“Use an umbrella next time.” Veronica scoffs as she walks off.
I shift my focus back to Annalise and my stomach twists at the sight of regret etched on her face. The atmosphere in the room feels thick and suffocating. I can sense the barrier between us rising once more.
She gazes down at the floor, shaking her head. “That shouldn’t have happened.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
annalise
My heartand soul were set ablaze when Maddox’s lips touched mine again. It’s been years, and no one has even come close to making me feel the way he does.
I’ve been in a constant state of denial since he came back into my life. I haven’t wanted to believe that he could still have that much power over me. My head, my heart, my body… They all ache for his touch.
Every inch of me craved Maddox in that elevator, even though my mind was shouting at me to run the other direction. But there was this primal want—primal need—that refused to be silenced.
When his hands drifted down, exploring and grabbing like he used to, I was putty. There was no way to deny how badly I needed him and his expert touch. It was clear to me almost immediately that he remembersexactlyhow to fulfill my every desire. Every stroke of his fingers inside me, every flick of his tongue over my clit, had me wondering how I’ve gone so long without experiencing the earth-shattering orgasms that only he is capable of giving me.
Because he cheated. He broke your heart.
And he’ll do it again the second you give him the chance.
Shit…
“That shouldn’t have happened,” I say, shaking my head and holding my fingers to my lips.
“What?” His face morphs into sadness, brows dipping together. “Annalise, you can’t mean that.”
He reaches out for me but I pull away from his touch at the last second. Squaring my shoulders, I swallow the boulder in my throat and look him dead in the eye.
“I shouldn’t have kissed you.” My arms wrap around my middle in a desperate attempt to protect myself from the man who already destroyed my heart once. “And I definitely shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did. I don’t want you getting the wrong impression. There’s no chance for us again, Maddox.”
The lie tastes like venom on my tongue, but I need to say it for the sake of my heart.
“No,” he spits, shaking his head and taking a giant step toward me. “Fuck that.”
“Excuse me?”
“Fuck that, Annalise. I refuse to believe that you truly think what happened in there was a mistake. I know you felt exactly what I did.”
“I didn’t,” I deny. “It was a momentary lapse in judgment.”
“You’re saying that if I were to kiss you again”—he steps closer—“right here in front of everyone, you could honestly tell me that you would feel nothing?”
The look on his face tells me that he isn’t bluffing.
I open my mouth to respond but Veronica pops her head out of the office, glaring at me.
“Ms. Monroe, stop distracting Mr. Kamado and get to work!”
“Yes, Ms. Zhang.”
As soon as I leave here tonight, I’m going to look for anotherjob. I can’t keep working at Dauntless and run the risk of being alone with Maddox again. I don’t trust myself. He came too close to destroying the shield around my heart—the one that’s only there because of him.
It was easier to protect myself when he wasn’t a part of my life, but now… it’s damn near impossible. My feelings for Maddox grow the more I’m around him, and I don’t want it to get to the point where I can no longer contain them.
It was bad enough having my heart crumble at the hands of him once. I don’t think I’d survive if I gave him the chance to do it again.
“What’s on your mind,mi rosa?” Abuelo asks. We’re at the infusion center where he gets chemotherapy.
