“Cautious of what?”
“Of me. Of the asylum. Of everything… Ofeveryone.” He moves closer.“You’re too trusting, and you’re far too forgiving.”
“Why are those all bad things?” I mutter, feeling overwhelmed with this day and our conversation.
“They aren’t bad…. Unless there are constant threats around you.”
Threats? Am I unknowingly being sucked into his paranoia?
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“You’ll crumble to pieces. You are too fragile and kind to be this trusting.” Raindrops tumble over his full lips, running down his chin and disappearing across his neck.
But my gaze is transfixed on his mouth. And with a shift in the air, he notices. The acknowledgment is in the subtle tension creeping into his jawline. I flick my gaze up quickly, embarrassed that I lingered there for a moment too long.
But it’s a mistake…because his dark, powerful, brooding eyes have dropped down to my lips, shamelessly studying them without blinking. I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the broad width of his shoulders consuming every breath of air around me. His wet hair is messy from the impact of the storm, and I don’t know what comes over me. I don’t process the impulse as my hand reaches to his hairline, smoothing the strands away from his face.
The light touch shoots a bolt of lightning up my arm, and his eyes close in response. The sound of his ragged breathing blends in with the harsh winds and pounding rain behind him. His brows knit together as if my touch physically pains him. But his eyes stay closed, and his jaw clenches.
I should say something. We’ve been sucked into a moment I don’t know how to climb out of. I lift my hand away from his scalp, slowly, carefully reeling it back to the safety of my own space.
But he closes the distance around me, slamming my back into the stone wall with gentle aggression. He’s a snake that has decided to strike. And those eyes have snapped open, hooded and glazed over as if he’s under a spell.
“Please,” he utters. His voice is gravel and thunder. “Tell me to stop.”
A wicked feeling curls low in my belly.Tell him to stop!I can’t speak. I can’t even wipe the stupid look off my face.
His rigid arms are holding him up against the wall on either side of me. More drops of rain roll down his sun-kissed skin, outlining his bulging muscles.
“No,” I say the word like it’s a plea for life. A plea to survive.
The rumbling in his chest is a cross between a growl and a groan. Tortured and pleased.
“No,” I say again, striking away any doubt he had that I said it the first time. His arms leave the wall, clamping down on my waist with a hungry possession. His entire body closes in now, pressing against my front with a feverish need to touch me. I let out a stuttering gasp.
What am I doing? I have to stop this.
“Skylenna,” he pants, forehead pressing against mine. “I need you to be safe. Ineedyou to be safe.” There’s emotion there. Ancient, clouded feeling that’s layered with lust.
I want him to lower his mouth. My hands slide up his neck, snaking over his jawline to pull his face closer to mine. My fingertips graze the stubble over his skin, and I can’t hold back the satisfying moan that slips from my throat.
That soft sound sparks fireworks behind his hooded gaze. His hands tighten around my waist like he’s a breath away from ripping off my dress. And with that thought, he pushes himself away, turning around to face the storm with clenched fists.
“I’m not fragile at all,” I say breathlessly. “I can handle whatever you can handle.”
He doesn’t look back.“That’s what I’m hoping to find out.” His hands rest on his hips.“How are you getting home?” Like clockwork, my buggy pulls up slowly, tires whooshing through the flooding water.“Go,”he urges.
“I’m not just going to leave you here?!” I step back.
“Yes, you are. I got here on my own. I can get back just as easily.Go.”
I grab his arm.“Come with me.”
His brown eyes widen, and he smiles slowly.“No, Skylenna. But I think you should make one more stop before going back into the arms of the devil.” He smirks at the satanic reference to Aurick.“Go see Jack.”My father. Strange to hear someone else say his name as if they knew him personally.
My stomach flips, and I involuntarily ball up my fists.
“I’ll see you soon,” he says, disappearing into the shadows of this old decaying building.
