The Dark of You by S.M. Shade

Chapter Nine

“Open the door, woman!” Thea yells when I peek out to see who’s knocking. What the hell is she doing here?

The second we’re face to face, she grabs me in a hug. “Hey,” I exclaim, hugging her back. “Did you tell me you were coming?” I’ve been so preoccupied with a certain stalker lately that I easily could’ve forgotten.

“I would have, but you never pick up your phone. You told me to choose a weekend for us to visit so here we are.”

Us?

Two men come up behind her, carrying their bags. Thea beams at me and gestures to one of them. “This is Paul.”

Right. Paul the drummer. The guy she’s been seeing.

“And this is his friend, Dax.”

This is a set up. A hook Darcy up so she can be happy like me ambush. I’m going to kill her. It’s a good thing Reeve isn’t here. He hasn’t shown up since our day in the tunnel. It’s probably not healthy that I already miss him, but I’m not worried. This time I know he’ll come back. In the meantime, I don’t want to be rude to these guys even though they showed up unannounced. I’m well aware of Thea’s ability to influence and get her way.

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you. Come on in.”

The guys walk past me, and I let them get a bit ahead before hissing into Thea’s ear. “Cremation or burial, because I’m going to kill you.”

Her laughter rings out. “What? I didn’t do anything.”

“So that’s not the guitarist friend you wanted to hook me up with?”

“Well, yes, but…” She pauses to grin at me. “He’s also the lead singer! And isn’t he cute!”

He is cute with light brown curls that reach his nape and dark brown eyes. He also looks about ten years younger than me. “He’s a fetus, but that’s not the point. I’m not interested.”

“Oh my god, he’s twenty-seven. It’s fine,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside. “We’re all going to hang out and have fun. I’ve missed you!”

Her excitement is hard to resist, especially now that I’m feeling a little better. Maybe this will be fun, another thing I won’t know I need until afterward. “I missed you too.” The guys are waiting in the living room when we enter.

We chat for a few minutes, getting to know each other. Both of the guys seem nice enough, and I’m glad to see that Paul isn’t the bad boy type she usually goes for. The thought makes me bite back a smile. Yeah, I’m really one to judge.

“What?” Thea asks, noticing my expression.

“Nothing, I was just thinking we need to grab some groceries. And some alcohol, I’m guessing.”

“You guess right,” she says. “We came to get you to party with us.”

“Why don’t we go to Marion? We can grab all that stuff and have dinner.” And it’s a nice distance away where a certain man won’t show up and scare the shit out of you.

“Let’s do it,” she agrees, and we all pile into the SUV they drove down in. It must belong to Dax because he hops in the driver’s seat while Thea and Paul get in the back. Thea flashes me a satisfied grin when I open the passenger side door, then laughs at the subtle middle finger I manage to give her by scratching my cheek.

Thea and Paul are wrapped up in each other which leaves me talking to Dax. He follows my directions to the highway, then turns on some music. “So, Thea said you’re a writer.”

“I am, yeah.”

“That’s really cool. What do you write?”

“True crime and some horror.”

“I love horror. What have you written? Maybe I’ve read one of them.”

“Sorry.” I soften my reply with a smile. “I write under a pen name. I prefer to stay anonymous.”

“Ooh, mysterious. I like it.”

“You’re a musician?” I change the subject to him. “Thea mentioned that you’re a singer.”

“My main love is guitar, but I sing too.”

“Quit bragging, asshole,” Paul teases him from the backseat.

Dax shakes his head. “Don’t mind him. Do you know what you call a guy who hangs out with musicians?”

“What?” I ask.

“A drummer.”

Thea and I both crack up while Paul flicks Dax on the back of his head. “I’m the heartbeat of our band.”

“That’s why we need a pacemaker.”

It turns out not to be a bad drive at all. Dax is friendly and easy to talk to. We end up in a long discussion once we figure out we prefer the same kind of music. Once we reach Marion, Thea pulls herself away from Paul long enough to notice where we are.

“Let’s go to the mall. I want a pretzel.” She glances over at Paul. “Maybe they’ll have a lingerie store.”

Paul sits up straight. “Dax, we’re going to the mall. It’s important.”

Despite my initial surprise and concern about having them visit, I’m glad they came. This is fun. I haven’t been out with a group like this in such a long time. We walk the mall, munching on pretzels. Dax and I browse through a bookstore while Thea and Paul shop for lingerie. He teases me by approaching with a horror book. “This is you, right? I figured it out.”

“You think I write under the name Alvin?” I giggle.

