Prisoned: A Dark Twisted Erotic Standalone Read Online Free

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    “We should go,” I whispered.
    When he faced me, there was so much anger in his eyes. “Stop it, Kyle.”
    “This is wrong.”
    “Go outside if you can’t handle it, and I’ll drive you back when the service is over.”
    I should go outside. I couldn’t handle it.
    My thoughts, my panic, my fear—it all came to a halt when I felt another set of eyes on me. Eyes that caused a whole new set of emotions. My heart was hammering so hard inside my chest, it felt like my lips were vibrating. My face filled with heat. My lungs felt too heavy to take a breath.
    I slowly looked away from Anthony and searched for those unforgettable dangerous eyes. They weren’t always emerald; they lightened and darkened, depending on what he was wearing. I’d seen every shade on him. But it had been years—twelve—since I’d heard his voice and seen him in person.
    He was the reason I survived The Heart. He was my happiness. He was my best friend, my family. He kept the three of us together.
    And then he was nothing.
    He sat in the last seat of the second row from the front, looking at me from over his shoulder. My dark brown eyes connected to his sea-green ones—lighter than emerald, thanks to his blue shirt. My lips tugged into the smallest of smiles…another autopilot moment. I had lost complete control of my body.
    He had the power to do that to me.
    Garin Woods.
    His name echoed in my head. Over and over.
    I’d expected him to be there, but I hadn’t considered what it would feel like when I saw him, that I’d be reacting this strongly, or that he would have changed so much. Before this moment, I could have drawn his face from memory or from the few faint pictures I’d seen online. But what I would have sketched was a boy—one who was underweight, who filled his belly with sugar just to make it feel full, who barely shut his eyes because he was always running, fighting, hustling his way through the dark.
    My image wouldn’t have captured the gorgeous man who was staring at me now. He looked healthy and fit. He had color in his skin and shadowy black scruff on his cheeks and chin. Deep lines etched across his forehead and between his brows. There was even a difference in his eyes. They had a light to them, a glow that told me his life wasn’t full of darkness anymore.
    Seconds ticked away, and still no smile, still no expression, besides the intensity of his stare. Then, he turned back around.
    I was finally able to take a breath again, the heat in my body starting to cool, the tingling in my limbs subsiding.
    “Do you want to wait in line to see him?” Anthony asked.
    See him?
    I blinked, realizing everyone had stood from their chairs and were moving toward the front. When I checked Garin’s seat, it was empty. He wasn’t near the casket, and he wasn’t on either side of the room. But, each time my stare crossed that shiny wood and that puffy white fabric, it felt like someone was clawing into my chest.
    The happiness Garin had caused was completely gone.
    “Kyle?”
    “Yeah,” I said, looking back at Anthony. Guilt was darker than any memory I had. “No, I mean. I don’t want to get in line. I think I need some water.”
    “There are drinks in the next room. I saw them when we came in. I’ll take you.”
    I walked next to Anthony, keeping my eyes down, not wanting to make contact with anyone. When we reached the refreshment table, I poured myself some water. I never brought the cup up to my lips. I just kept my fingers wrapped around the plastic and let the coolness soak into my skin while I concentrated on my breathing. It was becoming more labored than I liked.
    “You should eat something,” Anthony said. “You barely touched your lunch.”
    I looked at the trays of cookies and finger sandwiches. “I’m not hungry.”
    I wasn’t thirsty either. I just needed to get away from that room, from the casket.
    From all of it.
    “I think I should go,” I said.
    “You need to go say something to