going to be the next to go, I hook my fingers into the sides and go to pull them down. Suddenly, Killian is right behind me, his chest against my back as he grabs my hands and stills them. I shiver as he leans down and whispers into my ear, his voice apparently having a conduit right to my core.

“Didn’t say anything about the panties, princess. I normally don’t like underwear but this white cotton shit you’ve got on is sexy.” As he speaks, he slides one hand over my underwear, cupping my mound possessively. “It reminds me that, until a few hours ago, no one had been inside this tight little pussy. I’d have given you a day, maybe two, to recover from this afternoon, but I think you need the reminder of who you belong to.”

I let out a shaky sound that is half moan, half cry. I want him even though I don’t want to, which makes the whole thing confusing and frustrating.

I clench my inner muscles so hard as he licks the shell of my ear that I damn near scream. He chuckles, a throaty sound that makes me clench again.