Page 59 of Captured Beauty


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My fingers moved quicker.

No onewas taking her away from me.

No one.

My eyes shot open feeling someone enter my room. I glanced over, seeing Azeira trudge close to my bed.

Neither of us spoke as she pulled back the cover and slid under it.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

I’d never slept next to another person before. Normally I fucked and left, leaving no questions when it came to any kind of intimacy.

“You were in your music room for a long time,” she whispered, turning to face me. The whites of her eyes shone brightly.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness and bounced around her face. “I was worried something was wrong.” Her hand lifted and brushed over my cheek.

Something in my chest flared. My pulse pounded in my ears.

“My dad said something to upset you, didn’t he?” She spoke lowly, moving in and pecking my lips.

I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Her scent invaded my nose, causing my heart to thunder wildly inside me.

Flaring my nostrils and pushing out a heavy breath, I shifted so I was on top of her, forcing her onto her back.

“He thinks he can take you from me.” Her body shook as I lowered my head and licked her lips. They parted as she panted softly. “But he can’t, can he?” I nipped her bottom lip with my teeth.

My hand went under the thin shirt she had on and ran up her side, brushing across my name. Electrical currents flooded my veins and sparked my blood. I sank my teeth into her bottom lip and gripped her hip tightly. My thumb went across the tattoo.

Some people were addicted to drugs. Others to alcohol. Me, however, Iwasaddicted to the twisted beauty lying under me.

I set the teacup down on the stone bench and picked the shears back up, walking to the rose bushes so I could get back to maintaining them.

Marvin was out for a few weeks due to needing surgery on his hand and I had nothing else to do, so I took it upon myself to maintain the garden. It was a lovely area that I had fallen in love with. I felt like Alice after she got sucked away to Wonderland. The garden was like its own separate world from the rest of the estate. I didn’t know who Kairus hired to make it, but they did one hell of a job. My mom would love it.

“What are you doing?” I jumped and spun around.

“Shit. You scared me.” I blew out a deep breath to ease my racing heart.

His deep-set eyes narrowed and went around the garden. “What are you doing? That’s not your job.”

I licked my lips and glanced at the rosebush. For the past week I’d been coming out here, watering the garden, removing weeds, replanting. It’d been a pleasant change of pace and wascalming. Between coming out here and being in the library, I found comfort in being here.

“Well since Marvin had to have surgery on his hand.” Pausing, I narrowed my eyes at him while pressing my lips together. His face didn’t waver. “I took on his duty and maintain the garden.” Scraping my bottom lip with my teeth, I shifted my eyes to the pond. The soft sound of the stone waterfall leading into it filled the brief silence. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Again his eyes went around the garden. When they landed back on me, I inhaled a sharp breath. While he still had some hardness in his eyes, they didn’t hold the same coldness they used to. I could’ve imagined it, but sometimes I felt like Kairus was looking at me with adoration.

He tilted his head. “This makes you happy?”

I nodded with a slight grin. “I told you I used to help my mom all the time in her garden when she was healthy enough for it. This makes me feel closer to her.” Not wanting him to see the vulnerability mixed in my voice, I turned and walked back to my teacup and picked it up, eyeing it. It was a beautiful, vintage looking, and one I’d never seen before, light blue with polka dots covered in pink roses.

“And you want this to become a part of your duties here, along with cleaning?”

“Just until Marvin gets back. I don’t want to take his job or anything.” My tongue swiped between my lips.

Lowering the teacup, I turned and walked to the peonies Kairus had planted for me. I kneeled and brushed them with my fingers. “You know typically it takes about two, sometimes three, years for these to grow if you start them from scratch. I think that’s why I love them so much; they take their time to become something so eye-catching. It takes a lot of patience, love, and care to get them to bloom.” Pushing up, I walked to the rose bush. “And then you have roses, the flower of love, mymom always called them. This one’s called the Wildfire hybrid tea rose,” I mentioned, referring to the orange rose. “It’s my favorite, different from the rest but just as beautiful to look at. Kind of like me.”

Looking over my shoulder at Kairus, I gave him a small grin. “I never really fit in with those around me. Growing up I was always the kid that followed the rules, got good grades, knew I had to go to college, and have a family one day. Never really gave my parents trouble. Most kids partied and acted out but not me. I was always told I was so well-mannered and behaved.” I snorted. “I bet those people wouldn’t agree if they knew what goes on between us.”