The next gust of wind had my short strands sticking to my glossy lips. A mischievous twinkle sparked in Cade’s blue eyes as he tucked them back behind my ear. I shivered, remembering the way Cade loved to play with my hair when we cuddled or made love.
“Mhm.” He made a deep, satisfied noise in the back of his throat. “That’s a good girl. We’re going to get you that crown,aren’t we?”
The feeling that throbbed through my flesh could only be described as unwanted desire. I wished—God, Ifuckingwished—this man didn’t affect me the way he did. His voice. His words. His demeanor. His everything. I despised the way I trembled under his heady praise.
I had to strengthen my defences—had to adopt that stoicism that allowed me to escape in my head and far away from Cade.
I hated him for having so much power over my being.
My mind, my body, my soul.
It was still under Cade Killian Remington’s control.
Rolling my shoulders back, I thrust the shovel at him and snatched the dare from his hand. “Let’s get going. It’s a long walk through the woods and digging a grave will no doubt take a lot of time.”
I whirled around to leave, but Cade’s hand on my shoulder halted me. His fingers feathered over my collarbone, the base of my throat—as though tracing hismissing necklace—and up my neck until he cradled my cheek in his warm, calloused hand.
I once heard that eyes were the windows to the soul. And Cade had a way of staring at me with possessive warmth that made me feel so revered.
Like right now.
“Your eyes,” he whispered as if seeing me for the first time under the glow of the moonlight. “You’re wearing contacts.”
He always told me my eyes were unique and didn’t deserve to be covered up with contacts.
After our breakup, I’d made many changes, including reverting back to my old ways. I didn’t want people to see my bare gaze when I started university. Having sectoral heterochromia made me feel vulnerable, a woe briefly tamed during my time with Cade, and now I felt insecure about it again.
With his remark, Cade threw our past in my face again,reminding me of how deeply we used to be embedded in each other’s lives.
I couldn’t forgive him for causing all these emotive feelings to whir in my chest.
“Yeah, I am. Do you have a problem with that?” I challenged. “Are you going to tell me next that you have a problem with the length of my hair? Perhaps you’ve gotten tired of the colour?”
“Don’t,” he warned, eyes flashing menacingly. “Don’t do this, Ella.”
A cold smile stamped over my lips and I batted my lashes. “Do you think I should dye my hair blond? Maybe I’ll look more like the girl I caught you cheating on me with. That’s your type, eh?Blondes—”
“Shut up, Ella,” he growled, dropping his hand from my cheek like it caught fire. Going as far as retreating back a step. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“No?” I chuckled humourlessly. “Because I could have sworn I caught you in bed with a blond girl, while you were in a committed relationship with me, you asshole.”
I harboured resentment towards Cade for what he did, but I had no ill wishes for the other girl. After all, she didn’t have any loyalty to me. But this motherfucker was supposed to.
Cade ran his fingers through his dark brown hair frustratedly. A muscle jumped in his jaw. He looked like he wanted to desperately say something.
Or throttle me.
Maybe a combination of both.
Cade’s silence only fueled my wrath.
I wanted to hurt him the way he’d hurt me.
Taking another step his way so we were chest-to-chest, eye-to-eye, and heart-to-heart, I trailed my finger down his front, pulling the string of his hoodie in a provocative manner. “You know what I’ve learned about myself since breaking up withyou?” I brought my lips to his ear, letting my breath fondle his skin in anticipation. “I’ve got a new type…And it’s not you.”
He flinched, my words ripping into him.
“I like brunets withbrowneyes.” I fingered the chain around his neck housing the promise ring I gave him. “Like the guy I fucked over the summer…and Josh.”
