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This story is a little different from all of my other stories. You'll notice pretty quickly its not all lovey-dovey, but I still hope you like it!
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Chapter 4
"Come to me..." That voice was whispering in my ear again, murmuring sweet words and dark promises that always made me ache. I could feel strong fingers brushing over my collar bone and down my arm. It sent fire soaring through every ounce of my being. So—so—much better than a nightmare.
"Stay with me."
Come to me, stay with me, the man really needed to make up his mind about where I was. Even if he was only my imagination. He chuckled and the sound was like a slow burning fire against my skin as it chased the sassy thought away. I tried to reach for dream-guy, desperate to feel him as he did me, but my hands came up empty. There were shadows surrounding him, allowing him to touch but never be touched. It was maddening.
A hand pressed against my stomach, his palm hot and heavy despite the fact I couldn't see it—or him. He rubbed my skin soothingly, as if he could sense my growing irritation. I didn't bother hiding a sultry moan as lips pressed just below my ear and nipped lightly at my skin. "Need You." His voice teased my mind, though his mouth never wavered from its determined path.
"Come to me."
It wasn't until my bare foot stepped in a puddle that I woke.
What the hell? I stepped away from the murky water with a frown. Cold, bitter, wind blew against my shoulders and I wrapped my arms tightly around myself to hold off a shiver.
Where the fuck was I?
I glanced up at the abandoned street, a lone road lamp flickering in the distance. Haniel Drive's street sign loomed a few feet above my head. Oh my God—was I sleepwalking?! Panic pooled in my chest and I whipped around to make sure this was, in fact, real. Sure enough, the cold biting my skin through the thin material of my tank-top and short-shorts that I had worn to bed was very real.
I didn't bother lingering on the street any longer. Being careful to avoid sharp rocks and stones, I rushed across the road and ran straight towards the Markos' manor. I tried not to slam the door shut when I rushed into the foyer, but fear was gripping my chest and I pushed it closed a little too loudly. I locked the deadbolt and door knob before pressing my back against the smooth wood and sliding down until my butt rested against the cold floor.
That did not just happen.
The grandfather clock in the living room chimed three times and stopped. 3 a.m. It was only 3 a.m. I hugged my knees to my chest and tried to force upset tears from my eyes. In all my crazy erotic dreams and creepiest nightmares, I have never slept walked. I didn't want to think of where I was going, or how far I would have gotten if I hadn't stepped into that puddle.
I would have to tell Adriel in the morning. That thought alone made me groan in contempt. The last thing I needed was his overbearing ass breathing down my neck. He was already upset about the nightmares, and I couldn't even control those. Not that I could control this, but he had become ridiculously over protective since the car crash and this would not sit well with the control-freak. But I was nervous about it happening again, especially if the dreams were getting so bad that I ended up on the opposite end of our street.
I just hope he wouldn't try to send me to a looney bin.
-&-
"Ugh, no!" I grumbled as the juice went everywhere. "Fucking great." I hissed and jumped to grab a bunch of paper towels.
"What's this?" My eyes snapped over to the dark blue pair flashing in sheer amusement. I ignored the scowl that wanted to pull on my lips and gave him a bright smile instead.
"I wanted to make you breakfast!"
Adriel arched his brow and set his work-belt down heavily on the countertop. It was five-thirty in the morning, and I had been up ever since the sleepwalking incident. I was terrified that if I went back to bed, I would wake up in the middle of town dancing on a light pole or something crazy like that. I figured I could spend the time preparing and making breakfast for the guy. I hoped it would butter him up for the upcoming conversation—and maybe lessen the blow about me returning the laptop later.
"It looks like you're wearing it more than making it." Those blue eyes washed over my entire flour and juice-soaked pajamas, taking in every awful inch. He chuckled and I shot him a glare instead of lingering on how that sound made my insides flutter.
"Yeah, well, I can't help it if stuff keeps flying out of my hands." I set a fresh glass of orange juice, and the plate of pancakes I was able to make, down in front of him with a 'hrmph'. We didn't have much food in the house yet, besides a few groceries from the day before, but there was pancake mix and syrup and that's all he ever needed.
That amused smirk didn't leave his lips, but he did sit down on one of the kitchen island's bar stools with a knife and fork. "So, what is this really about?" Dri asked around a mouthful of pancake.
"What?" I asked with an innocent shrug. "I just wanted to do something nice for you. Is that so hard to believe?" His eyes slowly flickered from the food to lock with mine. He didn't say anything, just held my gaze for a solid moment until I caved. God I fucking hated when he did that.
"Okay, alright, it's kind of embarrassing." I admitted on a heavy sigh and rubbed my palms nervously against my short-shorts. "But I—I slept walked last night and it kind of freaked me out."
