Survival ( Book 2: Stronger Series )

22. Spill

Darren pulled me outside toward the woods, and we walked onto a path that led us deeper into the trees. I was super excited to get to explore some more of the estate, but as soon as we came to the edge of the trees, I got worried. But again, I relied on the trust I had that Darren would not lead me to a deliberate electrocution.

As we got deeper into the woods, I could hear the sound of a river nearby, and sure enough, it was just a hundred feet ahead of us. As we came to the bank, I noticed there was a rather large hammock hanging between two trees. Darren led us over to the hammock, and he laid down on it before gesturing for me to climb on top of him.

"Are you sure it'll hold us both?"

Darren sighed and rolled his eyes. "When are you going to learn to stop questioning me?" he asked sternly.

"When you stop bending my trust," I said without even thinking about it. I kept telling myself he wanted honesty.

"Get over here," he ordered, pointing at his chest. "Now."

I sighed in defeat, careful not to roll my eyes, and gently climbed on top of him as he directed me to lay my head down in the middle of his chest. To my surprise, even though he was solid as a rock, he was actually quite comfy. I kept my busted fingernail hidden in my closed fist and curled into my side, away from Darren's prying eyes.

"You need to stop testing me, little girl. It's really starting to piss me off, and I am in no mood to be challenged today."

"I'm sorry," I said softly, nudging my face to his chest. Maybe he would react better to cuteness rather than aggression. I had some experimenting to do.

He released a big sigh and curled his arms around me, his hands rubbing my shoulders.

"How was your workout?" he asked laxly.

"It was good. Thank you, but ..."

"But what?"

I hesitated a bit, suddenly afraid to ask him for something for some reason.

"I'd really like a pair of gloves and wraps for the heavy bag ... if that's okay."

"What do you need those for?" he asked almost too innocently.

"So I can hit the bag without injuring my hands?"

"I'm not so sure I need you focused on trying to hit anything at the moment," he said. I knew he was messing with me, but he almost sounded too serious.

"Come on, Darren, you don't want me going soft, now do you?" I played along with his little game.

"Mmm, but I like you soft." He smirked, his big hands caressing the skin of my arms.

Ugh.

"You know what I mean."

"I'll think about it," he finally replied.

He'd better not think about it for too long. I carried rage that needed an outlet, and I actually preferred something that wouldn't hit me back.

We were silent for a bit, just enjoying the sound of the rushing water and the birds chirping around us. It was really quite peaceful.

"Jaden," Darren finally said. "I want you to tell me about your father."

I groaned and tensed my shoulders.

"Why?" I whined, hiding my face in his chest. "Why do you want to ruin this nice silent peace we're having?"

This topic could potentially bring me to tears, and I was tired of looking weak in front of him.