Ben.
My eyes were still fixed on Derek’s handsome face, the contrast of his blue eyes and pale skin never failing to make me catch my breath. I watched as his eyes darkened into a deep, dusky blue the moment Ben’s fingers coiled around my arm. I noticed the way his arm muscles flexed when his hands balled into fists.
I tried to break away from Ben’s grasp, but he held on fast.
“We don’t have time,” Ben hissed. “Say your goodbyes and let’s go.”
The expression on Derek’s face wasn’t giving me much reason to be confident about my best friend’s safety. After all, it wasn’t too long ago when much – too much, in my opinion – had been said about whom I belonged to.
Derek’s. Lucas’. Ben’s. It’s beyond me what I must do to make them realize that I’m neither object nor possession. I don’t belong to any of them.
I had to intervene before a testosterone-charged battle could spark. I turned to look at Ben straight in the eye.
“Let go of me, Ben. Now.”
Ben’s jaw tightened. Before our captivity at The Shade, I would’ve done anything he asked of me, but The Shade had changed us both.
When his grip on me didn’t slacken one bit, Derek took a step forward. “You heard the lady.” His deep, baritone voice took on a threatening tone.
I stared pleadingly at Ben, hoping that he wouldn’t try Derek’s patience. Do you not realize that you don’t stand a chance against him?
Over the past few days since Derek forced Claudia – Ben’s mistress at The Shade – to turn Ben over to his custody, I saw how Derek took great lengths to at least be polite to my best friend. Ben, on the other hand, being quite the stubborn fool, had done nothing but shoot cold and accusing glares at Derek. I’d been on edge trying to keep them apart, fearing a confrontation between the two egotistic young men.
I spoke more gently this time. “Let go, Ben.”
He let go, but the pointed glare he sent my way showed he was not giving in. “Don’t even think about staying.” The words came through clenched teeth and with a slight shake of his head.
“Sofia…” Derek spoke up as if to remind me that his opinion mattered too.
“I need time to think.” The words came out of my lips in what sounded like a growl.
“Now?” Ben protested.
“There’s no time for that.” Derek seconded.
Finally! You two agree on something. I stood my ground and raised a brow. “Well, then make time.”
They exchanged glances for a moment. It was almost endearing how helpless both of them looked. A small smile threatened to creep over my face. Who owns whom now?
I found it ironic that it was Derek who first relented. I was still mystified by what he saw in me that continuously made him give in to me. After all, of the three of us, he was still the one holding any real power. He could simply decide that neither Ben nor I could leave and that would be that.
Still, he gave in. His blue eyes softened the moment they landed on me. He nodded and said, “Fine, but not here.”
He then scowled at Ben before possessively laying his hand on the small of my back, gently pushing me forward.
“Unbelievable…” Ben grumbled, throwing his hands into the air as he followed after us.
We made our way through the rest of the woods, weaving our way past large rocks and wild bushes. My brain took note of every single detail of the hidden paths that led us from Derek’s penthouse to the port. The trees seemed to get smaller and smaller as we neared a clearing. The quiet rustle of our shoes over the twigs beneath us, the ocean waves nearby and our soft, even breathing were the only sounds filling the air. The natural scent of the trees surrounding us and the sea nearby mixed with Derek’s intoxicating musk. It made me sense his proximity, along with the gentle heaving of his chest and the feel of his arm gripping my waist.
My heart ached at the idea of never again being as close as I was to him at that moment.
“We’re close,” he eventually spoke up.
I snapped to attention. The port had been in sight even before we stopped to talk back in the woods. However, now that we had climbed down into a clearing, I found myself confused. There was nothing in sight but high, rocky cliffs.
“What the hell is going on?” Ben said.
“I don’t understand.” I eyed Derek questioningly as I looked around. “Where’s the port?”
I tried to slow down, but Derek kept moving forward, tugging on me to keep me walking.
“Hey, your highness…” The acerbic sarcasm in Ben’s voice was unmistakable. “Where are you taking us?” He used both hands to push Derek and me apart.#p#分页标题#e#