Overture (Rain Dance, Book 1) (Rain Dance Series) (40 page)

     
I wrapped my
arms around him, trying to pull him closer. But then he pulled away, ending our
kiss and exhaling uneasily. After a minute, he kissed my forehead.

     
"Go back
to sleep, Daphne." He turned away from me onto his other side.

     
Cold.

     
He was
rejecting me. A thousand insecurities began swimming towards the surface. I
could hear words from my past playing over in my head, eager to bring me back
down to my place. But I knew better than to let them effect me, so I quickly
shoved them aside. It was probably work. He was stressed over something. Or
maybe he was just really tired. Whatever it was, I
should
have been
understanding, just as he had always been in regard to me. But my body had
already been rattled, only to be denied.

     
Too close.
I had opened myself up too much. It might not have been a big deal had I not
been so acutely aware of the bitter air that clung to him now. Ethan had spoken
his words softly, yet he had somehow left me feeling as though I'd been
reprimanded. My actions had displeased him, and that alone made me feel
ashamed.

     
Turning onto my
own side, I breathed in and out evenly, trying to calm my heated nerves. But I
could not. Not only did I feel too raw, but I also felt sick. All I wanted was
to get away from him.

     
Quietly, I got
out of the bed and left the room, closing the door behind me. I didn't even
bother with clothes. I just needed to be alone.

     
I felt my way
downstairs, meaning to go stay in the guest bedroom, but I stopped when I came
to the large window that faced out towards the sea. I still had no idea what
time it was, but it was so dark I could barely make out where the sky ended and
the ocean began. Even so…
It's so close.
Somehow, the water felt much
closer than the man upstairs. I had the severe urge to run to it. I wanted to
feel it - feel
something
around my body. Anything that could hold me and
make me forget the world around me.

     
"What are
you doing?" Ethan called behind me from the bottom of the stairs. He
sounded as though he were exhausted.

     
"Thinking," I responded after a minute.

     
"You can't
think in bed?"

     
I wanted to ask
him the same thing, but I didn't feel like arguing. Actually, I did. Not with
words, though. Turning away from the window, I made my way past the stairs
towards the guest bedroom.

     
When he
realized where I was headed, he sighed, now annoyed, and repeated, "What
are you doing?"

     
"Bed,"
I replied. I didn't want to be a total bitch and ignore him completely. Once
inside the room, I closed the door and locked it. Seconds later, I heard the
knob shaking.

     
"Daphne," he called from the other side. "Come out.
Please." His voice was calm.

     
Through the
darkness, I tried scanning the area. It was much smaller than the master
bedroom, but it seemed cozy enough.

     
"Talk to
me, Kitten."

     
I took a seat
on the edge of the bed.

     
After nearly a
minute of silence, I heard the hard slap of his palm hitting the door, causing
me to jump in surprise.

     
"Dammit,
Daphne. I did
not
bring us here so we could sleep in separate beds. Come
out.
Now
." His tone was demanding. Absolute.

     
My body stood
of its own accord. The need to obey him was practically flowing through my
veins, but I managed to stop myself. He wanted me to talk to him? All I had
been doing was talking to him. I was tired of talking. I walked to the door,
unlocked it, and opened it with force.

     
"What's
wrong? Tell me what's bothering you," I demanded angrily.

     
He took a step
back. "I told you - nothing is wrong."

     
I moved to shut
the door, but he stuck his hand out and blocked it.

     
"
Let go
."
I wanted to scream, but I kept my voice low.

     
"Is it
because I told you to go back to sleep?" I could feel his eyes searing
into mine. Even through the dark, he would see the truth on my face no matter
what I said, that I was sure of. There was no hiding the shame I felt.

     
After a moment,
he sighed and extended his hand out towards me. I cringed, backing away, but he
quickly followed until he had my cheek in the palm of his hand.

     
"I'm
sorry," he spoke barely above a whisper. "You
know
I've wanted
you since the very first moment I laid eyes on you. But we can't right
now."

     
"Why? What
changed?"

     
Because he was
so close to me, I was able to see it. It was only an instant, but I saw the
graveness in his eyes - the sadness. The disturbed. All of which was quickly
followed by a smile. "Kitten…" He shook his head. "Let's
go."

     
"…You have
some nerve." I stepped away from his hand. "After all the shit I told
you today? And you can't even
admit
that something is wrong. If you
don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But don't fucking stand there
pretending like everything is okay when it's obviously not."

     
His smile
dissolved. He was done with the act. "Enough. Let's just go."

     
I pressed my
lips together into a line before deciding how to answer. "No. I'm staying
in here."

     
"Then I
will, too."

     
"No, you
won't," I countered.

 
    
Narrowing his eyes, he gazed at me deftly.
I think he was wondering how far he could go before I snapped. Eventually, he
held out his hand. "Come here."

     
"No."

     
We stared at
one another, waiting.

     
"Fine," he said quietly. He turned around and casually leaned
his head back, rubbing his temples with his hands. I thought he was going to
leave, so it caught me off guard when he suddenly reeled around, hoisted me up
into the air and slung me over his shoulder.

