Spark, стр. 6
from my chair to him. His other hand rubbed my arm up and down, softly caressing
my skin as he looked me over. I kept my eyes down. I couldn’t bear to look at him
anymore.
Darren tugged me along to the parlor where a fire was flickering away in the
white marble fireplace. Still holding my hand, he laid down on the couch and
carefully pulled me down to lay on top of him.
Even with broken ribs, I had to admit for as solid as he was, Darren was quite
comfortable to lay on. My cheek pressed against his chest while he continued to
clutch my hand near his heart, his other hand gently soothing me by rubbing my
back and playing with my hair. I stared off into the fire, listening to Darren’s heavy
pounding heartbeat.
What I would give to hear it stop ...
Eventually, his hands began to travel into my hair, and I found myself lulled into
a trance of warmth and comfort. Darren might be a raging hurricane, but his softer
side almost made him tolerable. I craved this part of him; the part that made me
feel special and cherished … even though I didn’t want to be.
Darren’s lips brushed against my forehead as he kissed me sweetly, rubbing my
arm up and down until he finally exhaled a long heavy breath.
“You’re going to go for a walk on the beach tomorrow,” he suddenly said. I
tensed slightly, confused at his words. “I think the sunshine will do you some good.
You’re looking paler than usual,” he finished.
I nudged him slightly, letting him know I heard him. I didn’t have much interest
in venturing outside my room or the island itself. I’d rather sleep my pain away
than deal with it. But maybe he was right. Maybe some sunshine would do me some
good. My skin was looking pretty pasty, after all.
Eventually, I felt my eyelids grow heavy. I knew it was still early, but my meds
often made me drowsy, especially after I had eaten something. I closed my eyes and
released a heavy sigh as I allowed myself to slip into sweet unconsciousness.
2
SOOTHE
A bsolute calm. That was all I ever felt when I held Jaden like this. When she’d fall
asleep in my arms, and all I had to focus on, at that moment, was her—her
breathing—her heartbeat—her warmth. Absolute peace. I didn’t realize how much
I needed it in my dark life until I almost lost her. When she escaped from me, I
hadn’t known how deeply she had sunk her claws into my wretched heart; that was
until she ripped them out and left me to bleed with rage in her absence.
I knew I would get her back. The GPS on her collar saw to that, but I had learned
my lesson in underestimating her, and I had a feeling she had learned hers as well.
I doubted she would make the same mistake twice, but it didn’t matter much since
she would never be given an opportunity like that ever again.
Jaden would have round-the-clock supervision, and as soon as we returned
home, she would have four bodyguards to watch her when I wasn’t there—two for
the day and two for at night—twelve-hour shifts, no breaks. Until she had accepted
her life, that would be the case. I already had two perfect soldiers lined up for the
job. They were among my best men, and I felt I could trust them with Jaden’s safety
as well as her tricks. They were sharp enough to recognize her deceptions and
smart enough to remain professional at all times unless they wanted to be fed their
dicks for breakfast.
Things were slowly getting back to normal back home. The damage to my house
was repaired, and after some more serious damage control and blackmailing, the
news tape of Jaden speeding off on my bike was now a pile of ash. The guards who
had allowed her to escape had been dealt with, and new security measures were
being put into place at the estate to ensure what had ensued would never happen
again.
Jaden would not get away from me a second time. I was committed to her
conditioning now more than ever as I realized how strict I needed to be with her.
Her fragile state would make it easier. She wouldn’t fight me while she was still
broken if she wanted to recover sooner, but then again, neither would I. Jaden just
couldn’t know that. I was still worried about her recovery, and I didn’t want
anything to interfere with that, but she still needed to accept her place.
I knew Jaden was depressed even before Sid told me. I had anticipated it. Jaden
was beyond vulnerable with her broken body, and she hated it. She hated that I had
rendered her defenseless and useless, but she needed