Page 63 of Dark Surrender

I’ve never just been.

Not ever.

It’s terrifying.

Another bout of tears does their thing, and I lift the hem of my T-shirt to make them go away. My skin is sticky and blotchy. Eyes swollen. Nose raw.

Ick.

I know Dee thinks this separation is for my own good. To give me a chance to be me, not taking care of her as I have my entire life. But what nobody tells you is that when your identity is wrapped up in caring for someone else, every minute of every day, when that’s gone, you don’t know why you exist anymore.

What’s the point of me?

What do I do now?

For now… I guess I follow a man’s lead. Are you as surprised by this as I am? Because it feels weird AF. But Dee assured me she and Dark had talked it through. Apparently, she trusts his intentions, and if Dee’s gut says it’s okay, then I believe her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing whatever everyone else has decided for me. As if I’m not a grown adult who can choose for herself. Given how all this played out, I’m going to see it through until it no longer serves me. Then I’ll leave and go, who knows where. The beach, perhaps. I’ve always wanted to go to the beach. I’ve never been. Not to a real beach, anyhow. The Hamptons don’t count. I’m talking tropical. Palm trees. Drinking from a pineapple while I lounge on the sand. Sure, I’ll have to bathe in sunscreen every thirty minutes to keep from burning, but it’ll be worth it.

Lost in my daydream, I don’t realize we’ve arrived at our destination until we pass Dark Delicacies, the wine and chocolate shop. Less than a minute later, Dark pulls into the driveway of a single-story house straight out of the sixties. Or is it the seventies? I don’t know.

Carefully, I pull in beside him just as he dismounts, and before I turn my truck off, he opens my door.

“Welcome home.” With a sexy, lopsided grin, Dark sweeps his hand toward a freshly painted teal front door. It glistens in the afternoon sun.

“What is this place?”

“It’s a house the club recently acquired.”

“And why was it acquired?”

Rubbing his hand across the top of my door, Dark sighs. “It’s a long story.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve got the time.”

The sudden tightness of his jaw, followed by a low grumble in his throat, tells me Dark doesn’t wanna have this conversation. Shifting from one foot to another, kicking up loose gravel in the drive, his tongue peeks out and wets his bottom lip as I wait patiently for him to speak. “Fuck. Okay. The short version is, when Penelope hired a man to stalk Kali, and we found out about it, we handled things.”

Ah. Handled things as in, he’s no longer of this earth.

Got it.

“And this is his house?”

“Was. Yes. But now it’s yours.”

“Then how much is the rent?”

“There is no rent.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I called someone who called someone, and we got you this place. The deed’s on the counter in the kitchen. It’s in your legal name. Dee gave Cell all the info and shit.”

“Hold on. I own this house.”

“Yeah.”

“But I didn’t buy it.”

“No. I did.”