He frowns at the book. “Hmm…maybe not.”

We end up having dinner at a Mexican restaurant adjacent to the mall. As we’re leaving, Paul points to the theater across the street. “Want to catch a movie?”

“Nothing scary,” Thea insists.

“How are we friends?” I groan. “No romance.”

Finally, we settle on a silly comedy. The place is pretty empty for a Friday night. Maybe because it’s still a little early. I sit in an aisle seat with Dax beside me. Paul and Thea sit on his other side. This feels too much like a double date, but Dax doesn’t try to put his arm around me or make any other moves. With only thirty minutes or so left in the movie, I start to regret the large drink I had and head to the restroom.

My eyes try to adjust to the sudden attack of fluorescent lights while I relieve myself and wash my hands. The only other woman in the restroom leaves while I’m pulling a stiff brown paper towel from the holder. The sound of the door barely registers, but the hands that squeeze my shoulders sure do. They spin me around. Fierce eyes land on mine.

“Reeve.” My disbelief comes out as a whisper. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

My god, he followed me all this way? Around town was one thing but we’re nearly an hour away. “Some…friends showed up to visit unexpectedly.”

“Friends.”

It’s clear what he’s getting at. “Yes, friends. They’re staying until Sunday.”

He backs me up against the cold, white wall and runs his hand up my chest to wrap around my throat. He’s not using any pressure, but there’s warning in the action and reflected in his severe expression. “I should fuck you right here.” His mouth attacks mine with a kiss that makes my legs weak, and in the moment I know I’d let him.

No matter that someone is almost sure to walk in and catch us. If he wanted me here, against this public bathroom wall or on my knees, not a scrap of me would hesitate. What has he done to me?

Heat pours off him. “There’s only me, Darcy.” He presses his fingers into the flesh of my throat just enough to draw my attention. Soft lips brush over my jaw. “Only me. Do you understand?”

“You’re the only one I want.” The words come out shaky, but soaked in truth.

“Goddamn right I am.” He lets go and runs a hand through my hair. “I won’t be far away.”

A promise, not a threat is what I hear. The way those words wrap around me, comfort me, is disturbing, but I can’t seem to care. I’ve been shoved over the edge with him, and the fall is too thrilling to worry about the landing.

A woman enters a moment after he steps out the door. There’s no way she didn’t see him, but she doesn’t call me out on it. Instead, she pauses and asks, “Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” I breathe, stepping over to the sink. “Men,” I add, and she nods.

“Pain in the asses, all of them,” she agrees.

A glance in the mirror shows me a flushed face. It takes a moment for me to gather myself and splash some cold water on my cheeks so the others won’t notice how shaken up I am.

Thank goodness for the darkness of the theater. By the time the movie’s over, I’ve gotten a hold of myself. The liquor store’s next, where we buy enough alcohol for a frat house before our last stop at the grocery store.

“Do you have a grill?” Paul asks.

“I do, but we’ll need to grab some charcoal if you want to use it.”

Thea grins at her boyfriend. “He grills some amazing steaks.” An excited smile spreads over her face when she turns to me. “Tomorrow we can day drink and cookout.”

It’s a good plan. As long as a certain jealous, mysterious man doesn’t crash the party.

The rest of the night goes by quickly. Reeve said he’d be nearby, and I feel his gaze on me through the sunroom windows like a warm blanket while I catch up with Thea. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed her until now. I’ve been so checked out of things lately. There was a time when we told each other nearly everything. Now, there’s so much I’m holding back, but I can’t trust her to understand. Hell, I don’t understand.

It’s late when we call it a night, but long after they’ve retired to the guest rooms, and I’ve crawled into bed, sleep still eludes me. Reeve followed me all the way to Marion. Having friends here may not stop him from showing up tonight. My ears strain, turning every sound into him creeping into the house. After hours of watching my bedroom door, exhaustion finally pulls me under.

* * *

“What do you think of Dax?” Thea asks, sipping on her drink.

“He’s a nice guy. Kind of funny. I like Paul too. I think you’ve chosen a good one this time.”

A smile bursts across her face. “He’s great, isn’t he? Now back to Dax.”

We look over at the two of them while they stand over the grill like it may get loose and run away. They notice us watching, and Dax flashes a smile at me.

“You know I’m not interested in dating anyone.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t get laid. He’s cute, isn’t he?”

“For a Kindergartener.”

“He’s not that young! Besides, you know those under thirty men can move.” She thrusts her hips around, making me snort out a laugh.

