Possessed By You (The Consumed Series Book 3) Read online

  Possessed by You

  Alicia Marino

  Possessed by You

  Copyright © 2019 by Alicia Marino.

  All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: June 2019

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-615-4

  ISBN-10: 1-64034-615-5

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To my favorite two women on the planet—my conquering mom and remarkable sister—thank you.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  Epilogue

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Well, Miss Fontaine, you’re finally reborn. You can leave all that past bullshit far behind you.” Kevin grins, slinging a strong arm around my shoulder as we stride down the steep steps of the courthouse. It took more strength than I thought I had to enter the building and even more to request to permanently change my name for good. The love I have for my parents is strong, but the attachment to the man whose blood is on my hands outweighs the need to keep their name. I spent my time hiding and paying for circumstances that were forced upon me.

  No more.

  “So, where do you want to eat? We’ll celebrate,” Kevin persists after my long silence.

  If this was a year ago, he and I would conquer the town, and I wouldn’t feel an ounce of uncertainty. If this was a year ago, I’d still be naïve to harsh realities. Instead, my days are spent either face deep in work or trapped in memories of times I’d very much like to forget.

  It makes it hard to celebrate something like this.

  “I wish I could. I have to get some work in today.”

  “You’re always working,” he complains, glaring under light lashes.

  “This job is kicking my ass,” I gripe as Kevin reaches up to hail a cab. “But—”

  “But you love it. I’m well aware.” He grips the handle of the checkerboard door and slides onto the worn leather beside me. “I just miss you is all.”

  Knowing I’m constantly hot and cold, forcing him to endure my fluctuating temperatures, guilt supersedes my indifference.

  “Look, we’ll go out this week. We’ll party like we’re in our twenties.”

  “We are still in our twenties, Darcy.”

  “That’s my point. We deserve a night to go a little crazy.”

  “Just us?”

  It surprises me to hear that, considering he and Doug are nearly inseparable as of late. In the weeks that I’ve been reacquainting myself with the world, and with my man, I’ve definitely noticed that Kevin hardly sees his apartment anymore, and his talk of the opposite sex has ceased altogether. That can only mean one thing: commitment.

  “Sure, yeah, it can be just us. Are you and Doug okay?”

  “Yeah, we’re fine. I just want some good old fun with my girl.”

  He circles his arm around my shoulder and squeezes. The city is abuzz outside. The infamous New York traffic is nearly at a standstill, the sidewalks crowded with businessmen and women. Vendors are parked on the corners of the blocks, and construction workers dangle along the new high rises that have magically appeared seemingly overnight.

  “I’ve been seeing a lot of Ben in the papers lately,” Kevin interjects into our peace.

  “He’s on a roll, expanded to nearly half the world now. He’s in Taiwan at the moment.”

  “Christ, man. That’s crazy. When do you even see him?”

  “I see him plenty. He’s returning Friday.”

  “And are you guys living together yet?”

  I look down to contain my disappointment. “No, we agreed to wait a little bit for that.”

  Weeks ago, it felt wrong to just jump right back into his world. Moving in seemed to both of us like a leap into something we knew wasn’t smart. I expected we’d devote our time to our relationship and eventually reach the place where we were before, when we couldn’t go even one night apart.

  That place hasn’t been reached yet, to my everlasting worry.

  He raises a sharp brow, pursing his lips. “Why? I think what you two need is close proximity right now. He shouldn’t be on business trips, and you shouldn’t be living at your desk.”

  I can always count on Kevin to never sugarcoat anything.

  “It’s just I was given this job, literally given, and I can’t ask him to back away from his work either. He accomplished so much while I was…away. I can’t ask that of him.”

  “You shouldn’t have to,” he mutters, shaking his head.

  “Look, I know we’ve handled this whole situation terribly, but we’re trying. We’ll be okay.”

  ***

  My cell phone blares, buried deep under piles of paperwork. I rummage hopefully, anticipating a certain name on the screen. Relieved to find my hopes rewarded, I answer with a wide grin. “I miss you.”

  Benjamin’s returning chuckle spreads throughout my body, ridding me of the discomfort that’s followed like a shadow in my day. “I miss you too, baby.”

  “How are you? Where are you?”

  “I’m on the jet.”

  “Wait, why? I thought you were in Taiwan till Friday?”

  “I’m coming back early.”

  Benjamin, business extraordinaire and man on the rise, who lives to work, is cutting his trip short? Whether it’s an overreaction or not, I begin to overthink.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine.”

  “It’s unlike you to cancel a trip.”

  “I want to take you somewhere.”

  I stop swiveling in my chair and plant my feet, facing the wide window showcasing the illuminated buildings. “What?”

  “Pick wherever you want, but we’re leaving as soon as I land.”

