Better Hide (The Run and Hide Duet Book 2), page 8
I try to pull them away, but Jayden doesn’t let me. My palms have no open cuts, just scratches and sore parts.
Jayden presses his thumb into one of the red spots on my palm, looking up at me while I wince. He presses harder, watching me without blinking, his pupils widening. Then he brings my hand to his mouth and kisses it lightly. He bites once, then lets me go and reaches to the front seat, grabbing the collar.
“No,” I stiffen.
Jayden ignores me, slipping it around my neck. The cool metal settles on my skin, and immediately, I hate it. I feel trapped. Suffocated. Like I can’t breathe.
Jayden digs in his bags and brings out ropes. Thin, blue, red, and purple ropes that look soft.
“What is that?”
“We need to sleep. I don’t trust you not to run.” Jayden pulls out the red rope.
“What?”
Jayden reaches for my hand.
I pull away.
“Jo,” Jayden looks into my eyes. “If you fight me, I won’t be able to do it right, and you’ll be uncomfortable for the rest of the night.”
I freeze.
Jayden cocks his head like he’s trying to figure me out. I see the darkness lurking behind his eyes, battling to get out. But for some reason, he’s holding back.
I can’t tell if that’s good or bad.
Finally, I relax. Jayden’s eyes lighten with interest, and he traces the rope around my wrist, looping it gently but securely. He wraps the rope around my hips, doing the same to my other wrist, being careful not to run them over my bandage. He ties my wrists to the sides of my waist, working with flow and familiarity—like he’s done it a hundred times before.
“Too tight on your waist?”
I shake my head. It’s pretty loose.
Jayden puts his fingers in between the rope and my body. “It’s going to get tighter, so tell me now if it’s bothering you.”
“It’s not.” I narrow my eyes. Doesn’t he want me to be uncomfortable? Isn’t that his whole life’s purpose?
Jayden just goes back to wrapping until my wrists are securely pinned on each side of my hips. Jayden then traces the rope down my front and between my legs.
“What–”
“Tell me if this is too tight.” Jayden secures it on the other end. The rope presses against the seam of my shorts, sending a thrill through my clit. I shift to try to alleviate it. “It’s tight.”
“It’s supposed to rub. That’s the point. But if it’s pinching, that’s a problem.” Jayden runs his fingers between the rope and my body.
It doesn’t pinch. Just puts a constant pressure on my clit.
The door behind me yanks open, and I jump and whirl as best as I can.
“What we doing?” Cole slides in, looking me up and down, hunger flaring in his eyes. “Oh. Damn.”
Despite the dim light from the pilot light, I can see the manic glint in Cole’s eyes. Cole runs his finger along the ropes. “All trussed up so you can’t run from us.”
Before I can react, he grabs my hips and swings me toward him. “I’m borrowing her, Jay. I need her.”
Cole doesn’t look like he normally does. He looks wild and desperate. It sparks fear in me and also makes my clit pulsate. Despite my exhaustion, I start to feel alive again.
Jayden groans, “Don’t get my rope dirty.”
Cole grins up at me, a wild look in his eyes. “No promises.” He leans in, smelling of sweat and him. He grabs the rope above my crotch and gently yanks. Pleasure shoots through my clit immediately.
Cole grins, his white teeth flashing, making me want to press my lips to his and bite him. To stain those lips red for what he dared to do to me.
“Fuck, Jo.” Cole shoves me down, my head hitting Jayden’s lap. He’s on top of me in a second, taking my bottom lip in his teeth and pulling.
I try to reach for him, but my hands are securely trapped to my hips.
I moan as Cole pulls my lip hard enough it hurts.
He chuckles.
“Fuck you,” I moan.
Cole winks at me, sitting back and flashing his knife. “These shorts are gonna get in my way.”
“My rope,” Jayden warns.
“I won’t touch your fucking rope.” Cole shimmies the rope off my pussy and puts his knife there instead.
I freeze, the blade so damn close to my clit. Cole hovers there, watching my reaction.
“You like this,” he states.
“No.” Energy buzzes through me.
