Opaque Melodies (Coveting Delirium Book 1) Read online

  “Tell me again,” he commanded, shoving my terry cloth shorts to the side.

  “I-I want you,” I whispered.

  He dropped a hand down to undo his slacks, shoving them low on his hips to free his erection. My body was on fire, the internal struggle beyond lost. I could hear the ocean roaring in the background, felt his hardened tip at my entrance, throbbing as he ran it up and down my slit.

  He covered my mouth with his, sinking teeth into my lower lip at the same time he shoved himself fully inside me. I cried out in pain; tears stung my eyes.

  I hadn’t been ready for him.

  He raised himself up, placing his hand around my throat, and without a hint of gentleness or mercy, he began to thrust in and out of me at a punishing pace, plunging every solid inch of his cock as deeply as he could.

  The size of him—length and girth—felt as if it would split me right down the middle.

  “Fuck, you feel amazing.” He tightened his grip and increased the brutality of his thrust.

  His eyes pierced mine with an ominous glint darkening them. Unable to move I remained beneath him, being fucked deeper and deeper into the sofa. It was brutal and painful. It was exactly what I needed.

  As I struggled to suck in a much-needed breath, a buzzing sensation erupted in my head. Black infringed on my vision. I closed my eyes, feeling myself drift away beneath a cloud-like sensation as my pussy clenched around his cock.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  I woke to the world spinning, mind surging with perplexity. I searched the darkness until the fog surrounding my brain lifted, revealing I was back in the guest room.

  Fragments of memory seeped to the forefront of my mind, jumbled images that I felt as if I’d experienced second-hand. I shifted, wincing from a stinging sensation between my legs.

  Stretching my arm in the direction of the nightstand, I rooted until I found the lamp switch, flipping it down.

  A soft glow filled the room, made even softer by the heavy drapes being drawn. Once again, I had no recollection of putting myself to bed. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep. The sound of the piano carried into the room, spurring me into action.

  I snatched my cell up and slid out of bed, ignoring the throbbing coming from my core. I left the room and made my way downstairs with a slow and steady gait. I couldn’t get any one thought in order, wasn’t sure how to confront Alaric about what I’d seen or what we’d done.

  Was it safe to even do so? I felt no fear where he was concerned. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt me.

  I found him in the great room, at the piano once again. I watched him play for a minute or two before moving into the room. I kept my back to the wall, only going as far as just inside the archway. My grip tightening around my cell so tightly the plastic casing made a cracking sound.

  Having sensed he was no longer alone, Alaric’s fingers ceased moving over the keyboard. He turned to look at me and it felt as if time itself slowed. The genial smile on his face had my scalp prickling. How could he sit there and act as if everything was fine?

  My face must have reflected some of the discord I was feeling. His smiled faded to a frown and he stood up.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “A-are you serious?” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

  “You have a freezer in your basement that rivals Jeffery Dahmer’s.”

  “The serial killer?” his brows rose, a wide grin spread across his face. “And when were you in my basement?”

  “That’s all you have to say?” I spluttered.

  “Wait, you’re being serious?” his amusement was wiped away by a look of concern.

  I was baffled. Alaric was either an excellent actor or…no. I knew what I saw, what we did on the sofa just a few feet away. But he hadn’t mentioned that yet either.

  “Catalina, I don’t have any freezers in my basement.”

  “I. Saw. It.” I ground it.

  He ran a hand over his chin, thumbing his lower lip as he contemplated me. “Alright, then show me.”

  “What?”

  “Show me where you saw this freezer.”

  I shook my head rapidly back and forth. “I’m not going down there with you.”

  “Why, worried I might add you to the collection?” he smirked.

  “God! You’re not funny! How can you even joke about this?” I shrilled.

  “You’re right, I’m sorry. That was distasteful.” He held his palms up as if to appear non-threatening. “Have you called the police then?”

  From his tone I assumed he already knew the answer to his question. I suddenly felt as if I were being tested. I shook my head again, slowly.

  “Forgive me, but I’m mildly fucking confused.” He rolled his bottom lip and squinted at me.

  “Let me make sure I’m understanding this correctly. You found a freezer full of body parts in my basement and instead of calling the police you…” he tilted his head. “What exactly are you doing?”

  That was a good question. I didn’t know what I’d hoped to accomplish by confronting him. I could have easily phoned the cops the moment I woke up.

  Quite honestly the whole thing felt almost like a dream. If it weren’t for the pain between my legs and the rawness of my throat, I would’ve thought it was.

  But that wasn’t the reason I hadn’t called. The truth of the matter was, I wasn’t afraid or upset about what I’d found. My fear and apprehension stemmed from the mere fact that I could be next. I was horrified Meg had been.

  He’d never mentioned where she was buried. I hadn’t seen an urn.

  “I-I don’t know,” I finally admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

  “Yeah, I figured as much.” He moved across the room in confident strides, coming right towards me.

  “What are you doing?” I stood taller, moving further down the wall.

  “Making you show me this freezer you’re so certain I have.” He walked up and took hold of my wrist, practically dragging me from the great room.