  “As much as I’d like to, Benjamin, I can’t leave. I have work tomorrow.”

  “There are many perks of having a boyfriend that’s friends with your boss.”

  “You spoke to Cindy?”

  “Kevin too.”

  It’s telling how fast my grin disappears. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course I am.”

  “Right…well, is he making you do this?”

  “You think I’d let Kevin make my decisions for me? No, he was upset, I will admit, and I let him know that he is not at all part of the relationship between you and me. However, everything he said were things I already knew. You and I could do with a pause, to evaluate…figure some things out.”

  I’m mortified. “Ben, I know you’re busy. I don’t want to take you from your work.”

  “No, you come first. Always. I told you that.”

  He’s said that to me multiple times. I think we’ve lost that motto along the way somewhere. Our blinders have been up, and this conversation is the first time he’s hinted tha
t he wants to take them down. For that reason alone, this trip is suddenly of the utmost importance.

  “When are you going to be here?”

  “I’m about five hours away now, so I’ll land late. Probably around one. Do you think you can stay awake until you’re on the plane?”

  “Yeah, I can.” I pick up my purse from the desk.

  “What’s that noise?”

  “I’m packing up.”

  “You’re still at work?” He chuckles, and I imagine him shaking his head. “Jesus, a few months in and you’re staying late every night. Should I be nervous?”

  I smile, logging out of my computer. “It’s only because you’re not here to keep me entertained.”

  “Well, I look very much forward to entertaining you…I’ll have Dimitri pick you up and take you to the plane. Think of where you want to go. Anywhere you’d like.”

  ***

  “Hi, Dimitri,” I say, approaching the limo, eyes burning from lack of sleep. “Long time no see.”

  “Yes, I’m mainly behind closed doors now.” He takes my luggage from me, which to my shame is heavy enough to weigh down even his beefy arm. With no clue where Benjamin plans to escape to, I had to improvise.

  “Well, it’s good to see you.” I get in when he opens the back door for me, sliding onto the cool leather. It’s a scorcher. Summers in New York can be absolutely brutal.

  “You too, Miss Fontaine.”

  Exhausted, the minute he shuts the door behind me, my eyes become heavy. A soft voice is crooning from the radio in the front, drawing my eyes closed even faster. I re-open them when an arm comes around my back, another beneath the crook of my knees, lifting me off the seat. Delirious, I lean my head against Benjamin’s chest as we make our way through the tarmac toward the jet.

  “You don’t have to carry me. I can walk.”

  “Have you thought of where you’d like to go?” He smiles down at me warmly, his jet black hair shining off the bright lights from the posts. Fifteen hours and he appears refreshed and excited. He steps carefully, ducking when he reaches the door.

  “Anywhere you are is good with me,” I mumble.

  “All right, we’re gassing up the plane now. We have to be in our seats for the takeoff, but you can sleep in the cabin after that.”

  I pout playfully, unable to keep my eyes open as he deposits me into a seat and buckles me in. I like this. His chuckle disappears as he exits the plane, probably to get the bags from Dimitri. I don’t stay awake long enough to find out.

  ***

  “Darce.”

  I squeeze my eyelids together, not ready to wake. His fingers are soft on my cheek.

  “Baby, you can go to the bedroom. We’re in the air.”

  I peek through one lid, finding him staring down at me. “How long have I been sleeping?”

  “A half hour. Hard to believe you were passed out the whole ascent…I thought you’d like to sleep in a bed.”

  “Are you coming with me?”

  “I have a video conference, but I’ll be in after that.”

  Unbuckling with difficulty, I stumble over to the other side of the cabin.

  The room consists of a queen-sized bed, a dresser, and a loveseat. It doesn’t need much else. My luggage is already on the mattress. I reach into it, scavenging for something to wear to sleep. I pick out a pair of shorts and a yellow t-shirt, the first comfortable items I could find. Burrowing myself under the covers, I close my eyes.

  However, fifteen minutes later, I’m still blinking, realizing I’m unable to drift off knowing he’s outside the room. There’s so much I want to ask him about, talk to him about. I sit up, rubbing my face. It dawns on me as I’m yawning that I have no idea where we’re even headed.

  The room brightens when the door slides open. Benjamin is filling the doorway, surprised to find me awake. “What are you doing up?”

  “I wanted to sleep next to you.”

  “Did you?”

  I nod, unfolding the covers on his side. He closes the door behind him quietly, shaking his head.

  “I can’t. I’m not done.”

  “What?” I whine.

  “You heard me,” he hums with a knowing smirk.

  “Well, too bad.” I grab his tie and pull, eliciting a startled gasp from him as his knee drops forward on the bed. He’s laughing when I find his lips. Not one to push me away, he palms the nape of my neck, deepening the kiss with a skilled tongue and determination. Eventually, he begins to ease his way up, something I don’t want to allow.

