Twisted Fate (Fortitude Memories) Read online

  “When you’re ready, princess.”

  I fiddle with the hem of my top and slowly unfold my story. The gunshots. The screaming. The terrifying silence as my family lay dead. My breathing becomes labored as I re-tell the story of that horrific night. Reid holds me tighter and whispers softly in my ear, “I’ve got you.”

  I tell him how I hid inside the wardrobe and how I stupidly thought they’d gone as the voices had gone quieter, but I was wrong. So, so wrong. The tears gush down my face. Reid tries his best to calm me, but I need to finish this now, so I keep talking. I know he’s struggling to keep it together as his body has become tense.

  I’m at the part where the intruder grabbed my wrist and dragged me back into my room, when out of the blue, Reid roars, “Motherfucker!”

  I scramble off his lap and claw up the bed fast, scared of what he’s going to do. He comes toward me, but I’m curled into a ball, shutting myself off from him.

  “God, no. Esme, please don’t pull away from me. I’m sorry. I could’ve handled that better. Shit, I just heard some motherfucker put his hands on you and…”

  “I wasn’t raped,” I blurt out. I have no idea why I felt the need to drop that out.

  He stops dead, and you could hear a pin drop.

  “You weren’t?”

  “No, but only because of the sirens. They had no choice but to leave.”

  This statement doesn’t calm him anymore.

  I finish telling him how I found my family in a bloodbath and how the darkness took over.

  Reid holds both my hands and gently rubs my wrists. “Now, I understand the whole wrist issue.” The tears haven’t stopped, but I don’t really care anymore. It’s who I am right now.

  I look up at him, scared of what I’m about to say, but he needs to hear this. In fact, I need to say this.

  “It’s just the grabbing of my wrist sends my head and heart right back to that night. It doesn’t matter how hard I try, I can’t pull myself back to the here and now. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to.”

  He wraps his arms around me tightly and just holds me. I hear him talking to me, but I’m so sleepy that I’m slipping away, then everything is quiet.

  Chapter Six

  I wake to a warm, hard body pressed against me and an arm slung over me. Panic tries to set in, but I know who is next to me when that tingling feeling returns. Turning my head, I come face to face with the most intense chocolate eyes ever and the biggest smirk. It’s a pleasant sight.

  “Morning, sleepy.” He’s lying in my bed like it’s his own.

  “Making yourself at home, I see.”

  “Actually, you fell asleep in my arms last night, and being the gentleman I am, I put you to bed, leaving your dignity intact.”

  I look down, relieved to see I’m still fully clothed, and so is he.

  “Hey, don’t get me wrong. I could’ve happily removed your clothes, but I’ve put you through enough in the last twelve hours with my stupid behavior.”

  Wow. He’s all protective and caring and owning his stupidity. I think underneath his arrogance and cockiness, there is a soft side to Reid. I’d also be lying if I said I was totally opposed to him taking off my clothes. I jump up from the bed and head to the bathroom to splash my face. I need cooling down and quick before he realizes how his words affected me.

  When I return, he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for me. I just stand in the doorway, staring at him. He really is a handsome madman. I wonder how I got a guy like him to notice a girl like me, a nobody with a fucked up past.

  “You okay, princess?” I smile at the nickname he's given me. I’ve never had one before. I’m always known as Es or Esme. I love my name, but a nickname seems more personal.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Can I ask, why did you stay the night? And in my bed?”

  He walks over and stands before me. “You really think after what you told me and how you reacted from me breaking in that I was going to leave you alone? You really don’t know me at all.”

  I push at his chest, but it’s like trying to move a brick wall. I manage to duck underneath his arm and out to the sitting area.

  “You’re right, I don’t know you at all. It’s only been just over a week that we’ve known each other. Yet you’ve managed to intimidate my friends, manhandle me in the street, and break into my apartment and cause me to blackout.” He starts to talk, but I put my hand up to stop him. “Let me finish. I then open up, tell you exactly why I am the way I am, only to wake and find you comfy in my bed. And this has all happened in the space of two days, so please don’t dictate to me that I don’t know you when it’s you who has bulldozed your way into my life and my space.”