  “I don’t want to go down there!” I protested.

  “What is the alternative, Cat? Stay in a perpetual state of terror and huddled against my wall all damned night?”

  We rounded the island and approached the basement door.

  Keeping one hand on my wrist, he brought his other up and placed his thumb on the keypad.

  There was a beep and the device on the wall flashed green.

  “What’s going on?” Demetri’s cultured voice came from somewhere behind us.

  “Catalina thinks I’m harboring body parts in my basement.”

  There was a disbelieving scoff in response. Alaric pushed open the door and descended the stairs, being careful not to make me fall. At the bottom, he released his hold on my wrist.

  The room opened, looking exactly the way it had before. Only the desk was more of a rustic brown than mahogany and the chairs positioned in front of it weren’t the same. I glanced in the direction the OR had been. My stomach hardened, words failing me.

  There were no additional parts of the room.

  The entire wall was a massive bookcase going from floor to ceiling, full of different volumes.

  “So, where’s this freezer of horror?” Alaric questioned. The dry sarcasm was impossible to miss.

  I shook my head and walked towards the bookshelf, searching for some kind of switch or something.

  Catching on to what I was doing, Alaric chuckled under his breath. “This isn’t an episode of Scooby-Doo, you’re not going to find a mysterious secret passage.”

  “No, no it was here. You know it was here!” I argued.

  “Cat, it’s okay,” he spoke softly. From my peripheral I saw him nearing as if I were a wild animal he didn’t want to provoke.

  I whirled away and turned to face him head on. “Then we didn’t…You…?”

  “We didn’t…?” he left me to fill in the blank.

  I scrubbed a hand over my face trying to gain some clarity, catching the linge
ring scent of my sex all over my fingers. What the fuck? Had I done this to myself? Feeling Alaric’s penetrating stare, I brought my arms down, diverting my gaze to the floor.

  “I-I need some air.”

  I rushed past him and up the basement stairs, ignoring his call for me to stop. I exited the kitchen and cut through the great room to get out back, bypassing the bar and pool for the stretch of beach.

  I pulled my mom’s number up as I walked, not considering the hour and time difference.

  She didn’t answer.

  I hung up just as I reached the sand. Maybe that was for the best.

  How could I have explained what I’d done? I wrapped my arms around my middle, staring out at the endless stretch of sea. The water was as dark as my mood.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  I watched her from doorway, wondering if I should send Demetri to bring her back in.

  She didn’t appear to be trying to drown herself in the ocean. That was always a good thing. I’d been there done that before and would rather not have to put up with it again. Besides, she couldn’t die until I decided to be done with her, which was becoming more and more apparent I never would be.

  There was something inside her that called to something in me. It was beautifully sinister and craved the pain I needed to give. She’d let me see the smallest glimpse just before she passed out with my hands around her throat.

  “Should I go down?” Demetri asked, entering the room with two cups of coffee, handing one off to me.

  “No. She’s disoriented and confused. I’d imagine humiliated, but she isn’t close to suicidal.”

  “Should she be allowed to have her phone?”

  “Taking that from her would do more harm than good. She isn’t going to tell anyone anything. And we don’t have to worry about her calling the police. She won’t.”

  I took a sip of coffee, letting its warmth flow down my throat.

  “If you’re sure…”

  “Demetri, have I ever been wrong?”

  “No,” he was quick to answer, adding after a minute, “Does this mean I should I call the officiant now?”

  I grinned. “Not yet.”

  The buzzing of my phone cut into our conversation. I reached in my pocket and retrieved it.

  “The she-devil herself,” I announced, swiping my thumb across the screen. “Mindy.”

  “Alaric,” she intoned warmly. “Should I be concerned my daughter is calling me at this hour?”

  “As per what we discussed, you shouldn’t be concerned about her at all whereas I’m involved.”

  “She’s still my daughter. You know I did all of this for her.”

  “That’s touching, and irrelevant because she’s mine now.”

  She cleared her throat. “We also agreed you’d help her. How is--.”

  “I am helping her,” I interjected coldly. “You worry about Jonathan and I’ll worry about Catalina.”

  “I know what I need to do,” she toted.

  “Do you? Because how are you possibly talking to me if his dick is supposed to be in your mouth?”

  My phone buzzed against my ear. The haughty bitch had hung up on me. It would do her good to be more grateful. I had to do all the hard work. She simply needed to swallow some come and spread her legs. She’d been fucking her ex-best friends’ husband for years now, its not like this was hard on her.

  I suppose I could thank her for being a whore and not just a nanny. If she’d refused to fuck her employer, I wouldn’t have Catalina.

  If they hadn’t failed as parents, she wouldn’t be so wonderfully fucked up.

  Unlike Meg and all the others who I’d purposely made that way. Demetri having heard the whole conversation shook his head from beside me. “Are you certain this is all worth it?”

  “I get full control of DG, a beautiful new wife, and a chance to play like I never have before. For keeps this time.”

  He bobbed his head. “You’re right, how could it not be?”