Cole presses the blunt edge into my clit. “Yes, you do, I remember.” He snaps his gaze up to mine, and suddenly, he’s angry. “I remember everything, Jo.”
He grips my shorts, and in a flash, he rips his knife through them.
“Cole!” I gasp, struggling to get away. But I’m trapped. My arms are tied, and he’s got my hips between his thighs.
He rips my shorts and panties away from my crotch, exposing my pussy to him.
“I remember your chicken and sage dinners, your favorite cereal, and I remember the tank tops you wore every day.”
Cole buries his head in my pussy, taking a long lick. “I remember your onion powder, your wooden ice cream bowl, and your fucking midol.”
Cole bites my clit, making me jump. “I spent months trying to remake the meals you made for us. Also spent months stalking you online. Learning about you. Your family.”
He looks at me with an angry glare, yanking his dick out and rubbing it on my clit. I’m already wet, and he knows it. He gives me a devilish smirk.
“I don’t think you forgot about us, either.” Cole lines up with my pussy and slams inside.
I cry out as he fills me all the way up. Cole yanks back and slams in again, throwing his head back.
“Yeah,” I grit, pinned under him. “I remember you guys. What you did. What you put me through.”
“Yeah?” Cole reaches down, pinching my nipple hard. “Do you remember all the times you came? Because I fucking do.”
I feel Jayden shift under me and stroking himself.
Cole hisses, “Now, you’re going to be a good girl and get me off. I’m going to use this pretty little body to come—whether you want me to or not. Got that, lemon drop?”
A rush of heat runs through me.
“Yeah, I think you got that.” Cole gives me a sinister smile. “And I’m going to do it over and over until you learn you can’t run from us. Ever. I’ll fuck you senseless until you get that through your pretty, stubborn little head.” Cole’s eyes flash in anger, and he leans in. “You don’t get to say no. You don’t get to call the shots. We do. We’ll take care of you. We’ll fight your battles. We’ll feed you, clothe you, bathe you, fucking hell, breathe for you. Stop fighting us.”
I stare into Cole’s eyes. He looks mean. Angry. Oppressive. It makes me want to fight him. To push back against the pleasure he’s giving me. I give him a sweet smile. “I’ll never stop fighting you.”
Cole yanks almost all the way out and slams into me hard. “Fuck, Jo. I’ll reverse this vasectomy and pump you so full of my cum that I’ll put another baby in this belly. Then you can never leave me.”
I suck in a gasp, pain filling my chest. Our baby.
Everyone in the car stills.
Cole leans over me, his voice cracked, eyes still wild. “I wanted that baby, Jo. I didn’t care if it was Jayden’s or mine; it was ours, and I wanted it. I’ve spent the last six months missing someone I never knew.”
It feels like my chest cracks open. I spent the past six months trying to forget. I wasn’t ready. But damn, if I didn’t try to hide from myself every time I thought about it.
Cole clears his throat and presses into me again. He reaches his hand down to play with my clit. “Now you’re going to come like the dirty slut that you are, and I’m going to fill you so full that my DNA drips out of you every time you move,” Cole growls in a possessive tone, and the words send a thrill through me. “I might not be able to get you pregnant now, but I will. Soon. And then you can never leave.”
Despite everything, my body loves what he does to me. The way he plays with me numbs every other thought. He builds me higher and higher until I come all over his fingers and dick.
Cole groans, pumping into me steadily. “You’re not done yet.”
He continues to play with me as I come down, building me back up immediately.
“Cole,” I moan, the stimulation heavy and overwhelming.
“Too bad, Jo.” He continues playing. “If I have to suffer, you do too. We’re in this together.”
I jerk away from the restraints, but my hands are securely pinned to my hips. Sensation and pleasure mount until I’m on the edge of coming again.
Cole forces me to come over and over until it begins to hurt. He’s angry, and it hurts something deep in my soul.
“Cole, please,” I moan.
“Are you begging, Jo?” Cole leans over me, dropping his forehead to mine and tilting his head. I immediately stiffen.
“What are you begging for?”
I clench my jaw.
