Monster (Impossible #1) (9 page)

Sean distracted me from the dark thought with a roguish smile.  “Do I get a lollipop then, Dr. Ellers?” He asked, eyes dancing.

His playful mood was undeniably infectious.  “Only if you’re a good boy,” I said, mildly surprised to find myself smiling.

His grin widened, more a predatory baring of the teeth now.  “That’s not really my style,” he replied, his voice low and rough.

My breath hitched in my throat as I suddenly found myself trapped in his dark, smoky gaze, and I was unable to summon up the will to break the connection.  My body was urging me
to inch forward, to close the gap between us.  I suddenly longed for that delicious electric jolt that I received every time I touched his skin.  I wanted that contact, wanted to run my fingers over the contours of his perfectly sculpted muscles…

“Sorry,” I said, trying to hold my ground.  But my tone was low and breathy, a voice that I hardly recognized as my own.  “I’m fresh out of lollipops anyway.”

“Tease,” he accused huskily.  He reached out for me, and I didn’t flinch away.  His fingers traced my jawline, leaving a burning trail from my ear down to my chin.  He gripped it firmly between his thumb and forefinger.  I shivered, enthralled by the way his touch made my skin come alive, relishing the way that he held me in place for him as he slowly moved in to take me, his full lips twisted upward at the corners, his eyes burning into mine.

No! 
The rational part of my mind screamed at me.

But my body was ordering me otherwise.  Heat pooled in my belly, and there was an unfamiliar tingling between my legs.

God damn it, Claudia!  Stop being an idiot!  Are you so desperate for your freedom that you’re willing to whore yourself out for it?

That thought was enough to snap me out it.  What the fuck was I thinking?

“Don’t,” I said softly, my voice slightly pleading.  I wanted to get away from him, but I couldn’t seem to bring myself to pull away.  I needed him to release me from whatever spell he had me under.

He paused, his lips inches from mine.  “Claudia.”  I could feel his hot breath on my face as his voice caressed my name, and I almost broke.

“Please,” I forced out, desperate.

His eyes clouded over for a moment, and then he blinked hard.  His lazy, cocky expression instantly slid back into place as he pulled away from me, relinquishing me from his touch.  I let out the breath that I didn’t realize I was holding, awash with relief.

But also disappointment.  I bit my lip hard.  My emotions were a roiling, tangled mess.  I forced them back, straining to match Sean’s nonchalance.

“I may not have any lollipops,” I continued on smoothly as though our conversation hadn’t been interrupted, “but I can cook dinner for you to make up for it.”

A plan was forming in my mind.  It seemed I might get out of here sooner than I had hoped.  And then I could get away from Sean, escape from the invisible chains that he seemed to be using to bind me to him.  Yes, I was getting out of here tonight.  I had to.

I smiled slyly to myself as I pulled on one of the dresses from the bag of clothes after my shower.  It was a bit low-cut for my taste, but my chest is fairly small – barely a B cup – so I told myself it wasn’t too slutty.  I briefly wished for my slacks again, but quickly pushed them from my mind.  That wouldn’t matter in a few hours; I would be back at my house with my own wardrobe.

I used my bobby-pins to pull my hair half-back, using a few more than was strictly necessary.  I would need them later.  Then I opened the medicine cabinet, pleased to find that the boys had a large bottle of Benadryl tucked in next to their shaving cream.  I counted out ten pills and then paused.  Where the hell was I going to conceal these?  Looking down at my light cleavage, I sighed.  There was nothing else for it: I tucked the pills into my bra, distributing them carefully so that I didn’t look too lumpy.

Looking in the mirror, I practiced a sweet, innocent smile.  After a moment, I deemed myself prepared, and I squared my shoulders as I left the bathroom, ready to execute my plan.

Okay, so maybe I’m not the best cook in the world,
I admitted to myself as I headed for the kitchen, Bradley silently in tow.  It wasn’t like I ever took the time to cook for myself, but I was sure that I could handle pasta.  And I knew that I could make a mean chocolate cake, a leftover skill from a high school Home Ec class that I was counting on.