“I missed your crazy ass. It’s not going to happen, though. Worry about your own vagina.” The alcohol’s getting to both of us, and we break into giggles.

“What are you talking about over there?” Paul calls out.

“Nothing!” we reply simultaneously.

Her gaze is locked on her guy. “I’m glad you like Paul. He’s different from what I usually go for, I know.”

I have to bite back the word better that wants to fall out of my mouth. I don’t want to judge her. Clearly, I have issues of my own when the man who makes me feel safe comes wrapped in chaos and waving enough red flags to make a quilt.

The more we drink, the more I wish I could tell Thea about Reeve. It’d be nice to have that sort of girl talk again, but I don’t dare. There’s no way to make what we’ve been doing sound okay because it isn’t okay.

I know that. It isn’t okay for him to stalk me, follow me, invade my house, put his hands on me. It isn’t okay for me to like it, crave it even. No matter how amazing it feels or what permission I give in the heat of the moment. It’s insane. Add to that I know almost nothing about him, and he’s made it clear that’s not going to change. His words come back to me. You’ll have to decide if this is enough.

Maybe it’s pathetic, but for me, it is enough. Being with him feels the same as breaking something on purpose. The satisfaction of misbehavior. Regret overpowered by a desire to do it again. I’m addicted.

“Different can be good,” I tell her.

“Steaks are done!” Paul shouts.

“Let’s go get the rest of the food ready,” I say, getting out of my chair. It’s a nice evening, but not worth fighting off bugs to try to eat outside. After dinner, we return to the back patio with fresh drinks. The food sobered me, but it doesn’t take long to get my buzz going again.

My back patio light pushes back the darkness but not enough for Thea, who keeps giving the black woods a wary look. “I can’t believe you live here. I’d never leave my house after dark.”

“It’s peaceful.”

She scoots her chair closer to Paul. “Do you sit out here alone at night?”

“Sometimes. Usually I leave the light off so I don’t get as many bugs diving at me, plus it makes it better to watch the stars.”

“Oh my god. My best friend is a sociopath.” If she only knew.

Everyone laughs, and Dax grins at me. “Nah, she’s just braver than you.”

“She always has been,” Thea says.

My first thought is yeah, that’s why I can’t even drive without anxiety making me shake, but after a second I realize something. Anxiety hasn’t bothered me in weeks. Not one episode.

Dax starts chatting with me about some of his favorite horror books and tries again to guess what my pen name might be. He never comes close to the right answer. Finally, he covers his mouth in fake shock. “You’re Stephen King, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I laugh. “I’m a seventy year old man. You got me.”

It turns out to be a fun night, fueled by a ton of alcohol, music and laughter. It’s past one when Dax leans his head back and looks upward. “The stars seem so close.”

It’s a clear night and the stars splashed across the inky sky are impressive. “You have to get outside of the cities to see them like this,” I remark. “Away from all the light pollution.”

“Can we turn the patio lights out?”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Thea slurs.

Paul holds out his hand. “Come on, babe, sit with me. I’ll protect you, and they can cut the lights.”

Thea snorts, but gets to her feet and starts toward him. “Yeah, are you going to fight a bear when it comes to eat me?”

The ground moves under my feet a bit when I stand up. “We don’t have bears.”

“Fine. Mountain lions, coyotes, wolves, whatever.”

We do have coyotes in the area and an occasional mountain lion, but there’s no way I’m telling her that. Instead, I turn off the lights and sit back down on my lounger.

“Wow.” Dax stares in awe, reclining his chair to where he can lie almost flat and stare at the sky. I follow suit, and finally, Paul does too, taking Thea down with him.

Silence reigns for a few moments before Thea climbs off of Paul and returns to her chair to sit upright. “I’m too drunk to do that. It gives me the spins.”

“Fine, you can keep an eye out for Bigfoot,” Paul teases. “So he doesn’t kidnap you.”

“Bigfeet don’t kidnap people,” she replies, flipping him off.

“Bigfeet?” I cry, slapping my hand over my mouth.

You can almost hear the wheels spinning in her head for a moment. “Bigfeets? Bigfoots?” My body shakes, and the night fills with our laughter. “Whatever,” she chuckles. “There aren’t any—”

That’s as far as she gets before a scream comes from the woods to our right. Starting low, it grows loud and shrill. It’s a familiar sound that I recognize instantly, but there’s no time for me to explain. Her chair flies back, and with a squeal, she flees through the back door into the house while I try not to pee myself laughing.

“Fox,” I manage to gasp out. “It’s just a fox mating. They sound like a woman screaming.”

