I huff a sardonic laugh. “Starting over isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, trust me on that one.”
She arches a brow. “Doyouhate Darkwater Hollow?”
“I like the nature. But the people are another matter. Some of them get on my nerves, you know?”
Her eyes narrow. “I knowexactlywhat you mean. There are a lot of rude folk around these parts.”
“Let’s compare notes. I think it’s pretty rude to send mixed sig—“
“The turkey is delicious!”
Our heads snap toward Sandro.
He’s giving us awhat-the-ever-loving-fuckkind of look. “Would it be rude to ask for seconds?”
“Not at all,” Blake clips out. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Have as much as you’d like.”
My chair skids against the floor. “I need to use the bathroom.” I feel like I might punch a wall. I don’t even understand why I’m so angry.
She shoots daggers at me. “It’s through the living room and down the hall. First door on the right.”
In the bathroom, I lock the door behind me and get halfway to slamming my fists against the damned thing before I stop myself.
A growl escapes past my clenched teeth.
What. The. Fuck.
Okay, maybe she didn’t invite me tonight because she wanted to hook up with me, but shekissed me back. She might be in denial about our attraction, but her body doesn’t lie. There’s something here. Something powerful.
If she wasn’t fleeing this town because of her ex—fuck, I hate that guy—I would have broken her down eventually.
I don’twanther to leave. I haven’t given a shit about anything for the last four months, but I give a shit about this.
That kiss made me feel just a little bit alive after I’ve spent months feeling like a dead man walking.
And let’s just rewind to the part where she hasno plan. Is she crazy? A girl like her, alone and somewhere unfamiliar? She’s asking to get robbed, raped, or worse.
Inside me, something dark begins to stir.
My reflection glowers at me, and I don’t recognize him. I’m wearing fucking flannel, for God’s sake. If the guys back home saw me, they’d laugh me out of the room.
Nero wouldn’t be caught dead wearing this shit.
And Nero wouldn’t let that girl go. Because Nero was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.
I rake my fingers through my hair. I feel fucking impotent. Powerless.
And I hate it. So damn much.
Make her stay,Nero commands.
Let her go. She’s just a girl,Rowan pleads.
I slip my hand inside my pocket and reach for the cufflinks.
Yeah, she’s just a girl. But she’s also something more. Something I desire the way I haven’t desired anything since I got to this shithole.
That’s when it hits me.