He put his utensils down and leaned against the island with a frown. Oof, he never stopped eating when there was food left. That was worrisome. "What do you mean you 'slept walked'?"
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the question and pressed my hip against the other side of the counter. "Just that. I apparently sleepwalk now. I woke up at three this morning at the end of the street—"
"You left the house?" The dark look passing over his beyond handsome face, and the fact that his voice dropped a smidge, was a clear sign that his unhappiness was growing.
"Listen, it's not my fault, Dri. It's not like I did it intentionally." I held my hands up in mock surrender, not at all concerned about the angry tint to his tone. I knew he wasn't mad at me, just at the situation. Adriel didn't get mad at people, he got mad at circumstances. He was a strange one. A hot strange one, but still.
I wanted to away when he stood to his feet, the stool scraping against the floor as he did, but I told myself to be a brave bitch and stand my ground. "Are you okay?" I wasn't necessarily surprised at the concern in his tone, but the worried look flooding those blue eyes as he grabbed my chin and turned my head in different directions—like he would find some unseen injury if he did—was surprising.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." His touch was doing funny things to my insides. "It just spooked me, that's all..." Adriel didn't look all that convinced, but he did let go of my chin and took a step away after a moment. I didn't want to admit how much I liked his hands on me, but every time he stepped away from me a little part of my heart hurt.
"It won't happen again." He announced confidently and walked back around the island to his original seat. Fork and knife already in hand.
I didn't bother hiding my eye roll. "You can't know that. I don't even know the next time it will happen. I could end up in town square or—"
"There won't be a next time, Lark. I'll handle it."
I crossed my arms over my chest, pressed my hip against the counter and raised an eyebrow at him. "And how, pray tell, do you plan on doing that?"
Adriel shrugged, like he wasn't at all concerned, before sticking the fork back into the pancakes. "Motion sensors in the yard that I can hook to my phone, bells on the doors, hell I can probably lock you in your room in all honesty—"
"Adriel!"
"Joking, joking. That last part was a joke." His laughter filled the kitchen despite the flames of fire I was shooting at him through my gaze. "But seriously don't worry about it, Angel. I'll take care of it." Just hearing him say those words made the tension in my shoulders ease. I could do all that stuff myself, but just having him there to care about getting it done made me feel a thousand times better.
"What are your plans for today?" Adriel asked a few quiet, but peaceful, moments later. He had already down three of the pancakes and was making quick work of the rest.
I shrugged and grabbed the now cold cup of coffee I had been nursing for the pass hour. "I'll probably wake Raffie up around eight and go buy actual groceries." Amusement flashed across his handsome face at my scolding tone. Straight sugar was not real food, no matter how often the siblings argued that it was. "I'll make sure to get her all her school supplies, then I guess we can just explore the town for a bit—"
"I need to get you a car." My mouth dropped open, but the arrogant man continued to happily stuff his face. "These are really good."
"You are not buying me a car!" I practically exploded; the sleepwalking conversation completely forgotten. "The laptop was already overboard—hey! Don't roll your eyes at me! I'm being serious!"
"I am too." Adriel grunted and stood from the barstool once his pancakes were gone. "How else are you going to get around everywhere? I don't want you walking for miles carrying a bunch of shit, and what about school? You plan on walking back and forth every day?" He scoffed and placed the empty dish in the sink.
"If I have to! And I can carry bags just fine. It's not that far from the town center, and—"
"I'm not arguing with you about this, Larkin." He sighed and walked back over to where he dropped his work-belt. It was one of those hardcore tool-belts that had only god-knows-what in its deep pockets. "I'm not letting you walk around everywhere. We'll go get you one this weekend."
"Adriel—"
"If you're not going to think about your own safety than think about Raffie's." His words had my mouth snapping shut instantly. God, I hated when he was right. I didn't really care about walking everywhere, but I wouldn't be able to help Rafael quick enough if something did happen.
That didn't stop contempt from boiling inside my stomach though. I grit my teeth together and glared at the kitchen counter. "I'll pay for it."
Adriel grunted and I glanced up long enough to see him drag one of those strong hands through his dark hair. "You don't even have enough to buy a shitty one."
"Then I'm paying you back."
He chuckled and shook his head before grabbing the SUVs keys. "Whatever you say, Lark." He spun the keys around his finger, paused and glanced over. "Take me to work, and you can use the car for the day."
My eyes narrowed, and I crossed my arms grumpily over my chest. "You never let me drive."
"Because you're not that great at it."
"You taught me how! So, whose fault is that?" I snapped but that only made his booming laughter echo throughout the kitchen.
"You want the car or not?" Dri dangled the keys in front of my face, those blue eyes alight in sheer amusement. I snatched the hanging metal from the air and pushed pass him, that chuckle following my every step.
