Defining Darkness - K E Osborn Page 0,28
I don’t understand why you took me, but maybe I’m a little bit thankful you did.”
Progress.
“I’m thankful I did, too, Chiquita. I wish I could let you roam the clubhouse. I really do. You’d fit in so well out there, but until I trust you…”
“I’m in lockdown.”
“Yeah. It’s for your own good, Eva.”
“I get it. I really do, and I want to be able to say you can trust me, but the second I see a phone or an open door, my instincts will kick in. I won’t be able to help it. I just miss Ivy so much. It’s my job to protect her.”
“At least you’re being honest with me. Though even if you weren’t, and we let you out, then you tried to run, there’s no way out. You’re stuck on the grounds of this compound.”
She swallows a nervous lump down her throat. “Good to know. So, I think it’s time we had a heart to heart. You need to tell me some things about you.”
“You want to have a deep and meaningful… with me?”
She crosses her legs, sitting taller on the bed. “C’mon, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
Rolling my shoulders, I exhale. “How about you tell me yours first.”
She groans. “Man, you’re locked up tighter than a chastity belt.”
I smirk as I slide up the bed next to her, and we get comfortable. “So, in Cuba, it was just you and your sister?”
The cheekiness on her face falls. “Si. My parents were killed in a car wreck when I was eighteen. Ivy was sixteen. Legally, I become her guardian.” A somber expression crosses her face. “We were in the rear of the car when it crashed. A truck came out of nowhere. My dad didn’t have time to brake… our car slammed right into the rear of the truck.”
Eva sniffles, so I pull her closer to me.
“Mom and Dad were killed on impact. Ivy and I were taken to the hospital with injuries... I’d broken my leg and dislocated my shoulder, but my leg was an open fracture, so I needed surgery. Ivy had internal injuries and needed her spleen removed. She also had a broken arm. We were in the hospital for ages. Then, when we were finally discharged, it was to a whole new life. We didn’t have parents... so I had to take care of everything.”
She exhales, sinking further into me. “Ivy was so young, but she held herself together well. Sometimes she had to pull me together. We kept each other strong. We made it through together. I don’t know how she’ll be coping without me.”
I had no idea they had been through so much.
For Eva to offer that information up so freely means I’m earning her trust. God only knows how. Maybe Trixie’s mommy porn has helped. I have no clue, but either way, understanding this part of the sisters’ story only makes me more inspired by them.
“You’re both strong women. You’re holding it together well here, Eva. I’m sure Ivy’s holding on just as strong… wherever she is. You guys will be together again. I’m positive she’s fighting just as hard to be back with you as you are for her.”
She sniffles again, inhaling deeply, then scrubs at her face. “So, now you’re familiar with my back story, there’s got to be one hell of a story coming my way from you?”
I tense. Only a few people have heard my story of why I am the way I am. I’m sure she’ll view me differently. I’m not ready for that. I need her to see me as this strong alpha male she thinks about while finger-fucking herself. The moment she hears the fucked-up mess I am, it will change her perception of me. The way she sees me, the way she talks to me. I don’t want that. I like the way we are now.
I press my lips to her temple. A tingle shoots all the way down my spine. I clench my eyes closed as I embrace her. She cuddles into me further, but I slowly pull away and edge toward the side of the bed.
Eva’s eyebrows furrow as she exhales. “You’re leaving?”
Standing, I turn to her confused face. “I think it’s best.”
Hurt crosses her features as her eyes droop. “Did I say—”
“You did nothing wrong, Chiquita. I’m not good at this stuff.”
Her puppy-dog eyes quickly morph into anger. “Conversations?”
“Emotions. I’m sorry about your parents, I really am. I just—”
“Don’t want to open up to me,”