  “They’re on hold,” he reminds me between my desperate assaults. I shake my head, and his mouth curves into a smile against my own. “Darce—”

  I groan, letting him go. “All right, okay. Go on.”

  He’s chuckling on his way out. I fall back against the pillows with a huff as he shuts the door. Restlessly, I roll onto my side, then my stomach, until I’m on my back, staring at the ceiling.

  Suddenly, the door opens and Benjamin reenters, utterly smug, utterly determined. “I’ll call them later.”

  I sit up onto my elbows. “Yeah?”

  He nods, one knee on the bed, reaches out, and curls his fingers into my hair. “Yeah.”

  ***

  Surrounded by loud jetting vibrations, which make it near impossible to sleep, I slide my leg around Benjamin’s calf while we remain in silence, thousands of feet in the air, headed toward someplace unknown to me. Our skin simmers at our initial touch; our nerves nestled just under in tight, jumbled sections.

  They are ignited by a mere graze or caress, and I find contentment in our intimacy. Although it’s been weeks since we’ve rekindled, and months now since I was released from my sentence, he and I have remained firmly in politeness.

  We have never been so polite.

  Whether we’re meeting for dinner or spending the night at one of our apartments, we don’t allow arguments. We don’t even have to catch ourselves. We talk of everything, everything but what matters.

  We haven’t spoken of the year apart, what occurred between those months—to the both of us. I wasn’t the only person who had to become someone else. Benjamin didn’t waste his time alone. He tackled work, his dominating empire, something he had placed on the backburner during the chaos of the trial.

  As much as I like politeness, I enjoy truth far better.

  “Do you have anything you want to ask me?” I blurt out no louder than a whisper, my cheek burning against his chest. I expect deterring jokes or indifference, or even feigned cluelessness, but Benjamin seems almost armed with an answer, as if he’d had it stored for the right moment.

  “Who visited you? Did you make any friends, anyone you could trust there? Was it what you were expecting? The list could go on.”

  With a pause at the realization that he’s been waiting as impatiently as I have, I’m struck with the perfectly unsettling urge to tell him everything, in hopes that barriers will be broken.

  “Doris was the only person I allowed to visit.”

  “Not Kevin?”

  “Almost everyone there really liked seeing their family. It makes sense, if you don’t think about it too much, to be excited to see your relatives, your friends. That was weird for me. It was hard enough to come out and see Doris, let alone imagine anyone else. In that situation, I liked being alone.”

  “So, that probably answers my other question.”

  My eyes rest in the dark on my nails, manicured and crimson red. It’s easy to remember when they were broken and surrounded by bruised knuckles.

  “I didn’t trust anyone. I couldn’t there.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they knew who I was. They knew about the trial, or about you and me. In there, I was famous and privileged in their eyes.”

  “Didn’t you tell them otherwise?”

  “That’s not how things work in there, Ben.”

  He scoots off the pillows to meet me eye-level, and I settle my temple into the crook of his shoulder and arm. Hi
s hand leaves my hip and drifts along the scar, now a dull pink color beside my ear.

  “Is that why this happened?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  His gaze doesn’t falter, but those green eyes do soften, holding an unhealthy amount of misplaced guilt. My head shakes just enough for him to sigh and cover my hip again.

  “Tell me about you,” I whisper, wishing to relieve some of the heaviness that has showed.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything. Tell me about Dimitri and your family. Tell me about the mergers and crazy contracts.”

  “You’re really interested in hearing about work? Really?”

  “I’ve always enjoyed it, you know that.”

  “I thought you were pretending because you liked me.”

  “Is that so?”

  He chuckles, offering the widest smile. He’s reaching.

  “You know, if you hadn’t been so stubborn and impulsive, I wouldn’t even have to ask you about those mergers. I’d be helping you with them, you know, like when I was your assistant? Before you fired me—”

  “Okay, okay, we don’t talk of that,” he muses, holding me tighter. “Besides, if you were still my assistant, you wouldn’t be the up and coming editor you are now.”

  “True.”

  He smiles at my lack of modesty, appearing to enjoy it. “Man, it seems so easy to fall back into this…but hard too.”

  He doesn’t have to elaborate. “This” means our relationship which, at the time of the trial, was stronger than steel. We’d conquered the holidays and made it out with a glow that even newlyweds would envy. Over the course of a year apart, the love didn’t diminish but became draped in anger and distance. It’s both hard…and easy to drop that protective layer.

  “I hoped it would have been easier…my way. I never set out to hurt you.”

  “I know you didn’t.”

  A piece of information he told me in his anger drifts into my brain and holds, so hard I can’t help but voice it.