When I got to the kitchen, I turned to Bradley.  “Did you get everything on the list?”  I asked, trying not to sound too bossy.

He nodded, frowning.  He clearly didn’t appreciate being my errand boy.

“Thanks,” I said with forced politeness.  He just stared at me.  “
Ummm…”  I began hesitantly.  “Would you mind not watching me while I cook?  It makes me really uncomfortable.”

And if you don’t agree, I’m seriously considering knocking you out with a frying pan and making a run for it.

But my other plan was much more elegant and far less risky, so I plastered a genial look on my face.

Bradley said nothing for a moment, considering me.

“For god’s sake, Bradley,” Sean’s voice drifted through the open bedroom door.  “Leave the woman in peace.”

Bradley’s brows drew together forbiddingly.  “Fine,” he said shortly.  “But I’ll be sitting right here, so don’t think you can try anything.”  His hand moved to the bulge in his waistband where he kept his gun.  I got the message loud and clear.

“Okay,” I replied, trying to keep my voice from shaking.  This was going to make my plan far more dangerous than I had anticipated.

But thankfully, Bradley sat down on the couch and flicked on the TV, facing away from me.  So long as his eyes stayed glued to the screen and Sean remained in his bedroom, I would be fine.

You can do this, Claudia,
I steeled my resolve.

An hour later, the cake was in the oven, and my marinara sauce was coming along nicely.  Water, sugar, corn syrup, and cocoa powder were boiling away in a separate pan.  I shot a furtive glance in Bradley’s direction, making sure that he wasn’t looking my way.

Now for the tricky part.

I angled my body away from the living room and reached into my bra for the Benadryl.  Thank god Bradley had actually bought a mortar and pestle for me.  Wasting no time, I quickly ground up the pills to a fine white powder.  On its own, it would taste horribly bitter.  But the chocolate should mask that.

I poured the powder into the boiling, sugary mixture and then whisked in chunks of semisweet chocolate.  When it was dark and smooth, I spooned out a tiny amount and touched it to the tip of my tongue.  Perfect.  I tried not to look too pleased with myself.

When the cake was ready, I sliced out a piece for myself and set it aside before liberally pouring the sauce over the rest of it.

“Okay,” I called.  “It’s ready!”

I could hear Sean stirring from his bed as I plated everything up and set it on the small dining table in the corner of the living room.  I tried my best to avoid shooting longing, anticipatory looks at the front door.

To my surprise, Sean chose to sit beside me rather than Bradley.  I couldn’t suppress a small flush of pleasure.

Stop that! 
I ordered myself.  Thank god I was getting away soon.

Dinner was awkwardly silent.  Things were strange between Sean and me after our almost-kiss this afternoon, and Bradley had nothing to say to me, of course.  The only sounds were the scraping of forks, and the occasional appreciative noise from Sean.

When it was time for desert, I couldn’t help licking my lips in anticipation as I served up the chocolate cake.

“The sauce is too sweet for me,” I answered the unspoken question in Sean’s eyes.  “But I hope you like it.”  I smiled at him sweetly.

“I’m sure I will,” he said with an answering smile.  Then he took a huge bite, and I felt a surge of vindictive triumph.

He closed his eyes blissfully as he swallowed.  “Oh my god, Claudia, this is amazing.  I haven’t had anything this good since my mother last cooked for me.”

“Oh?”  I asked, making conversation.  “How long has that been?”

The lines of Sean’s face went taut, and he no longer met my eyes.  “Two years,” he said quietly.  “She died two years ago.”

My heart sank.  I had had no idea.  I knew the pain of losing a parent, and I hated to see that Sean knew it too.  Ignoring Bradley’s furious glare, I spoke to Sean softly.  “I’m sorry,” I said sincerely.

Seemingly of its own accord, my hand reached out, finding his beneath the table.  I squeezed it gently, reassuringly.  His head jerked up, his wide eyes meeting mine.  His hand clenched to a fist, his muscles tensing at the contact.  But he didn’t pull away.  After a moment, he relaxed, and his fingers tentatively closed around mine.