  “You’ve got me there. I can’t deny any of what you said. But even if words haven’t always crossed between us, we’ve exchanged bumps in stairwells and the store, so we have a little history of our paths overlapping. I’d say that’s fate, wouldn’t you?” He winks at me.

  I sit back down, taking the biggest breath ever. Reid has a big smile on his face, but it’s not his usual smirk. It’s an actual smile this time.

  “Why are you smiling at me? Did I say something funny? Because I don’t recall anything.”

  “Actually, you are funny. No one’s ever stood up to me and told me exactly what they think before. You’re right. I have bulldozed my way into your life, but there was something about you, and after that kiss in the gym, I knew I couldn’t just walk away. I knew you needed protecting. Why? I have no idea. It was a hunch. That kiss was like an addiction. Now I’ve had it, I’ll do what I need to get more. This just sealed the deal. Oh, and I protect what’s mine. Always. So, you’d better get used to it because I’m not going anywhere.”

  He sits on the sofa with a longing stare, waiting for my response.

  “What if the macho thing isn’t what I want, though? I may want to be wined and dined, go out on dates, and get to know you before I make a commitment or any rash decisions like a relationship.”

  I knew I was lying to myself because yet again, I feel all mushy inside just from hearing his words about protecting me and saying I’m his. I like his macho ways, even if they are a little over the top, but I’m not about to admit that to him. He needs to work for my affections, and damn am I gonna make him work. How long I can hold out before I crack, only time will tell. This could be fun. If I can last, that is.

  He pulls me into his lap and lifts my chin so I’m looking into his eyes.

  “Esme, what happened last night and what you told me nearly broke me, so if you need to be wined and dined in order for me to prove my feelings for you, then so be it, and dates it will be.”

  I look at him wide-eyed. I can’t believe he’s agreeing to my terms.

  We talk some more and agree that I will keep attending the self-defense classes.

  “Will you still be teaching the classes?”

  “It’s usually me or Ash that teaches, but I will always make sure I’m there when it comes to your classes. Don’t you worry.”

  I look up at him with a mischievous grin. “I’m sure I can cope with Ash teaching me, especially as he’s as easy on the eye as the other instructor.”

  Before I know it, I’m on my back on the sofa, and he’s hovering over me with those lust-filled chocolate eyes staring straight at me.

  “This okay?” he asks, and I nod. “Good. Don’t ever tease me where other men are concerned. I don’t play nice. You know that.” He slams his mouth down on mine, kissing me possessively.

  He kisses me just like he did the first time, then he slows it down, and it becomes more passionate. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down further. I want more. I need more, but I know we need to take this slow. Things have moved too fast for us already, and that’s not my doing. It’s all him. I pull away, but I’m breathless, and he knows the effect he’s having on me. He gets up and then pulls me to my feet.

  “Come on. It’s breakfast time, then I need to head out for work. Plus, I know y
ou have somewhere to be too.”

  He gives me a slap on the ass and a cheeky wink and strides to my kitchenette. I follow him and make us some coffee, and he gets to work on making pancakes.

  After we’ve eaten, I shower and dress, and then we leave my apartment together. I step into the elevator, and he presses the button but then steps back out.

  “Hey, you not coming down with me?”

  “Sorry. I need to head back to my place and change.” Reid leans into me, giving me a deep and meaningful kiss. As I kiss him back, I hear myself moan. I pull back, and there’s a huge smile on his face.

  “I’ll see you later,” he says. “Now, go before I change my mind and take you upstairs with me.” His voice has turned real husky, and he sounds so sexy. So, before I take him up on his offer, I step back inside the elevator and re-press the button. The doors close, and I sink back against the wall with the biggest grin on my face.