“Tell me,” Cole whispers.
“I’ll never beg.”
But for the first time, part of me wants to. I want to say that I didn’t mean to hurt him. That I’m just exhausted. That I’m tired of fighting to not get hurt.
Cole watches my face. Something like pain flashes across his eyes. “Still hiding from me, I see.”
Cole yanks out of me, still hard, and tucks himself back into his pants.
“Don’t hide, Jo. Cause I’m going to force every little secret out of that pretty little head, no matter how much I have to hurt you to get them.”
Cole slides back on the seat and then opens the door. “Take the collar off, Jay. She can’t sleep with it on.”
Then Cole steps out of the car and slams the door.
21
JAYDEN
One Year Ago
“What the fuck?” Cole sucks in a breath, seeing Pat trussed up and tied to a chair in the garage. I told Cole I wanted to use his cabin for a few days, but not for this. I park and glance over at Cole. I’ve been torturing Pat for the past few days, but it hasn’t been enough. It’ll never be enough.
“Jayden?” For a second, anguish flashes in Cole’s eyes as he looks at Pat, sitting bound and gagged, naked in the cold.
Pain runs through me again. I could have prevented this anguish. If only I had done more as a kid. If only I didn’t lock up like a stone as soon as I saw Pat’s eyes drift over Cole. I did what I thought was enough, but it wasn’t. I thought this could make up for it. But clearly, it’s just hurting him again.
“Sorry, you can go. I’ll kill him today, and it’ll be over.”
“Jayden.” Cole’s eyes are locked on Pat. “I think you’ve lost it.”
I wince.
A smile curves across Cole’s face.
“We can go.”
“No.” Cole slips out of the car and slams the door. I follow. Within the last year, I’ve killed someone on the job, quit that job, and dumped my long-time girlfriend. I’m sure some would say that I’ve lost it. But I think I’ve just started living.
Cole strides into the garage, as usual, unafraid to commit. Cole circles Pat, eyeing him up and down. I’ve tried to keep the injuries insignificant. He has no more fingernails or toenails. I ate a few in front of him before he passed out.
“Hey there, stepdaddy,” Cole laughs. “Looking cold. Jayden been treating you well?”
Pat moans. Cole stalks around him, grinning. He looks angry and alive.
For a second, I feel lighter. Cole is happy. I gave him this. The happiness doesn’t last long, though.
Cole spends a few hours with Pat. He cuts his eyelids, foreskin, lips, and asshole off, using that pearl-handled knife he’s so fond of. Cole stops every time Pat passes out and only starts again when he’s back. He doesn’t hesitate at all. In fact, he’s a bit manic about it.
The more angry Cole gets, the more crippling guilt I feel. My best friend is here, and he shouldn’t be. And it’s all because of me.
I’ll never be able to make this up to him, even if I spend my whole life trying.
22
JAYDEN
Present Day
My gaze locks on Cole’s thigh as he leaves the car. There’s a dark patch, and it looks like…blood. Warning bells immediately ring in my head. He’s hurt. Why didn’t he say anything?
I quickly finish my ties on Jo, making sure nothing is too tight. The rope between her legs now sits on her bare pussy, thanks to Cole’s work. I secure Jo to the car so she can’t run anymore and take off after Cole.
I find him pacing in the darkness, about ten feet from the car.
“Leave me alone, Jayden.” Cole waves me off.
I move to see his leg. “You’re hurt.” There isn’t a lot of blood, but it’s enough. Did he get shot and not tell me when the cop fired rounds?
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.” I grip Cole’s shoulder and whirl him around to face me. His eyes are wild.
“Jay! I swear if you don’t fuck all the way off!” Cole jerks out of my grip and turns as if he’s trying to hide something from me.
“What in the fuck is going on, Cole?”
Cole runs both hands through his hair, making it stand straight up. He laughs maniacally. Real fear floods me.
Something is wrong.
Cole looks around like he’s looking for routes to run from me.
I dart forward, slamming Cole back into a tree.
“What the fuck?”