     
"Put me
down!" I screamed, kicking. He carefully maneuvered his hold, keeping one
of his arms around my knees and gripping them close to his chest to prevent me
from hitting him.

     
I was beyond
pissed, not to mention more than a little embarrassed. I couldn't even budge.
My strength was nothing compared to his. Even worse was the stinging of the
cold air hitting my naked ass. I punched at his back but it had little effect,
if any at all.

     
He quickly
strode up the stairs and made his way into the bedroom, kicking the door shut
behind him before heaving my body over his form to throw me onto the center of
the bed. The force had me bouncing back up as I struggled to find my balance.

     
"What the
fuck!?" I yelled at him.

     
He stared down
at me, his gaze just as angry as mine. No, actually - his was even greater than
mine. My instincts told me it was probably best to keep quiet right now. I sat
still, knowing that I had no way of escaping this man. I was nervous as hell,
but at least I wasn't scared.

     
A long
torturous minute of silence passed before he finally made some movement. He
exhaled, his expression turning to that of a worn down man. "You told me
you would never lie to me," he said rather sadly.

     
I was confused
now. "…What?"

     
"You told
me you didn't dance."

     
My forehead
creased. Where was he going with this? "You asked me if I was a dancer.
I'm not. I told you I liked to prance around my apartment like a fool."

     
"You told
me you didn't play the piano."

     
"You heard
me play - I don't." I didn't understand.

     
He ran a hand
over his mouth and began pacing. "You really don't speak any
Spanish?" he questioned impatiently.

     
"I can
count to ten and call you a bitch, a bastard, or a fucking asshole, but that's
about it," I answered hastily.

     
He stopped and
stood at the foot of the bed. His eyes were solemn. "You told me your
stepbrother
,"
he almost sneered the word, "…never hurt you."

     
Cold. Frozen
cold.

     
What did he
know?
How
did he know?

     
Breathe,
Doll.

     
My answer was
calm and precise. "And he never
has
hurt me."

     
Ethan's face
twisted, pain etched onto his features. He opened his mouth and spoke slowly,
"I know what he did to you."

     
Pop
.

     
That was the
sound of my bubble. It was gone now. It was just me. Alone, naked in the center
stage. But I would not panic. I would get through this. Instinctively, I was
now running on autopilot mode. Emotions meant nothing. Survival was key. Not
even Ethan would keep me from that. I just had to remain calm.

     
"How?" I asked.

     
"…Truman
Graves. I had someone go speak with him," he admitted.

     
"That
quickly, huh?"

     
Ethan continued
in a hushed tone. "He was very eager to bring up the son who put him
behind bars and took over what was left of his ruins." He eyed me
anxiously, almost as though he were staring at a caged animal that was about to
try and make its escape.

     
"I see. And
what
did
my stepbrother do to me?" I asked softly, truly curious to
hear what he had to say.

     
Ethan
swallowed. I could see him debating on whether or not he should go there. I
implored him with my eyes…
Yes, Ethan, go there. I'm already here.

     
Eventually, he
finally answered. "Noel was aware of their plans. They wanted to break
you. They left it up to him to prepare you. Train you. Mentally. Physically.
Teach you how to obey orders for your would-be master." I could see him
struggling to get the words out. But after he paused and took a deep breath,
all the expression left his face. He stared at me blankly. "But he was
under specific instructions. He had free reign over your body - so long as he
kept your virginity intact. Otherwise, it would severely lessen the
price." He paused again, possibly waiting for my reaction. I gave none,
and he continued. "But one night he tried. He failed. You left home not
long after. And you accepted the money he gave you to keep quiet."

     
"…Is that
all?" I waited for him to keep talking, but he remained silent.
"What, then? Tell me. Tell me what he did," I demanded. "Tell me
how he hurt me. Did he beat me? Did he call me names? Go on, if you know what
he did to me, then tell me!"

     
His features
were still masked in place, but his eyes were burning now. Seething with anger
and violence and…disgust? Was that it? Is that why he had rejected me?

     
"
Oh
God.
" I looked down as panic washed over me, along with a dozen other
painful emotions that I could no longer block out, no matter how hard I tried.
The dam I had worked so hard to keep up was now broken, and I was left
drowning.

     
Every word.

     
Every slap.

     
Every hit.

     
Every kick.

     
I would take it
all over again. It was nothing compared to the complete and utter anguish I
felt when Ethan looked at me like
that
.

     
"Is that
it? Is that why you said no?" I breathed, wrapping my arms around myself
in attempt to hide the ugliness. "…Of course. Why would you want someone
like…" I quickly slid over to the side of the bed and stood up. I had to
go - I had to hide. Biting my lip, I dug my nails into my sides, wishing I
would just disappear entirely. Wishing I could be wherever he wouldn't have to
ever see me again.

     
"
Daphne
."
He reached for me but I backed away, shaking my head.

     
"Don't." My voice was barely audible. I quickly searched for a
way of escape. There was no way I would reach the bedroom door without him
getting to me first. I might make it to the bathroom, though - I was a few feet
closer than he was. But if I turned around to run, the chances of him being
successful in making a grab at me were too high. So I kept my body facing him
as I slowly started backing away towards it.