  What am I doing? I’ve known this guy for just shy of two weeks, and last night was the first time we’d really spoken. And that was only because he has pushed his way into my life. I’ve made my feelings known now, and maybe, just maybe, he will calm his caveman ways and let whatever this is between us develop naturally.

  “Hi, Miss Lewis. Have a good day,” Lance calls over to me as I walk through the foyer.

  “Please, Lance, call me Esme. Miss Lewis makes me sound like a schoolteacher.” I chuckle.

  “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure. Now, I gotta go, or I’ll be late. Bye.”

  “Bye, Esme,” he calls out.

  When I arrive at work, Nyla and Jase are already waiting outside for me. They come straight for me, so I turn and walk back the other way, but I can hear their footsteps running behind me to catch up.

  “Oh, no you don’t, missy. Details, now.” Jase turns me around by my elbow and frog-marches me into the store we work in and straight into the back room. We’re followed by Nyla, who can’t stop laughing like the devil as she slams the door shut.

  Jase pushes me down into a chair and then grabs one for himself. He sits on it backwards, right in front of me, so I’m pinned between him and the wall.

  I laugh because he’s desperate to know what happened, so I lean forward and get right in his face. “A lady never kisses and tells, sir.”

  “You always tell everything, Esme. Now dish the dirt, lady, and dish it fast before Ruby comes in here telling us to start work. I have to know what dirty stuff went down when Nyla got the boot.”

  We’ll need to be on the store floor for when the doors open, so I quickly tell them a condensed version of what happened after Reid forced Nyla out of my bedroom. Both of them sit with their mouths hanging open, and I’m not sure what to make of their expressions.

  “Come on, guys. Say something.”

  “Well, I want details, and I mean everything.” Jase. Always the gossip.

  “I’m glad things turned out okay for you.” Something seems off with Nyla. I expected her to grill me on everything, but her mind seems elsewhere.

  “What’s wrong? And don’t say nothing because your whole expression says differently. ‘Fess up, Ny.”

  What she says, I should have seen coming, but Nyla likes to deal with her problems herself, mostly. If she needs you, she’ll tell you.

  “I broke up with Russell last night. Sorry, Es. I don’t mean to make this about me.”

  “Hey, it’s fine, really. What happened?”

  “Well, after I left your place, I went home. I tried to be quiet when letting myself in. I didn’t want to wake Russell. He can be a moody asshole. I was tiptoeing toward my bedroom when I heard him talking to someone, but he was talking in a sexual way.”

  “What did he say, Nyla?”

  I slap my hand across Jase’s arm. “Fuck, Jase. Really?”

  “It’s fine, honestly. I really couldn’t give a shit anymore. His words were, ‘Yeah, baby. Spread your juices’. I pushed the door open, and there he was, cock in his hand, pumping away while video calling with another woman. Can you fucking believe it?”

  “You ladies really do lead exciting lives these days. Who needs talk shows when I have you two to follow? Sorry, Nyla. That was insensitive of me. He’s an asshole for not treating you like the queen you truly are.”

  “You’re right. What would you do without us girls, eh?”

  He chuckles then turns to me. “And Esme, he really does have it bad for you. And whether you like it or not, I think he’s staying put, so you’d better get used to it. He may have gone the wrong way about it, but damn, I wish someone would climb my ladder just to get to me.”

  I can’t help but laugh at his use of words. It’s typical Jase. He sashays back into the store floor area before Ruby comes looking for us. I look at Nyla to see if she’s putting on a brave face for us when I know deep down she’s probably falling apart, but there are no outward signs of being depressed or upset. That worries me even more. I put my arms around her and give her the biggest hug.

  “Es, I really am okay. I knew something was going on. I just didn’t expect to walk in on it.”

  “Did you know her?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I couldn’t see her properly, and I didn’t want to look too hard at the screen.” She grimaces. “All I do know is that I’m better off out of that relationship. It’s time to move on.”

  We sit with our arms around one another.

  “Where are you going to stay, Nyla? You’re more than welcome to move in with me.”