He turned his attention back to the cake, tearing into it with gusto.  Guilt washed over me again, but I shoved it back.

I didn’t care about Sean.  I didn’t.  Or at least, I didn’t care about him as much as I cared about my freedom.

A thought suddenly occurred to me: Would I go to the police when I escaped?  I fiercely wanted Bradley to go to jail for what he had done to me, but could I betray Sean?

No.  I couldn’t think about that now.  I would cross that bridge when I came to it.  For now, I needed to stay focused on my immediate goal.

Although he didn’t say anything complimentary – predictably – I was pleased when Bradley polished off two large slices of cake.  Unfortunately, Sean stopped at one, seeming to have lost his appetite.  I prayed that one slice would be enough.

I volunteered to do the dishes like a good little woman and then meekly returned to Sean’s room.  Bradley was sure to lock the door behind me.

I relished the thought of never hearing the sound of that lock clicking closed again.

I sat as far from Sean as humanly possible as we read silently, determined not to be affected by his allure again.  I couldn’t help glancing over at him furtively every few minutes, looking for signs of drowsiness.  After a while, he began blinking more slowly, yawning more often.  Eventually, he rested his open book on his chest as his eyes slid closed. 

Hardly breathing, I watched him for a few minutes.  “Sean?”  I whispered his name softly.  No response.  “Sean?”  I said more loudly.  Still, he didn’t stir.

Thank god.

If Sean was this deeply asleep, then Bradley must be out too.  Moving carefully so as not to make any noise, I tiptoed to the door.  I knelt before it, eyeing the keyhole as I took two pins from my hair.  For the first time, I was glad of growing up with the Ames family.  I had learned to pick locks so that I could come and go from the house as I pleased, could escape from them just as I was escaping from Sean now.

The click as the lock sprang free seemed to reverberate throughout the room.  I winced and looked back at Sean, but mercifully he hadn’t woken at the sound.  I stood and grasped the doorknob, turning it achingly slowly.  All of my muscles were taut as I eased the door open, slipping out through the smallest crack I could manage.  I didn’t dare risk the sound of closing it.  Besides, it would be pretty clear to Sean that I was gone when he woke up. 
Which hopefully wouldn’t be till morning.

I forced myself to walk slowly across the living room.  It seemed I wouldn’t
be needing the fire escape, after all; I was going to walk right out the front door.  I would have given myself a mental pat on the back for so brilliantly executing my plan if it weren’t for the fact that I was scared shitless.

When I was out in the hall, I broke into a run, unable to restrain myself any longer.  I punched the button to call the elevator, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I waited for it to arrive.  Once inside, it seemed to move achingly slowly as it descended to the parking garage.  Unfortunately, Bradley had hidden my purse from me, so I wasn’t going to be able to take my car.  I would just have to make it on foot.  Hopefully I could hail a cab once I got to the street.

As soon as the doors pinged open, I flung myself from the elevator and ran for the door, throwing it wide as I burst out into the night.  I breathed in deeply.  The scent of asphalt and gasoline had never smelled so sweet.

I ran through the parking garage.  But when I reached the street, I stopped in my tracks as I took in my surroundings.  I was in a bad neighborhood. 
A really bad neighborhood.  One where it was definitely not a good idea to go on an evening stroll by oneself, especially not when wearing a low-cut dress.

But there was nothing for it.  Steeling my resolve, I stepped out onto the street, walking quickly.  I was desperate for a cab, but there wasn’t one in sight.  And I didn’t dare stop a random car; I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.  I would just have to get out of here as fast as possible.  Staring straight ahead, I focused on my goal in order to keep my fears at bay.

But that was a mistake.  That’s why I didn’t see him until it was too late.

A large hand closed around my wrist, jerking me hard to my left.  I gasped as I lost my footing, stumbling into the alley.  A strong arm was around my waist, pinning my arms to my sides.  I opened my mouth to scream, but his hand closed over my mouth, muffling the sound.  Panic shot through me as I writhed in his grip, but my struggles were futile.