“I’d better go check on her,” Paul laughs and follows her inside.

“No way he’ll get her back out here now.” My side aches from laughing, and I can’t remember the last time that happened. Reeve didn’t just make me feel alive around him. He woke me up somehow. It’s not only that I can see the beauty in things again. I can laugh. I can have fun. It’s like I’m waking from a trance.

Dax and I spend a few minutes in silence, just watching the sky. A satellite passes over, and I point it out. “Yeah, I see the blinking light,” he replies. “Maybe I need to move outside the city. I’d love to be able to watch this every night.”

“I love it.”

“Makes you feel small though, doesn’t it? We’re just tiny, insignificant specks in all this.”

“It does put things in perspective,” I agree. It’s amazing how we can matter so little and feel so much.

Dax glances over at me, then takes advantage of the fact we’re alone. “Darcy, I know I live a few hours away, but I’d love to take you out sometime.”

Damn it, Thea. You’re making me have to tell this sweet guy no. “I can’t. I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal. You’re a lot of fun, but I’m not looking to date anyone right now.”

He nods at me. “I understand. If you decide you’d like to when you’re ready, Thea has my number.”

Paul sticks his head out of the back door. “Thea’s about to pass out. We’re going to crash.”

Dax stands up and picks up his drink. “I should head in too. Good night.”

“Good night.” Draining the rest of the margarita from my glass, I sit up and feel the world shift a bit. I’m not as trashed as Thea, but I’m nowhere near sober. A warm feeling on the back of my neck makes me turn. A scan of the yard shows me nothing, and the woods are too dark to distinguish anything from the trees. It doesn’t matter. I know.

There’s a predator in the woods, but not one Thea needs to worry about. This one only hunts me.

Is it considered hunting if the prey throws itself in the trap?

Judging by the sounds coming from one of the guest rooms once I get inside, Thea wasn’t as close to passing out as Paul thought. Poor Dax must be getting an earful from the next room.

My bedroom door closes behind me when I walk through, making me jump. “Jesus, Reeve, you scared the hell out of me,” I hiss, trying to keep my voice down. He stalks toward me completely naked. Shock tinged with fear makes me take a step back, and the smile it brings to his face is menacing.

“You want to run from me, Darcy? Go ahead. Run to his room so I can catch you and fuck you while he watches.”

There’s not an ounce of me that doubts he’d do just that. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He steps up to me and runs his hand up my cheek then around to the back of my head. The way he grips my hair in his fist turns me on more every time he does it. “Do you want him?”

“No,” I breathe, staring him in the eye. “He’s nice…sweet. But no, I don’t want him. I should, but I don’t.” For fuck’s sake, Darcy, stop babbling.

He yanks my sweatshirt over my head, revealing the fact I’m not wearing a bra. His hands are rough on my breasts, and I can’t wait to feel them everywhere. “Because you don’t want sweet and nice. You don’t believe in it. You know it’s bullshit we’re taught to hide our true selves. You want this.”

Shoving me back onto the bed, he makes short work of my jeans and underwear. Within seconds, he’s on top of me.

“We have to be quiet,” I plead, wrapping my legs around him. “I don’t want them to hear.”

His lips twitch up. He presses his hand over my mouth then thrusts in deep. My shriek is muted by his palm. Leaning over, he puts his lips to my ear, “Shhh.” It’s the only warning I get before he tries to fuck me to death. He pounds into me mercilessly, making me whip my head back and forth at the onslaught, until his hand over my mouth is replaced by his forearm, muffling the sounds I can’t prevent. His eyes blaze when I tighten around him, my teeth digging into his skin. Pleasure strikes me fast and hard. If it weren’t for his arm in my mouth, I’d have screamed the house down regardless of what the others might think.

His expression when he comes screams of pure ecstasy and relief. Witnessing it at the same time that heat and raw pleasure course through my body is an experience I’ll never forget. I could die doing this and never suffer one regret.

I was made for this. Made for him.

Even the sting of him pulling out of me is desirable because I know I’ll feel him there for days after this. He drops onto the bed beside me, and I notice his arm is bleeding. Not a lot, but it wells from two tiny spots in his forearm.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I exclaim, rolling onto my side to look down at him.

He glances at his arm, then starts shaking with laughter. I’ve never seen him so amused, and my frown only seems to make it worse. His shirt lies nearby, and he uses it to wipe the blood away, then pulls me down into his arms. There’s no more humor in his voice when he squeezes me tight.

“I’ll always bleed for you.”