"Why does anyone fall for anyone else? Chemistry? Fate? I don't know why. I just know it in here," he says, tapping his gut.
Snuggling my cheek against his chest, I think about how I'm pretending to be normal. Just a girl with a guy she likes. As if we could do anything, be anything. Except I'm not normal. A good day without being stuck in the darkness doesn't mean I healed.
"You think too much," he says, turning on the TV. "When I worked a job, sometimes I sat alone in silence for hours. I learned the benefits and failures that come from over-thinking things. You should think less and react more."
"That sounds like bad advice."
"I know, but it's not. When you ran from Locke's muscle, you didn't think, did you? When the Serbian attacked your house, you didn't think. You just reacted. When you got the chance to slide up against all this sexy flesh, you didn't think either. You just grabbed on. Thinking is overrated."
"Sexy flesh," I whisper, trying not to laugh.
"I call it like I see it."
Taking all my strength not to chicken out, I caress his jaw and lift my lips. I want more kissing. I just don't think I want the stuff that comes afterward. Not yet anyway.
Soon, though, I can imagine our bodies pressed together like this except naked. When that day comes, I'm looking forward to more than a simple kiss.
23
~~~
Troy
Terrible with Temptation
Darla can only tolerate twenty minutes of affection before she squirms out of my embrace and ends up on the floor with a thump. Rather than look embarrassed, she crawls to the table and works on her puzzle. I watch her, silently enjoying the view.
When I kissed her, I expected the first taste to be the last. At least for today. Surprising me, Darla even got a little frisky. Her fingers teased my nipple, daring me to take things up a notch. Darla likely knew she was pushing things too far too fast, so she ended up on the floor. Now she glances at me with a shy smile.
"I'd help you with that, but I'm not a team player."
Darla grins at my comment, likely wanting to respond. She doesn't though.
My body in overdrive, I can't stop looking at her. I want to taste her again and feel her warm skin against mine. Darla isn't simply sexy. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and she's nearly in my reach.
"Aren't you bored looking at me?"
"I once watched a rabbit sit in a patch of grass for two hours. Trust me that you're a hell of a lot prettier than the rabbit."
"Why would you watch a rabbit for that long?" she asks, leaning against the couch.
I like having her closer to me, even if only by few extra inches. Darla studies me while I admire her smile.
"I was locked in a prison cell," I finally say.
Darla's mouth falls open, and her eyes widen. "Where? Why?"
"In Columbia, a sadistic bastard named Renaldo got the jump on me. He had me for two weeks. Some of that time, I spent in a dark room. Other times, I was in a cage with a view of the grassy lawn with the bunny."
"How did you get away?" she whispers, inching closer.
"Minka came in guns blazing. I'd done the same for her before, and she really couldn't stand owing me."
Her gaze on my scar, Darla touches her throat absentmindedly.
"He did that," she asks.
"Yes, put a wire collar on me. Do you want to know how I handled a monster like him?"
Darla stares at me entranced. Finally, she nods.
"In movies, whenever the good guy is captured by the bad guy, he spits in the bad guy's face and claims he's going to make him pay. Looks good but submissive works better. Let the bad guy feel they're in control. He's more likely to put his guard down if you seem scared rather than defiant. Rage also takes a lot of energy. The opportunity to escape could come at any time, so it's smarter to remain calm and focused than spewing bravado."
"I had no bravado when Locke took me, but that's because I was scared. Not because I had a plan."
Shifting on the couch, I reach over and cup her cheek. "You were just living your life when a monster took you. I was doing bad things when bad things happened to me. It's not the same thing."
"Were you scared?"
I can't help grinning. "Of course. I'm not a machine. He fucked me up. Starved me. Locked me in the dark for days at a time. If I hadn't gotten free, he might have broken me."
"I liked being in the dark," she says before shutting down.
Knowing she's returned to a time where silence was her only weapon, I caress her lips with my thumb.
"You got out. No one came blazing in and saved you. You did it yourself. That's all that matters."
Darla stares at me, struggling between her memories with Locke and her desire to enjoy her freedom. She finally smiles and climbs onto the couch next to me.
"Do you like movies?" she asks.
"Sure, but I haven't seen many the last few years. Well, unless they were on standard cable."