"Stupid jerk." I grumbled as I shoved my fluffy sock covered feet into the rainboots at the front door. After the whole sleepwalking-puddle incident, I had taken a steaming hot shower and pulled on a thick pair of socks like that would erase the memory. I stared at the infuriating man as he strolled out of the dining room, that arrogant, pig-headed smirk pulling on his lips.
"You're going like that?" He eyed the complete and total mess by pajamas were in, and the totally unneeded boots on my feet. Add onto the fact that my hair was a bird's nest in its messy bun. The fuck was he talking about? I was ready for Cinderella's ball.
"It's not like I'm getting out of the car."
"Okay, sorry, my bad." He held his hands up in surrender at my tone.
"Oh, shit, what about Raffie?" The thought hit me just as I was going to open the front door.
Those blue eyes widened, and he let out a disgruntled sigh before glancing up the stairs. "I can go grab her. Maybe she'll sleep through it." He dropped his work belt and bag to the floor before hurrying up the steps. I could hear him murmuring softly to his sister, who didn't sound at all happy about being woken up, but she came sluggishly out of her room anyway.
"She didn't sleep through it." He sighed and bent down for his stuff as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Raf walked over to me with a stuffed animal in one hand and reached for mine with her other.
"I don't want to go, Lark. I'm sleepy." She grumbled around a big yawn. I smiled.
"You can sleep in the car, kiddo. We're just going for a short ride. You can go back to bed when we come home." She didn't say anything else after that but pressed her face into my shirt as I opened the front door for her infuriating brother. He found the whole thing amusing.
I was impatiently waiting for him to walk pass us, Raffie attached to me like a koala bear, when he suddenly leaned down and pressed a feather soft kiss against my cheek. "Thank you for breakfast, sweet girl."
Freaking jerk.
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"What do you mean, you won't take it back?" I snapped at the poor worker who stood behind his computer with wide and nervous eyes.
"I'm sorry miss, but our store policy says that we can't take returns without the receipt." The guy was young, probably a college kid trying to save up for the semester, and definitely not used to talking with the opposite sex. He was flustered from 'hello' and wouldn't look in my eyes the entire time. He was thin, with skin paler than mine, and bright carrot colored hair. His face was a mix of freckles and adult acne. Not my type, but he was tall though. I'll give the guy that.
"There is a receipt! It's in the bag!" I ripped the plastic back from his hands and tore the handles apart. I angrily lifted the unopened laptop box and stuck my hand inside like that would find the receipt my eyes couldn't see. "Well, there was one!" I shoved the box and the bag back onto the counter. In the past I wasn't above flirting with someone to get what I wanted, but that all changed when I moved in with the Markos. It didn't feel right using people like that anymore.
"I really am sorry, but we can't accept—"
"Listen, buddy, I was literally in here yesterday with that little girl," I threw my hand towards Raffie who was busy playing with a Nintendo Switch hanging on the wall. "And her idiot brother who bought this stupid thing. Just take it back and give me a refund and I'll be on my way."
"Without the receipt I really can't take it back, even if I wanted to. I have to scan the barcode and put it back in the system." I felt bad about the nervous terrified look in the kid's eyes, or Kyle, as his name tag read, but that didn't mean my anger was going anywhere.
"Okay, but I had the receipt! It probably fell behind your counter or something—"
"Is a receipt that long paper thingy you get when you buy something?" I hadn't notice Raf walk up until her voice was chirping up at my side. I tried to shove away the fury brewing behind my eyes as I glanced down at her.
"Yeah."
"Oh... Well, I saw Adriel grab something like that from your bag yesterday and put it in his pocket. If that's what you're looking for." She reached for my hand and her tiny fingers squeezed my palm as those big blue eyes widened.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Of course, that asshole would take the damn receipt! Now I would have to go snoop through his room to find it. Damn it!
Raf's lips fell into a pout and she squeezed harder on my hand. "Adriel doesn't like it when you say bad words."
"I don't care what he likes." I grumbled as I let go of her hand to shove the laptop box back into the bag. "We'll be back." I snapped at poor Kyle who looked ready to hide in a janitor's closet and never come out.
"Can we get ice cream?" Rafael asked cheerfully as I dragged her out of the entertainment store.
"I have to get the groceries home before the food goes bad." And then I have to rip through your brother's room. But I kept that little tad-bit to myself.
"Can we go drop the stuff off and then get ice cream?" I ignored that doe-eyed gaze and opened the door of the SUV for her.
"That's a waste of gas, Raf." I sighed as she hopped into the passenger seat. I wasn't sure why the hell we let a nine-year-old sit in the front, but the car did have an automatic airbag shut off for a certain weight and the kid was old enough based on California law. I hadn't checked Oregon's, but I doubted it would be much different.
