Free Curtains by Angelica Chase Page B

off and gasped at the rash on my back . " Oh man this i s … bad . " I nodded, embarrassed, then quickly got under the covers. He pulled me to him and kissed me gently.
    " I ' m sorry , " he whispered. I nodded again, still a bit emotional from him seeing me this way. But he loved me and it showed now more than ever. I felt sick and took two of the Benadryl he offered. He quickly handed me the movies to choose from.
    I sifted through them . " How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days , Steel Magnolias , Cider House Rule s .. . Rhys, these are all chick movies . "
    His smile was devastating . " I know. I told them to hand me the cheesy love ones , " he said, putting our plates on pillows and setting mine in front of me.
    " This is awesome. Thank you so much , " I said, my voice shaky.
    " This is us. Good or bad. Butt ugly or not , " he said as he deadpanned , " I may have to brown bag your head and get you from behind tonight . "
    " NOT FUNNY ! " I said, offended, as he laughed. He cupped my face and pulled my swollen lips to his. I could n ' t help but laugh with him.
    He pulled back as he chuckled . " Told you I can be a prick . "

    I walked through the market picking up various items to cook for Rhys tonight. We had the house to ourselves and I wanted to do something special for him. The last few months had been amazing, and though my skills were rusty, there was no time like the present to remedy that. I smiled when I reached the aisle that carried his favorite bath salt. I reached for it when I heard a voice behind me.
    " Predictable . "
    I did n ' t bother to turn and look at the source of the voice. No good would come of it.
    " What do you want , " I hissed.
    " Nothing , " she said passively . " I just thought I would come over and see how the happy couple is doing . "
    " Ask Rhys , " I said, facing her head on and gasping at the sight of her. The whole left side of her face was purple and swollen. Her lips were busted and I saw a small amount of dried blood in the corner.
    She completely ignored my reaction to her . I had no doubt her condition was a direct result of her sick fetish . " So tell me something , " she said, trailing her pointer on the box of salt I was holding in my hand . " Do you think you satisfy him ? " Her eyes were icy as she tried to regard me calmly, though there was nothing but contempt in the air between us.
    I ignored her question and stepped past her. She gripped my arm painfully, forcing me to confront her.
    " Sandra, I wo n ' t let you do this or anything for that matter. No matter how hard you try, yo u ' ll never come between us. Whatever yo u ' re thinking, give it up. We are too strong and you wo n ' t succeed , " I said confidently.
    " I ' m well aware yo u ' re the woman he wants. What I ca n ' t figure out is why , " she said, studying me.
    " Maybe because I ' m nothing like you , " I said, ripping my arm away.
    " Maybe, and maybe you are just better at playing the game . "
    " And just what the hell is that supposed to mean ? " I asked, taking an intrusive step toward her.
    She smiled at my irritation . " Oh, come on, Violet. We both know you came after me. You found out abou t Alex and m e and went after Rhys. He may not have figured it out, but I have. I took your family away so yo u — "
    " No, Sandra, you gave me my family. It was never a game for me. I ' m not a sick bitch like you. I do n ' t thrive on othe r ' s misery. I did n ' t have to play with his emotions to get him to love me. I did n ' t have to manipulate my way into anyon e ' s life. I won your game without ever picking up the dice. Deal with it. I ' m nothing like you . " I watched her wheels turn at my admission . " By the way, I heard through Ale x ' s parents that he moved to Atlanta with his best friend Chris. Sorry for your loss . "
    I smile d then , as she stood speechless . " I ' ve got to get going now, Sandra. I have to go home to cook dinner for my Dom. You know how it is, supper and reruns before I let him tie me up