  “I’m always right,” I reiterated, staring out past my patio.

  Catalina had taken to sitting in the sand, her head on her knees. I could watch this woman for hours. I’d been doing it for nearly a year. I wonder if it’d scare her to know she was my muse. She was the inspiration for all my art.

  For all the melodies I played to soothe my darker urges after they’d been indulged.

  I coveted her madness. I wished to be the master of her suffering so I could break her apart and make her acknowledge how fucking perfect she was. I needed her dependency to ensure she’d never want to leave me.

  Deciding it’d been long enough; I sat my coffee cup down and made my way to where she was.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  There’s nothing quite like being at war with yourself. I thought I was fine. I’d been good for so long a few days shouldn’t have set me back, not to this degree.

  “Are you going to stay out here all night?”

  I hunkered down further into my little ball wishing a sinkhole would appear. I’d happily roll myself right into it.

  “I can still see you.”

  I scowled at my sandy covered toes. How could he sound so amused?

  “Ignoring me isn’t going to get me to go away. I can talk all night without you needing to say a word in response.” He moved to mirror my position, taking the spot next to me in the sand. I felt so much smaller next to him.

  “I can leave by sunrise if there’s any early flights to Atlanta.”

  “If you can’t get rid of me, I’m not getting rid of you.”

  “Why are you so persistent? I just accused you of being a serial killer and now I’m seeing things that don’t exist. I’m legitimately fucked in the head. You shouldn’t want to be anywhere near me.”

  “Those all sound like pretty damn good reasons to keep you around, in my opinion.”

  “You won’t have that same opinion if I get worse, which I can. This has happened before. The freezer full of body parts is nothing compared to....”

  “Compared to?” he urged. “Know what? It doesn’t matter that’s just even more reason for you to stay here with me. I can help you. I want to help you.”

  “How?” I dared risk a glance at him. He was staring out at the ocean, the moonlight making him look like some kind of dark angel.

  He shrugged lazily. “You’ll have to stay to find out.”

  I expelled a long breath. “You’re insane, you know that?”

  “What would happen if madness and insanity became one?”

  “Us.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Alaric,” I groaned. “I didn’t come here for this.”

  “You’re beginning to sound like a broken record. We’ve established you didn’t come here to fall in love me. Too late. You already are.”

  I gave him an exasperated look. “I am not falling in L with you. I don’t even believe in that word.”

  He laughed. “You mean you’re afraid of the meaning. You can’t even say it.”

  “Is this the part I remind you we don’t know one another?”

  “I know you much better than you know yourself. Know how you want to be fucked and how to get you off. I know you’ve got a peculiar madness I want to see up close.”

  Thoughts whirling, I grabbed onto one part of his confession. “My madness is ugly.”

  “Its beautiful, like the woman repressing it. Besides, I’ve got some of my own.”

  “I’m really starting to believe you when you say that,” I muttered.

  “Good. So, you’re staying.”

  I sighed and thought of home, my cozy little house and the steady sound of traffic. I’d be going back to Hamtaro and Chloe, but also my overzealous mother. The solitude there was different than it was here.

  There wasn’t a private stretch of beach or a beautiful piano. There was no Alaric. The beautifully twisted man beside me would be left behind along with my growing curiosity. The sick fixation would haunt me.

  “Okay,” I relented
. “I’ll stay.”

  “I know.” He stood immediately, scooping up one of my hands as he did. “Let’s go, we’re going back inside.”

  I settled in the corner of the sofa with a throw wrapped around me, far away from the lounge I could still see us fucking on. Alaric claimed a spot a few inches away, looking more relaxed than I’d seen him thus far. We’d been talking since we came back inside.

  It was pushing one in the morning but neither of us seemed ready to say goodnight. I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to fall back asleep, not after what had happened.

  “I’m not that invested in Meg’s things, as terrible as that sounds. I feel like I’m sorting through a stranger’s belongings at the Goodwill.”

  I admitted this when there was a lull in conversation.

  “Some wealthy fucking stranger,” he replied sardonically. “And that’s entirely understandable. You two didn’t know each other. You’re not the first person in the world to go through losing an estranged sibling. It was your parents’ choices that made the two of you that way.”

  “Meg told you?”

  “Your father did, actually.”

  “You said before he pawned her off on you?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck, then brought his hand to rest on my knee.

  “For a larger share of DG.”

  I sat up a little taller. “Wait, you married Meg for shares in a company?”

  “My family’s company. Your father never should have been cut in. It wasn’t my decision.”

  “He’s a greedy, self-entitled prick who has continuously gone behind our backs and stolen our portion of profits and private clientele. Stashing your sister in a spare bedroom while only needing to supply her with a cash-flow was an easy sacrifice to getting it back. Well, before she became jealous and insanely possessive.”

  Again, I couldn’t comment on their relationship, or lack thereof. That felt wrong to do when the other party couldn’t validate anything that was said.

  “Where is she buried?” I asked instead. “Can I visit her grave? I feel like I should at least do that. I failed her in every other way coming out here.”

  He gave me a quizzical look. “How did you fail her?”