  She laughs. “I threw him and all his things out. That apartment is mine, not his. So, maybe your caveman has a cave buddy for me.” She bats her eyelashes at me.

  The rest of the day goes by real slow, and between what happened last night and Nyla’s problem, my head doesn’t seem to know what to do with itself. I’m sitting at my desk, staring at a blank screen on my computer when my phone beeps. I fish it out of my bag, wondering who would be messaging me as Nyla and Jase are here with me, and I don’t have any other friends.

  Reid: Hey, princess. How’s your day going?

  I look over toward Nyla and she’s busy with a customer, so I can’t ask her if she gave him my number, but I know she wouldn’t have done that. He must have done it himself when I was sleeping. It’s the only logical explanation. I start tapping a reply back to him, but it’s not the reply he will be expecting.

  Me: Don’t you princess me. How dare you go in my phone and invade my privacy? What gives you the right, Smiler?”

  I sit and wait for his reply because I know one is coming. He won’t let it go now I’ve pushed his ego.

  Reid: I’m just checking you’re okay I told you I care about you. Oh, we’re back to Smiler now, are we?

  I thought we’d gotten somewhere this morning with our talk, but it was obviously short fucking lived.

  Me: Fuck you!

  Why, oh why did I send that? I know exactly what reply I will get, and I deserve it. My phone pings instantly.

  Reid: I intend to very soon.

  I slam my phone down on my desk and grunt, “Fucker.” But I must have said it louder than I realized because, as I look up, everyone is looking at me, colleagues and customers.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” I retreat to the back room to calm down and busy myself sorting through some magazines. Fifteen minutes later, I quickly grab my coat and bag as it’s nearly five p.m., plus I’m so embarrassed over my outburst.

  Nyla’s finished with her customer and walks out with me.

  “Spill it. What has you so wound up that you felt the need to share it with everyone back there?”

  “Reid went into my phone while I was sleeping and put his number in it, and now the fucker is messaging me.”

  Nyla bends over with laughter. “Sorry, but you must have seen this coming. The guy is a tad crazy where you’re concerned, and he’s made it clear how protective he is of you. Plus, when will you learn to lock your damn phone?”

  “Oh, not you as well. I
t shouldn’t matter if my phone is locked or not. He invaded my privacy.”

  Plus, he’s done this without asking. It doesn’t sit well with me.

  “Okay, you’re right, but you’ve just got to be firm with him about it.”

  We both burst out laughing at her statement, because… like that is ever going to happen.

  What I do know is that I really need to learn to put a pin on my phone. If he thinks for one second he’s getting away with it, then he’s got another think coming.

  We make our way to Nyla’s. We’re going out tonight to let loose. Nyla needed girl time, and dancing and drinking is her way of doing that. Man, could I do with some of that too.

  Chapter Seven

  My phone’s been blowing up with texts since I arrived at Nyla’s, and they’re all from Reid. I’m refusing to reply to any of them. I’m still annoyed with him for going into my phone and taking my number while I was sleeping, and him thinking it was okay to do so without my consent. We’re just finishing the last touches to our make-up before heading out when my phone pings again, and Nyla grabs it.

  “He really isn’t giving up, is he? Why don’t you just reply, and maybe your phone will get a break.” She busts out laughing as she knows damn well that’s not happening.

  Reid: Where are you?

  Me: None of your business. Now back off.

  I feel quite proud of myself. I’m actually standing up to him. Yes, it may be over text, but I’m telling him, and I feel elated.

  My phone pings again.

  Reid: I’ll find out eventually, and when I do, so help me God!

  I stumble back on to the bed, shocked. Holy shit, what an asshole! I show Ny the message.

  “Wow, that man’s got it bad. But for tonight, ignore him, because it’s a girls’ night, and we are out to have fun.”

  I start to giggle, but then I get serious.

  “What am I going to do, Nyla? He is so over the top, and we’ve only known each other just shy of two weeks.”