“Here I am.” My smirk widens into a grin. I huff a derisive laugh when Barclay shudders. “And here you are. On your proverbial knees, where you belong.”
He opens his mouth to say something.
I’m not having it.
“Shut the fuck up.” I shake him, rattling his skinny, wounded body. “For saving Elowyn that night”—I wait to see apprehension in his eyes, only then do I continue—“your nursesstay on the payroll, and you’ll get your meds on time. I’ll have a realtor sell the house soon, and with the money from Elowyn’s…”Sacrifice, I nearly blurt out, then bite my tongue. “Your bank account will be cushioned. That should be enough. And even if it isn’t, you stay away from us.”
“I don’t need your handouts,” he spits out. “Nor do I need her?—”
The warning in my eyes silences him in an instant.
“Stay away, Barclay.” Anger ripples through my body. And longing. I fucking miss Elowyn. “I won’t warn you again.”
“Fuck you.”
“Yeah, asshole. Fuck you too.”
25
ELOWYN
The air in the studio shifts as soon as he opens the door.
Heavy anticipation snaps into desire. Insecurity transforms into lust.
The blood in my veins is molten, burning me from within.
My heart remembers how to beat, reaching for the man it loves.
My Duncan.
“Hello.” His low voice sends shivers down my spine.
“Hi,” I reply, my own voice breathy.
It’s a miracle I can say anything at all.
The way his eyes bore into me, it’s as if nothing else exists.
This kind of focus is deeper, far more intense than when he’s hard at work.
Sex and depravity roll off his gaze. Dominance too.
He isn’t just looking, he’s seeing through me.
I’m just as obsessed.
My own eyes turn greedy, raking over the suit stretched across his impressive body. Heat pools between my legs when he folds his arms over his chest. I can hardly breathe when his biceps bulge.
It’s as if being hung on his frame has amped up my most basic needs, and now all I can do is want. Crave. Desire.
I’ve always loved Duncan. Ever since I can remember.
This, though, this isn’t love.
What grips my heart—my entire being—is fixation. I need him on a visceral level.
Except I can’t do anything about the distance between us. Can’t touch Duncan unless he allows it.
