"Goddamn it, Carey." Even in the quiet my voice continues to rise.
I know he hears me. We're the only ones here.
"I swear to God. If you don't fucking stop, I'll—"
"What?" His body pivots one-eighty degrees; the tone of his voice matching the ferocity of mine. "What will you do, Tek?"
I march with purpose, and in seconds the distance between us is closed and his back is against the wall with my left hand braced against the bricks above his shoulder to stop me from getting even closer. "Where are my keys?"
"I already told you, I don't know."
"So why did you run?"
Carey's head rests against the wall.
There's hardly any light back here, but as my eyes adjust, the smirk on his face comes into focus. "Why did you chase me?"
"Because…"
"You were so close behind me you definitely didn't have time to ask Anaise."
My thighs flex hard enough to bend steel.
I tell myself to move, to step back, but my body has other plans.
My right hand rises as well. Now he's caged in by both arms.
"We were having such a nice conversation. What made you want to leave so suddenly?" Smuggness drips off every word, and then he licks his lips.
Seriously Tek, take a fucking step back!
"I was enjoying all that talk about a new uniform for me."
"Quit fucking around."
"And what exactly am I doing wrong? I'm just standing here, you're the one not letting me go."
Carey could move if he wanted to. He could easily duck away from between my arms.
But he doesn't.
"What changed, Tek?"
"With what?"
"With you… One minute we're having a perfectly normal discussion about work, and the next you're rummaging through Anaise's bag like you couldn't get out of there quick enough."
A growl rumbles in my chest, and I know he hears it.
I'm not proud of the extent I'm going to to hide the way he makes me feel.
At first it was easy, I could push everything down whenever a new client walked in, but lately it's like every system in my body is stuck on high alert; analyzing everything he says to anybody that isn't me, and what they say to him in return.
I might not be able to have him, but that doesn't mean I will happily accept him being with someone else. This is the exact reason why I never let anyone else in, not after her. If I'm already feeling this way and we've not even touched each other,imagine how I'd be if I was able to claim him. Knowing what he tastes like and how he feels, then seeing another person try to have that as well would make me feral, and I know it. It's why I keep my distance. It's why I power through my days until I'm so physically spent that I crash out as soon as I get home. I give myself no spare time to think, to wonder what he's doing when I can't see him. I'm running myself ragged but it's better than the alternative, because when my feelings get too strong, I hurt people.
"Was Wootek Oppa jealous?"
The seduction in his tone is undeniable. There's not even the tiniest slither of room left open for misinterpretation.
