The Red Flag

Part LII - "Caught"

I jerked out of a deep sleep, grabbing at the bed sheets to steady my shaking hands. I felt my pulse thumping erratically in my chest. It felt like I had just come up from holding my breath underwater for an obscene amount of time.    

The room was pitch black and freezing against my bare skin. In a way it felt good considering I was covered in a thin layer of sweat from the intensity of what I just experienced. I looked down to find that my clothes were still missing. Suddenly I realized there was a strong arm wrapped around me.

My eyes strained in the dark to see Elijah fast asleep next to me. His beautiful features relaxed against the pillow. He looked nothing less of an angel. An exquisite angel with a wicked side that sent my body soaring. His breathing was even and calm, unlike my own that struggled to do so.

What the hell just happened?  

There's no way that was just a dream. It had been too real to be a dream. Not when I felt the beat of the music and touch of the man's hands on my waist. The emotions I experienced were too strong for this to have been fake.

My stomach was still twisted in knots. The mere thought of this being more than a dream left my skin crawling. If it wasn't a dream . . . then that meant it was a memory. A lost memory that did not belong to me, necessarily, but someone much more vicious. Someone who is willing to hurt others in order to get what she needs.

I didn't know what to be more freaked out about. The fact that I possibly had my hand to a stranger's throat, bringing them to their knees- or that I knew Elijah long before my first interview. If this was real, if we really did know each other, then why did he pretend to not  know who I was in the beginning?

Elijah began to stir, making his brows pull together. His arm tensed up around me when he saw that I was no longer asleep. Soon he was looking up at me with those piercing blue eyes through the darkness like a pair of headlights on a car.

"Amelia, what's wrong?" A small smile touched my lips. Seeing his hair all tousled and wild had me grinning like a child. 

I shook my head. "Nothing," I whispered. "Just a bad dream." I gently tucked a loose strand behind his ear. As much as I wanted to tell him about what I saw, this was not the time.

For a discussion such as this, I needed to see his face. I needed to be able to read his expression to confirm that what I saw was not real. Had I really first met him at a nightclub somewhere many years ago? Was he just one of the many other unfortunate guys I managed to lure into bed, unknowingly?

Part of me had wished I continued the dream. Perhaps I would have discovered more about my real first encounter with Elijah.

"Come here," he beckoned. With a slight pull of his arm around me, I sank back into bed. With my back pressed against his bare chest, I sighed to myself. I felt his warm breath against my neck and let my eyes peacefully close.

"Maybe I'm blowing things out of proportion," I thought. "Maybe it really was just a dream."

Or, maybe you're just afraid to face the truth. Whether you choose to listen to me or not, there is still a piece of you that doesn't fully trust Elijah. But, hey, what do I know? I'm just the irresponsible bitch that cares about nothing but herself. Sweet dreams.

My eyes shot open. . . And I didn't close them for the rest of the night.

. . .

Elijah pulled his car up the curb next to my house, putting it in park.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to convince you to just come to work as you are?" Elijah asked. He turned to look at me with a plea in his eyes. God, it was growing harder to say no to this man. But, no. I needed a shower and a fresh change of clothes.

After I gathered my things from his place, I insisted that it would be best for me to go home before heading to the office. Even though he made it perfectly clear that he didn't particularly mind seeing me in the same dress from yesterday, there was no way in hell that was happening. It was bad enough I had to go back inside and basically do the walk of shame up to my bedroom. With any luck, most of the house would still be asleep.

I took my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down softly. A smile managed to peak its way through. The past twelve hours had been unimaginable, I didn't want to come back to reality.   

"Afraid that I won't come in?" I joked. The look in his eyes darkened. "Don't worry, I'll be there in an hour."

His devilish grin sent shivers up my spine. "Good. Otherwise I will barge into your house, throw you over my shoulder, and carry you back." 

My brow arched. "I don't doubt that for a second," I laughed. "I just need to shower off the past twenty-four hours and focus on today." The quicker I was able to forget those dark memories of my failed attempt to get through my graduation the better.

His hand reached out to cup my cheek. "Hopefully not everything will be washed away." For a moment Elijah appeared almost worried. Did he really think I would forget about the night we shared together? As if I could.

This man had practically branded the feeling of his hands onto my hips whenever I shifted in my seat. The way his mouth brushed against my ear, speaking hot, dirty promises, when we both claimed our release will never leave my thoughts.

I turned in to kiss his palm. "Impossible," I clarified.

Elijah leaned in to kiss me one last time before I got out. Inside the house, all was quiet. It appeared that everyone was still asleep, thankfully. Not for nothing, but the last thing I needed was Regina jumping down my throat- demanding to know what happened to me last night.

Not a single light was on; so, this made me believe I was totally in the clear. . . Boy, was I wrong. There sitting at the end of the dining room table, in the dark, was Christopher. His arms were crossed against his chest along with a stern expression on his face. He did not look happy to see me.

"Oh my god!" I gasped. I waited for my heart to stop pounding against my chest before speaking. "You scared me."

"Funny, I could say the same," he muttered.

Crap.