I ignore him. He got hurt, and he didn’t tell me. I grip his pants and rip them down to see the injury. Cole throws me off in a second, but it’s all I need.
There are two deep, clean cuts on the top of his thigh.
My world slows down. That’s not a gunshot wound. It looks like slices.
Oh fuck. Is Cole cutting himself? Again?
“Don’t give me that look, Jay.”
I snap my gaze up to his. “What are you doing, Cole?”
He yanks his pants up, and his eyes narrow on mine. “Don’t judge me. We all deal with things differently.”
“Things?” Failure and anger course through me. I’ve tried so hard to protect him. Spent my senior year fighting anyone who looked at him wrong and almost got expelled for it. Now, I brought this woman into his life who has wrecked him more than I’ve ever seen anyone wreck him.
“None of your business, Jayden,” he snaps. “I’m not a kid anymore; you don’t have to look after me like one.”
Rage clouds my vision. I won’t let him self-destruct like this. “Give me the damn knife.”
“Fuck you.” Cole laughs. It’s unhinged. This isn’t Cole. I’ve never seen him this unraveled. Except when we were kids. Except for with Pat.
A sharp pain travels through my chest. I have to deal with this.
I take a step toward Cole. “If you don’t give the knife to me, I’ll take it from you.”
Cole takes a step back, laughing bitterly. “Like I said, fuck you, Jayden.”
I eye him. He doesn’t know what’s good for him. He needs sleep. How long has he been awake? At least a day and a half, minus a small nap.
Cole moves with me every time I move, watching me closely, muscles tense.
He can’t make good decisions, so I’ll make them for him. “Don’t make me fight you, Cole. You’re not in your right mind.”
Cole spits onto the ground. “Just because I cut doesn’t make me crazy, Jayden. Stop being a fucking cunt.”
If he won’t take care of himself, I’ll do it for him. I walk calmly toward him. I act confident, but I’m not. I spent high school fighting, but Cole spent it wrestling. I know the only way I can win this is if I fight dirty. And I don’t want to hurt him.
“I’ll give it back once you’ve had some sleep.” I won’t.
Cole shakes his head.
There’s a slight noise from the car, and Cole turns slightly to glance at it.
I strike. I throw a quick, light blow to his head. Cole doesn’t duck in time, and it glances off the side of his face. I sweep his legs out from under him, and I’m on top of him in a flash.
“Jesus,” Cole immediately closes the distance between us, gripping one of my arms to flip us. I swoop my arm out of his hold, but he has my opposite leg wrapped just as quickly. Cole bucks both of us up, and before I realize it, my other arm is trapped under his, and he’s flipping us so I’m underneath him. Cole presses all his weight into me, pinning me to the hard ground. I try to free my hand to reach into his pocket to get the knife.
“By all means, keep fighting me, Jayden.” Cole sounds bored. “It hurts. I like it.”
I stop.
Cole shakes his head in disgust. “You’re fucked up, you know that? Stop trying to help me and focus on yourself.”
I grit my teeth. I don’t matter.
“See? That right there.” Cole pushes off me, dusting off his hands and standing. “You can’t make up for the past, Jayden.”
I push up, glaring at him.
Cole gives me a frustrated look. “Pat got me too, Jay. I had a shitty mom. That’s my burden to bear. I’m sorry, but stop trying to fix me.” He turns around and stalks back to the car.
Fuck. The words hit me in the chest. We’ve only openly talked about it once. The day he told me about it at the beginning of my senior year. It rips open an old scab between us.
I watch Cole yank the car door open and climb in.
Feelings. Too many feelings swirl in my head.
I don’t need to fix myself. I just need to stop feeling. That will fix everything. The more I feel, the more the people I care about get hurt. And I can’t have that.
I can’t feel. I can’t be soft.
23
JO
I’m not sure how long we sleep. I wake up multiple times with Cole curled around me in some position or another. If I could have tossed and turned, I would have, but the ropes, his heavy weight, and the small seats made that impossible. Despite that, the ropes weren’t uncomfortable, and Cole made sure to take the collar off before I slept, which I appreciated more than I’d tell him.
