Or his damn tattoos.
I cross over toward the window and yank the window open, letting in a cold rush of wind and hoping it’ll piss him off.
He gives me a look, then reaches over and shoves the window closed again.
And then in a quick movement, he leans toward me.
His hand darts into my pocket.
He snatches the piece of paper before I can stop him, and even as I reach over and try to clasp my hand around his wrist, he keeps it away from me.
He curls the letter into a ball in his other hand, tucking it away under his body and far from me.
“Give me the letter,” I tell him.
“It’s aletter?All the more reason to read it. Who’s it for?”
I want to destroy him.
Every cell in my body is telling me to run out of the room or fuckingkillhim, but there’s nothing I can do at this point.
If I don’t feel confident, I have to fake it.
I pull in an even breath, clenching my jaw.
I stand up straight again and take a step back.
“It’s for you,” I tell him.
And I’m so embarrassed I want to dissolve into a goddamn puddle on the floor.
A devious look settles on his face and he carefully unfolds the paper, looking down at it and starting to read out loud.
“Niko, I have decided we need to end this. The fake relationship was a bad idea to begin with, but as you’ve gotten busier, it’s clear you don’t have time to truly dedicate to me. The weight of it is driving me insane. With your CamboyChaos account, things will only get more complicated if you’re ever recognized…”
He pauses for a moment, looking up at me. “Very clever. Purposely mentioning my account so you know I won’t show anyone the letter?”
“Protecting myself,” I tell him.
As he continues reading, heat rises in my body and I still feel like I want to fucking flee.
But thisis my room.
My world.
And I’m going to stand by the words I wrote, because I meant every one of them.
“The pressure just keeps building inside me. I need to be honest with the other Onyx Society members, and honest with myself. We can’t continue if this is not going to be a priority for you, Niko.”
He folds up the letter and sets it down on the nightstand.
“You’re getting very desperate for my attention,” he murmurs, his eyes half-lidded as he watches me.
“Of course that’s how you’d interpret the letter.”
“I know how badly you’re starting to crave more of me, Ollie. So tell me what you’re hiding.”
I let out a groan. “Knew you were going to fucking bring that up.”
