“Don’t push me.” Winder’s voice was a thread, stretched taut between us. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
I wanted to watch it snap.
I threw a leg over his waist, swinging myself over into his lap. He groaned, so quietly I thought I might have heard wrong. “Do you want to kiss meagain?”
“Blaire, don’t.” Winder’s voice was hoarse, and he kept his hands tight to his side, even though his face creased in physical pain. “I’m not a good man. I’m not my brother.”
I fell forward, resting my hands on his shoulders, the muscles tense beneath my touch. “Apparently, I’m no good either. I guess that makes two of us.”
His hand moved to rest on my hip, squeezing. “What are you doing?” he murmured.
“What I want, for the first time in my life,” I breathed the words against his skin, as if by feeling them, he would believe me.
His eyes looked sad, and he brushed his other thumb across my face. “I don’t want to break you.”
“Maybe you can put me back together instead.” I pressed my lips against his, and the last brick between us crumbled to dust.
Winder didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around me, pulling me flush against his body. His tongue slipped along the seam of my mouth, and with a groan I opened for him.
His hands moved lower, pushing up the shirt I wore, touching every bit of skin, and it still wasn’t enough. I needed all of him, everywhere, all at once.
With a smooth roll, he flipped me over onto my back, straddling me. Winder dipped lower, kissing the tender skin below my ear, while his hand twisted my wrists above my head.“You’re too fucking pretty for this world,” he whispered into my ear. “I want to corrupt you.”
I closed my eyes with a moan, arching up into his touch. “I need you, Winder.”
His mouth froze against my neck, and his hands released me. I blinked my eyes open, as Winder sat back.
A wild series of emotions crossed his face. “I can’t do this.”
“What?” The kiss left me dazed, his hands still burning my body. His change of heart baffled me, and all I wanted was for him to touch me again. Why couldn’t he see how right it felt?
Winder shook his head, climbing off me. “Not like this. This can’t happen like this.”
He leapt to his feet, and stormed off to the bathroom, while I sat with wide eyes and a cold heart wondering what the hell I had done wrong.
Chapter
Nineteen
BLAIRE
Iknew this room. I knew this dream. The smell of a smoking gun hit my nose, and blood dripped between my fingers. Something hurt in my side, but it seemed so far away. All I had was this moment.
I slipped off the crack, and someone died.
The pain in my side was so hot. I wanted it to stop.
On hands and knees I crawled, already knowing what I would see.
He lay there, just like last time, blond hair soaked with sweat, eyes unseeing. Just like last time, I placed my hand on the bloody handprint.
If only I had just paid attention, all of this wouldn’t be my fault.
I didn’t know if I needed to bother watching the rest, but I knew I didn’t have a choice.
I let him grab my wrist, allowed him to pull me close.
His mouth moved around words he had no energy to speak aloud, or maybe couldn’t.
