I slowed down even more. I wasn’t sure if I could remain steady on my feet with him right there in front of me. Close to me.
How long had it been since I’d last seen him? An eternity.
“Yeah, I bumped up my flight,” he answered, and I shivered. His voice was as masculine and penetrating as ever, and it still seemed to wrap itself around me, as though his body were already covering mine.
I clenched my fingers around the stair railing to keep from swooning as I stood motionless on the bottom step of the staircase.
And there he was, also unmoving. My stomach was in knots. I shivered down to my bones when I saw him.
Finally.
That was when Neil lifted his head up and spotted me. His unknowable gaze drew me in and broke me down completely, making me forget even my own name.
I held my breath—it felt like all my air had been pulled into that virile body just a few feet away from me. His wild hair was a little bit longer than the last time I’d seen him. His shoulders under his black leather jacket looked a bit wider, and his legs, displayed beautifully in a pair of sweatpants, looked thicker and more toned. Clearly he’d been working out again.
I wanted to cry, but I resisted the urge so I wouldn’t look like the hopelessly enamored girl that I was.
“We wanted to get here as soon as possible.” And then there was another voice that broke the spell, shattering the connection between us. A feminine voice. Familiar. It was Megan, whose dark head emerged from behind Neil’s back. What was she doing here? With him?
A cloud immediately moved over me, and I exhaled sharply.
“Oh, hey, Megan. I wasn’t expecting you to come.” Logan looked as bewildered as I felt. I had already been picturing how I’d take the opportunity to get Neil one-on-one, to talk to him and clear the air. But Megan’s presence complicated that.
“Yeah, she’s with me. I told her about everything,” he answered firmly. He’d quit looking at me and was moving into the living room along with the sexy brunette who had instantly obliterated my self-esteem.
“Show me the letter,” Neil said, getting straight to the point. Clearly he wasn’t interested in anything but Player.
I gathered my courage and forced myself down the last few steps to meetthem. Megan’s emerald green eyes immediately turned to me, and I couldn’t help but think about how gorgeous she was, how well she suited him.
“Hi, Selene.” She gave me a tight smile, looking uncomfortable. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket and chewed her lower lip nervously.
“Hi…Megan,” I answered in a shaky voice. Then, like a doofus, I sniffled, sneezed, and had a brief coughing fit, which, naturally, drew everyone’s eyes to me. Even Neil’s.
Expressionless, he searched my face. I was the one blushing like an idiot because apparently I’d turned into my most awkward self, just accumulating faux pas. I stared back at him for what felt like forever. I didn’t dare to blink because I was too afraid that, if I did, he’d vanish, turning out to be just another of my dreams.
Just the thought of it made my eyes burn.
I tried to be strong, tried to hold back the tears that I’d been spilling daily since he left.
I should have been screaming at him about all the suffering he’d caused me already, about how I tore myself to pieces every night imagining his breath against my skin, his hands on my body. But I couldn’t bring myself to do that because I was weak when it came to him, bending to his will, twisted back and forth by those devilish eyes.
“Selene, are you sure you’re okay? Did you actually take your temperature?” Logan put a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched at the unexpected contact, all my thoughts melting away. I sneezed again before nodding firmly, convinced that an actual child would be a more convincing liar. And, in fact, Logan did twist his mouth into a skeptical expression and gave me a quietly reproving look.
“I’m fine. I’ll just hang out with you all for a little bit, and then I’ll go upstairs and lie down, okay?” I said, offering what I thought was a reasonable compromise. He smiled wryly at me and shook his head.
“Perfect, I’ll ask Anna to bring you some medicine, then. You need to rest,” he told me sternly before turning his focus back to his brother, who hadn’t stopped staring at me even for a moment. His golden eyes picked at my skin like so many tiny pins and needles.
I felt naked, like my white sweater and jeans had been peeled away and my every fear and insecurity was exposed for him to do with as he wished.
“Here’s the riddle Player sent this morning. There was also a bouquet of black roses that I threw out.” Logan handed over the paper, and Neil snatched it from him, turning his attention abruptly from me to the note. He sat down on the sofa, legs spread wide, and studied it closely. Megan sat down beside him and rested a hand on his knee.
I watched them in silence, feeling like a third wheel. I sensed too much intimacy and too much understanding between the two of them, and it hurt. I should have been the one sitting by his side. It should have been my hand on his body.
“I have no idea what he’s trying to say,” Neil muttered, passing a hand through his messy hair. Seeing him right there in front of me and being unable to touch him was unending torture.
I felt breathless, rocking back and forth on my heels to keep myself from going straight to him the way I wanted to.
“Me neither. I don’t get what ‘photo’ has to do with ‘mosaic’ or any of the rest…” Logan folded his arms over his chest and gave a heavy, thoughtful sigh. Megan’s eyes were riveted to the note, and she looked absorbed, trying to figure out what it meant.
