Page 40 of Stand: Part One

Gripping the small inflatable inner-tube I’d been given, I kept my upper body out of the water and just let my legs hang below me. Darren floated with me for about two minutes until he abandoned the idea and started swimming laps instead.

Clive and Owen took Camaro for a walk while I was content to just float away in the corner and watch Darren swim, enticed by the rippling muscles of his back and arms as he powered through the water like a shark.

Jealousy vibrated through my useless legs as I watched his body move so swiftly, all four of his limbs working in strong synchronized movements. Envy turned into inspiration, and I found myself slowly kicking my sore and tired legs under the water again. The muscle atrophy had drained me of my energy but not my ambition.

Suppressing another yawn, I lifted my heels to bend my knees and draw circles in the water with my toes. I made sure not to aggravate my hips further, hopeful that the cool water kept any inflammation at bay.

Clutching the inner-tube, I placed my chin on my folded arms and closed my heavy eyelids, resting them for just a moment.

Lost in my focus, I suddenly realized that the water had grown still, and the splashing sounds had quieted. I tilted my head up to look around the pool to see if Darren had gotten out, but I didn’t see him anywhere.

“You’re a bad little girl, Jaden,” Darren’s smooth voice said behind me.

I jolted in the water, my heart rate spiking as I turned to see him leaning against the wall of the pool, his wet hair slicked back and his eyes blazing with heat.

“Stop doing that!” I growled at him, irritated by his ability to sneak around so easily. For a man his size, it shouldn’t be possible.

“Stop doing what?” he asked as he moved closer to me, his predatory gaze making me slowly retreat in the water.

“Sneaking up on me like that. Those little jumps I get are really irritating.”

“Maybe you need to start paying more attention to your surroundings instead of daydreaming.” I huffed at his accusation. “But since we’re on the topic of what’s irritating, I recall you being told you were done for the day.”

I frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”

“You think I didn’t notice you kicking your legs in the water? That didn’t look like floating to me, which is the only thing I agreed to allow you to do. Yet, here you are, disobeying me anyway. Again.” His tone was stern, thick with disapproval, making my stomach clench in anticipation.

But I met his glare head-on. “I’m just being proactive,” I argued. “I didn’t strain myself in any way with those tiny little movements.”

He shook his head. “I know you’re eager to walk again, princess, but you need to follow instructions if you want to get there effectively. That includes resting, whether you want to or not. I was assured you understood that.”

I groaned at him. “Ya know, you were always so eager to push my body beyond its limits before, and now, suddenly you’re completely reversing course.”

“You weren’t injured then,” he countered.

“My bones have healed.”

“But your muscles and tendons are still in recovery.”

“And stressing them is the only way to improve their function.”

“Under medical supervision,” he emphasized.

“I’m fine,” I reiterated. “If I want to push myself, then I should be allowed to do that. Aren’t you tired of seeing me like this?”

Darren shook his head as his eyes darkened. “This isn’t up for debate, Jaden. Keep pushing it and I swear to God you won’t be leaving that bed for another month.”

I didn’t know why I opened my stupid mouth, but I just couldn’t help confirming those nagging suspicions. It was the only way to know what he really wanted of me.

“And you’d just love that, wouldn’t you!” I pressed on. “Keep me dependent on you for every little thing so you can feel needed and important again. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how obnoxiously attentive you’ve been in the last couple of weeks. You’ve been eating this up like some kind of starved glutton.” And then I scoffed at the memory of his out-of-pocket praise. “All that admiration for my “unrivaled endurance” feels like a damn joke now when all you’ve been doing this whole time is prolonging my dependence on you. Admit it, Darren, you hate that I don’t need you.”

Even though my voice didn’t shake, the look he was currently giving me could have rivaled an earthquake with the way it left me secretly trembling inside. If I thought I was dealing with a predator before, I was definitely dealing with one now. And he was pissed.

Darren moved steadily through the water until I was backed into the pool wall, his eyes pinning mine with the promise of a painful reckoning. Sometimes obtaining the truth required a sacrifice, and when it came to Darren, I always had to pay with my body.

I clutched the floating inner-tube to my chest like it stood even a millisecond of a chance in walling me from him. When he stopped in front of me, he slowly stood from the water, the depth coming to just below his shoulders, telling me we were at the five-foot marker.

Without the inner-tube, the water would be over my mouth and nose, and I’d have to figure out how to swim without working legs. And Darren capitalized on that.