The Unfortunates(86)
“That looked intense,” she teased, using his words against him.
“It was.” He smiled, a genuine smile. He couldn’t remember the last time he smiled a genuine smile before Nine came into his possession. The gesture had lost all meaning a long time ago.
“Now what?”
In thought, he raked his teeth over his bottom lip. He should tell her to clean up and go to bed… he should get up and have a shower without a word… but he didn’t want to.
“Now, I clean you up and then we sleep.”
Cautiously, her eyes flicked between his. He didn’t like that she always thought he was playing some kind of game, then again, why wouldn’t she? Kade was a Fortunate, the face of her nightmares.
“You’re not going to tell me to leave?”
Her words pierced his chest and it took a lot of effort not to flinch. Was that how she saw him? She thought he’d just kick her out after using her? No. That wasn’t him… that wasn’t the real him. “No.”
He grew accustomed to having her in his bed… he’d never been a snuggler, but she was just so soft, warm, and welcoming. He pulled the pillows to the fireplace because he couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping in his bed without her. The drugs, he was going to smoke them until he passed out… passing out was the only thing that’d stop him from walking to her room and carrying her back to his. Then she came to him… because she couldn’t be without him. She didn’t have to say anything, but they were on the same wavelength. Nine was the only girl Kade had wanted to be with and it was more than just physical. He could trust her… she was going to help kill his father, after all.
Chapter Eleven
Nine
My damp hair sticks to my skin. The room is dark, the only light is provided by the screen on his desk. It lit up minutes ago, but Kade has made no move to check it out. I don’t expect him to, I suppose. He’s breathing heavily into the nape of my neck and the arm he has draped over me is almost crushing my ribs. He sleeps like a baby, but I can’t. I’m feeling too… overwhelmed to sleep. After we had sex, Kade took me to the bathroom and we showered. Neither of us spoke… instead, we enjoyed the silence. He washed me from head to toe, allowing me to rest my body against his. It was strange… I didn’t know if we were silent because he simply didn’t want to discuss what happened or if we were happy just being together. In bed, he pulled me into him, wrapping his arms tightly around me. Soon after, he fell asleep. He didn’t say anything about tonight, but he didn’t have to. I felt it… I felt how much he cares for me. Kade is dark, he’s difficult, and he’s cold… but it’s only to protect who he is at his core and I want him… in more ways than I already have. I close my eyes. Stop. He is a Fortunate. You suffer because of him. I will myself to stop thinking about him, but the harder I try, the harder he forces his way in. He’s demanding and aggressive, but he cares about me. He cares about how much water I drink when I’m only allowed to have two cups a day. He cares about the food I ingest when I’m only allowed the sludge and stale bread. He wants me to be comfortable, to shower regularly and to sleep in a large bed with blankets that keep me warm... and I don’t know if it’s because he wants me to look nice when I represent him and his house at parties... or if he actually cares about my well-being. Could he care? Can Fortunates actually feel compassion for another life? The others might not, but Kade does.
I lay for a little longer until the annoying urge to pee begins to nag at me. With a sigh, I roll out from underneath Kade’s arm. He barely twitches an eyebrow. I guess he’s a heavy sleeper. Naked, I slip out from underneath the blanket and immediately the cold air sticks to my skin, propelling me to move quicker. Using only the light from his computer, I tip-toe as fast as I can all the way to the toilet. After I go and flush, I step back into the main room. Kade still hasn’t moved from his spot, even after the toilet fills itself with water again. I wish I could sleep half as well as him. I’m such a light sleeper even the sound of a chirping cricket in the distance can wake me up. Now that I think about it, I can’t sleep when there’s light, either. I need to it be dark and silent in order to sleep well. I cross the room on the tips of my feet all of the way over to his computer. Surely, there’s a switch somewhere that can turn this screen off? Paying no attention to what’s on the screen, I run my fingers around the glass frame, looking for an obvious button.
Nothing.
I lean closer and that’s when the words on the screen catch my attention. It’s a message, from his dad about the mine and Unfortunates. None of my business. I straighten my spine and turn away from the screen. I want to ignore it, I really do, but I can’t. Dammit! I turn back to the computer. What does the mine have to do with Unfortunates? My index finger twitches toward the screen, but I pull it back, jamming it between my legs. I shouldn’t do this. Kade will hate me if he ever finds out, but god, I need to know what’s going on. I need to know!