“I’ll never forget it.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I whispered, swallowing the last of the sweet flavor. Only bitterness remained. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“I’m not.” The conviction in his voice matched the hardness of his eyes. If there was one thing about Brando Fausti that would bring me to my death, I knew it would be those damn eyes. Deliciously almond shaped, they were dark, and so intense that one look from him and my heart raced, the breath left my lungs, and my stomach plummeted.
Moth meet flame, I thought.
Our eyes locked and held and I refused to budge. A whistle sounded in the distance, the ground shook with its intensity, and finally, a mammoth train came barreling by, causing my grip to tighten on Brando’s hand, though I refused to look away first. He pulled me to him, my face against his chest once more, wrapping both arms around my body.
I wasn’t afraid of trains. Not any more, or any less.
After the beast had plowed through, he let go and took a step back. “Let’s keep walking.”
He kept me close as we walked side by side. My boots crunched with every step I took.
“Those shoes look uncomfortable.” He used his chin to motion to my boots.
Goosebumps rose on my skin at how easily he could read my thoughts. I had been thinking about how comfortable these shoes were compared to others I had worn in my life. “No, they’re fine.” My voice came out soft, almost too low. “I used to dance until my feet blistered and bled. I could walk for hours in these without one complaint.”
The offhanded comment about “used to dance” seemed exactly that to me, a comment about my life before my brother had died, but when I said it Brando squeezed my hand. It didn’t seem to be done on purpose.
“You’re good, Scarlett. At the dancing thing.”
The way he said my name made a blush creep up my cheeks. “I was born to dance. Or so they tell me. Now I’m not sure what I was born to do. My stars have shifted.”
“You gave up,” he said, an almost accusatory tone to his voice.
“No. I lost interest. Like you.”
“I lost interest in the party because I couldn’t leave you that night.”
The admission came abruptly, so sharp in its release that it almost felt like an arrow of truth through my heart. I stopped walking, and our hands stretched, stretched, until we lost the connection. I reached to grab at his hand, to keep him close, to be sure he wouldn’t bolt on me, but he raised his hands in surrender.
“I vow to you, my word is as good as my blood, Scarlett. You have me.”
I tapped my foot against the ground, my heart not feeling so sure anymore. When I could feel him and keep him close, the peace of his nearness soothed me. It was an odd place to be.
“You felt the same that night.” He tilted his head to the side, staring at me with an intensity that made me almost shrink back from his gaze.
“Yes.” I was surprised at the strength in my tone. “I felt the same…after Elliott gave me the gift and then walked out of the dance studio. Panicked. Even that is lacking in description. The only way I can think to describe it is the sensation you get right before you fall down a steep flight of stairs—a complete loss of control. All you can do is try to protect yourself as you go barreling into the unknown. Then Elliottreallyleft, and you were still there, which confused me. The moment I realized you were staying my heart settled.”
“My heart is better.”
“What?” I breathed and took a step closer to him.
He took a step back, keeping his hands up. “That’s what you said to me that night.My heart is better.”
“It was, when I knew you were staying.”
He stopped walking, allowing me to catch up and walk beside him. “I’m not used to asking questions, Scarlett. I’m not used to losing control.” His jaw tightened and a vein in his forehead appeared. “What happens from here?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I just know that when I saw you walk away with that group, I had to stop you. The feelings I felt tonight were similar to that night out in the snow. It’s hard for me to explain… But there’s a difference. When you’re in trouble it’s like nothing I have ever felt before. When we’re this way, as we are, it’s like nothing I have ever felt before either, but different than when you’re in trouble. It’s like seeing two similar colors side by side.”
He gave me a sideways glance. “You feel me all of the time?”
I hesitated. A moment later, I decided to tell the truth. “I’m afraid so. I can tell by—”How do I even say this without sounding mad?“—I mean, it’s the humming in my blood. Even the temperature of it.”
“I’m in your blood.”