"Please, Larkin!" She begged once I climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine.
"Kid—"
"I'll tell Adriel that you're trying to return your computer."
My gaze snapped across the vehicle and narrowed at the devious evil look that had replaced those puppy eyes. "You. Wouldn't. dare." I enunciated each word, so she knew what I thought about that little comment. Rafael stuck her nose in the air, crossed those little arms of hers and 'hrmphed'.
Damn, she really was spending too much time with me.
"Yes, I would."
My hand was on the gear shift, ready to put the car in reverse, though my eyes glared daggers at the nine-year-old. We were suddenly locked in a competitive stand-off, neither of us blinking since that would mean defeat. I caved first. "Fine. But we're going now, and you better eat fast." Get a brain freeze, you little jerk.
That evil look left her eyes and her wide smile was suddenly beaming up at me. "Yay! Thank you! You're the best!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
Fifteen minutes later I was staring anxiously at the giant construction site across the street, my fingers tapping repeatedly against the plastic tabletop. "You okay, Lark?" Raffie asked at my side, our argument in the car long forgotten. She was back to being that perfect little angel she had everyone convinced that she was.
"Yeah, I'm just worried about your idiot brother." We were sitting at that little ice cream shop on the corner, our groceries and her school stuff locked safely away in the SUV. I had been staring at the large piles of dirt and rock for a solid five minutes, worry raging through my chest.
I had dropped Adriel off at some large metal building on the other side of Deshua that morning, the word 'Avid' flashing boldly against its side. I figured he was filling out a bunch of paperwork and going over the regulations since it was his first day, and he was hired as an architect, not a construction worker. I wasn't really sure what the difference was, but I hoped he didn't do any of the dangerous work.
"Adriel isn't an idiot." Raf's lips pulled into a pout, and she crossed her little arms over her chest all grumpy-like. I tried to hide my smile.
"I know he's not. I just say that sometimes to make myself feel better."
"How does calling him mean names make you feel better?"
I finally tore my gaze away from the overturned park and played absently with the plastic spoon in my empty ice cream cup. "Because I'm a jerk, and that's what jerks do." That, and if I was calling him an asshole, or an idiot, it was less time I spent calling him sexy and oh-so-handsome in my head.
A little hand was suddenly gripping mine and I raised my gaze to those dark blue doe eyes. "You're not a jerk, Lark. You're always nice to me." She gave me a large smile and squeezed my hand.
"Just you, kid. Even when you're manipulating me into buying you sugar."
Rafael let go of my hand to finish shoveling ice cream into her mouth, that sneaky glint lighting her eyes. I rolled mine. After today I was putting them both on a healthier diet. I mean, I loved ice cream as much as the next guy, but they were eating sugar twenty-four seven. They needed healthy carbs and vegetables. Hence all the groceries in the SUV that I just knew Adriel was going to grumble about. They could thank me later when their hearts won't explode.
Laughter from the corner of the shop caught my attention, and my gaze shifted towards the group of four guys crowding one tiny table. Their laughter seemed to carry effortlessly around the room, trapping anyone who heard. I shifted uneasily in my seat. Usually, I was all for hot guys, and I wasn't shy either. But recently I've been finding it easier to avoid eye contact with everyone. It wasn't that I doubted myself, I just didn't have the want to mess around anymore. Which, in retrospect, I really needed to start again if I wanted to stop thinking about jumping Adriel every other minute.
There was something wrong though. Something about those guys that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It was that same feeling I got on our first day here, when that Luke guy warned Raffie and I about going into the woods. It wasn't a good feeling, and it made my chest clench uneasily.
"Do you think they're cute?" Raf's voice pulled at my attention, and I forced my eyes to hers.
"Do I think they're cute?"
She nodded her head and glanced at the group before back at me, her spoon hanging expectantly from her mouth. I shrugged and reached over for her empty bowl as I tried to find the right words to say. "Sure, they're cute, but they give me a bad feeling."
"A bad feeling?"
"Yeah, like when you eat something gross and it makes your stomach feel weird." Raf nodded almost viciously as I threw our bowls into the trash. "It's kind of like that." I gave her a small smile as she stood from the table and brushed out the wrinkles in her black and pink skirt.
"Oh, okay." She reached for my hand, her lips pulling into a smile again as she squeezed my fingers tightly. "Then we should go."
I laughed as she began dragging us to the shop's door. "If you say so, kid."
I made the mistake of glancing back at the group, and my heart stopped beating in my chest. Two of the guys were staring after us and their gazes caused ice to spread like thunder through my veins.
Red. Their eyes were red.
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Hope you all enjoyed!