Stay(86)

I was wrong.

I set down my empty teacup feeling sickly full, fearful, and had to pee. Jeremy popped out of his seat and flew over to the record player. He put a new record on and spun around. He threw his arms out at me.

“Time to dance!” he said.

I stiffly nodded and forced myself up. Goosebumps had broken out over my skin. The room was cold. Probably to keep the bodies fresh.

“Have you ever been ballroom dancing?” he asked.

“No,” I said. My voice was small and weak; the sound barely left my throat.

“We practice every night, don’t we Miss Molly?” He cast an endearing look at the lifeless doll. “I will teach you.” He pulled me close to him and placed my hands around his neck. “Just follow my lead.”#p#分页标题#e#

He ungracefully shuffled his feet around. I struggled to stay out of the way and not get stepped on. I was by no means a professional dancer, or any dancer at all, for that matter, but I had watched enough cheesy dance competition shows with Lynn to know that Jeremy had no idea what he was doing either.

Finally the record stopped. Jeremy pulled me into an embrace. His hand moved from my back to my waist and slowly trailed up to my chest.

“Oh my,” he whispered when his finger traced my nipple. “My oh my.” Then he suddenly moved away, picking up the doll. He set her on the floor then had me lie down next to her. He picked up my arm, moving it so it was positioned the same way as the doll’s. He messed with my curls then retrieved an old Polaroid camera.

The doorbell rang just as he took the photo. I closed my eyes and let out a breath. Thank God. My eyes flew open, and a desperate giggle escaped my lips when I realized I was happy that Zane was back. Jeremy sighed and stomped his foot in frustration. I stared at him, taken aback by his childlike tantrum, though what else should I have expected from a grown man with a room full of dolls?

“Time to take off the dress,” he whined. I hurried over to the corner where my clothes had been thrown. I pulled the zipper down so fast it caught on the material. I didn’t care. I yanked it over my head, wincing when I heard a seam tear. I froze, waiting for Jeremy to freak out on me.

He was too busy with the door to notice. I slowly exhaled and let the blue dress fall to the floor. I got redressed with such haste that I didn’t notice I had put my clothes on inside out. I didn’t care. I just wanted out.

Jeremy led the way through the townhouse. The doorbell rang again. That might have been the only time I was thankful for Zane’s impatience. When the door opened, I expected Zane to grab me and drag me to the car, then peel out of the quiet little subdivision and speed down the highway.

Zane stood on the stoop all right, but his arms were crossed and he leaned against the side of the house with a smirk on his face. His eyes glinted with wicked amusement as he studied the man next to him.

“Adeline!” Jackson exclaimed. His brown eyes opened in shock, and his face drained of color. For months, I hadn’t left the house. I was the last person he expected to see. And I was the only person in the house he was willing to risk his life for. Zane’s smirk turned into an evil grin, and suddenly I knew the real reason why Jackson was back.





CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE





AN ENTIRE WEEK passed before I was able to talk to Jackson. I hadn’t been forced to work in that time. There had to be a reason. It wasn’t like Nate had forgotten about me. I was too grateful to question it. Even thinking about it made me fear that I would jinx it somehow and Nate would order me back to the guest room.

Jackson carried a tray with our food allowance for the day down the stairs and set it on the table. Lily and Rochelle were in front of the large mirror, fussing over each other’s hair. I sat on Phoebe’s cot, snapping a rubber hair tie that I had stretched between my thumb and index finger.

Jackson’s eyes swept through the room and immediately found me. It was awful being in the same room with him and not being able to touch him. He pressed his lips together and eyed the girls, then set the tray down on the card table and picked up a very full laundry basket. He looked at Phoebe, then me, his eyes questioning. I shook my head, telling him that she hadn’t gotten any better.

I got up and went to the table, slowly sorting through the food. Jackson walked back and deliberately dropped the basket. I bent down to help him pick up the clothes.
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“Are you okay?” he whispered and grabbed a pair of fishnet tights. “I wasn’t expecting to see you at that house.”

“I know,” I told him and reached out for his hand. I laced my fingers through his and squeezed his hand. Our eyes met, and my heart ached, wanting to be closer to Jackson. Even though he was right in front of me, I missed him. “Nate brought you back for more reasons than to do housework.”