Page 30 of Dark Secret

I’d always been there, ready with my ears to listen and my arms to hug. That had never been returned, which was one of the reasons I’d walked away in the end. I’d chosen Dylan over my family, and this was my punishment. I should have known it was coming. Trent had always been capable of a little cruelty. He thought I’d betrayed the family somehow, so of course, he’d turned into super-dick.

God, could I ever fix this? Did I want to? My family hadn’t exactly been the greatest people in the world to me. My mother had always been consumed by her devotion to my father, and my brothers were the kind who treated me like a baby, or a nuisance, until they’d needed a babysitter. When I’d put a stop to that, I’d suddenly become this thing that they didn’t understand.

Now, I was really, truly alone. Except for Dylan and Roxie. My best friend and the man who was my … what? Lover? That just sounded silly to my often too pragmatic mind. He wasn’t my partner any more than he was my boyfriend. He’d been my Mr. Dark when I’d first met him, and then my sir. Now, he was Dylan. A real human being and not just a fantasy.

Although, he did exceed my fantasies in many ways, which didn’t happen often. Most of the time, when I imagined what someone would be like, they were far from my daydreams, or events just weren’t as exciting as I’d imagined they would be. Dylan had brought fantasy to vivid life and had taken me well beyond those girlish daydreams. I just didn’t know what to call him.

Now, as I snuggled down into my pillows, I tried to picture what life would be like in the future. No more noisy family gatherings or Christmas at the estate, that huge palace that my father owned. No more little faces looking up at me with happiness in their eyes when we played together. I wouldn’t see the love and need for comfort from one of my nieces or nephews when they had a nightmare that woke them up.

I’d grown used to the noise of children and changing diapers. I laughed as I remembered just how many times I’d been peed on by baby boys. Even those times had made me smile, even though I’d been so lonely I could barely stand it. I’d have to find a way to fix all of this, eventually. Just as soon as I had settled things with Dylan. If we could settle it.

It wasn’t just the contract, it was who I was. I just know he’ll think I used him or that my family used me to get to him. That was the furthest thing from the truth, and at this point in time, all I wanted to do was run away from it all. That would mean leaving Dylan, and I couldn’t do that. Not just because I’d come to need him as much as I needed air, but because something was wrong with him.

That pain he’d been having was getting worse, and he seemed to tire much earlier than he had just weeks ago. He wouldn’t tell me what it was, and I had to respect his privacy for now. I kept my thoughts on Dylan, and eventually, despite my earlier thoughts that sleep would be impossible, fell into a peaceful dream.

* * *

The next day passed quickly. Dylan was out most of the day after lunch, and he didn’t come home until dinnertime. I’d gone out to the grocery store, too antsy to use the delivery service, and had met up with Roxie for a quick coffee before she had to go home and get ready for work. She listened as I told her about the letter Trent had sent, and then she shocked me.

She put her hand over mine, squeezed it, and told me she’d be my family until Trent stopped being such a dick. It made my heart melt, and tears stung my eyes. I’d thanked her, and we’d both let the moment pass. It was easy to not feel so lonely now. Roxie and I had become friends the moment we met, but now, well, she really was almost like a sister to me.

She’d let me into a world I’d wanted to explore, and she’d been there to see me through it. Now, she’d see me through this too. I loved her for it, I really did.

I’d come back to Dylan’s place after that and had chicken cooking in a wok to add to the salad I’d prepared beforehand. I needed something else to go with it, though.

“That smells delightful. What is it?” Dylan asked as he came up behind me. His arms slid around my waist to pull me back against him. I leaned my head back, and he kissed my neck.

“Just some grilled chicken for a salad. Do you want something to go with it?” I turned in his arms to look at him, happy in my role of housewife for the moment.

“Some of that French bread will go nicely with it, but I want to have you for dessert.” He nuzzled into my neck and tickled me. I laughed as I pushed him away.

“Well, no dessert until you’ve had your dinner, my lord.” I winked at him and turned back to the chicken. He was in a good mood, the kind that meant he’d wanted to be playful. I’d be in for a night of fun then.

He set the table, and we ate together quietly, but I kept looking up to see his eyes on me. There was desire there, and happiness, and I felt my body already responding to it.

“I think you should put that mask back on for me, Stephanie. There was something about fucking a woman whose face I couldn’t see that just made me, well, really fucking hard.”

“Anything you like, sir.” I got up, cleaned the table off, washed up the few dishes we’d used, and went to sit in his lap. He pushed his chair back to make room for me and took me in his arms.

“Do you know how perfect you are, pet?” His eyebrow quirked, a challenge added to his name for me.

Did I want to play, the name and the eyebrow asked. I slid down from his lap and settled on my knees in the floor. “You tell me I am, sir, so it must be so.”

“Good answer. Go get your mask and get ready for me.”

My nipples went tight, and I felt heat begin to pool between my thighs. I did love his games. Only, it wasn’t always a game. Sometimes, every now and then, something inside both of us would flip, and the air around us would change. Times like now, when good moods instantly went from happiness to a need so strong, we couldn’t break free from it.

I might be more than content with Dylan, but I still needed that strong hand that had drawn me to him in the first place. I went into the bedroom and looked around for my mask. It wasn’t in my drawer where I usually kept it. I heard my phone go off and glanced at it. I had an alert of some kind, so I checked it.

I sat on the bed when I saw it. Ember, my other sister-in-law whose legal name was Bridget, had a new album out. Her greatest hits. I hit play on the video that accompanied the article. I’d only heard a few chords of it before I turned it off. A song about finding love in a gilded cage that you couldn’t break free from. Ember sang about how sweet that love was and how fulfilling it could be.

Kind of like what I have with Dylan, I thought and felt my stomach twisted into a knot. I closed the video, put my phone down, and went to finish my preparations. I brushed out my hair, put on a black nightgown that Dylan had bought for me, and brushed my teeth.

By the time Dylan came in, a pair of black silk ropes in his hands, I was ready for whatever he wanted to give me. “Make me yours, Dylan.”

“You know I will, Stephanie.” He stripped down to his dark gray trousers and joined me on the bed. “I’ll wipe that sadness from your eyes, pet.”

I gasped and looked up at him, my eyes wide with surprise. I thought I’d hid it, but now I knew I hadn’t. “Thank you, sir.”