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“Okay.” One word, but I managed to get it out. Bending down, I reached for the bag I hadn’t realized I’d dropped. Before I could grab it, Eliot was there, picking it up and helping me get the strap over my shoulder. Using the connection, he cupped my face, his thumb running over my bottom lip before he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my mouth. Infinitely tender, it added another layer of arousal and confusion to my already rioting system.

I turned and headed toward the entrance, not trusting myself to do or say anything while I was still under his spell. As I unlocked the door and swung it open, I paused over the threshold.

“Sweet dreams, Eliot,” I called out. He was leaning against his bike, clearly not intending to move until I got inside.

“Hey, Angel?” he asked, just as I stepped inside.

“Yeah?”

“Dream of me tonight.” His voice was lower, sending a chill down my spine. I nodded. It wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter. I had a feeling I would be seeing more of Eliot, in real life and in my dreams. Either way, I was more than fine with that.

Chapter 11

Scythe

“So. You ready to tell me what’s going on with you?” Bull asked, with no preface or warning.

We were out back, securing furniture and anything else that might get tossed in the wind. A storm was rolling in fast, and everyone was on alert for power outages and road closures. Winds were expected to hit sixty miles per hour, and the narrow, winding roads in our area would turn into bottlenecks if a tree came down.

“Why don’t you tell me, since you clearly think you know something?” Bull was like the big brother I never wanted or needed. He always called me on my shit and always seemed to know when I was lying or avoiding something. It was a pain in the ass. At the same time, as someone who wasn’t exactly a big talker, it helped that he could read me so easily.

“You’re never here anymore. You’re spending a lot of time with Beth, then disappearing for hours at a time. I even caught you smiling at your phone the other day. Like, a full-blown smile, dude. So who is she? Or he?” Bull pushed forward.

“Her name is Lilah,” I said, the words leaving my body like a gust of wind. There was a weird feeling in my stomach, like saying her name out loud would cause a reaction. By acknowledging this thing between us, I was in danger of jinxing it all. I would wake up, and it would all be a dream.

“Beth’s friend?” Bull asked as he watched me.

“Yeah, she’s the woman who found Mom in her garden. They’ve become friends, and I’ve become…” I tried to figure out how to vocalize my feelings.

“Obsessed? Infatuated? A full-blown stalker?” Bull supplied the terms. I shrugged. They all fit.

“Jesus. And what about her? She have any idea how you feel?” he asked, concern washing over his face as he imagined needing to defend me.

“I think we’re on the same page. I like who I am when I’m with her. I feel lighter, but at the same time, grounded.” I struggled to try to explain how it felt to be around her.

“It’s like…I’m a tornado, and she’s the eye of the storm. I’ll rip everything around her out of the ground, as long as I can keep following her. Fuck. I’m not making any sense.” We turned to lift the last table into the back shed before locking the storm doors up.

“So when do I get to meet her?” Bull asked, and I snorted.

“I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, Bull. You know me. You know I don’t do this…Sex…Relationships. Any of it. But the idea of trying to stop this, to not see or speak to her…It’s like a physical pain. If I go too long without hearing from her, I feel like I’m going crazy.”

“Then you see it through. Be honest with her.” Pausing, he rubbed his chin.

“I’m not exactly the spokesperson for relationship advice, but look around. Reaper and Seph, Bash and Fee. They make it work because they work on it every day. Everyone’s journey is gonna be different, so don’t try to become someone you’re not. There’s no advice, no self-help that’s gonna give you the answers here. You just have to feel it out as you go.” He cleared his throat—a move I knew meant he was trying to figure out the best way to ask whatever was on his mind.

“Have you mentioned your issues with touch? Might be something important to get out of the way…so she doesn’t think it’s about her.”

“It’s different with her.” Lilah’s touch didn’t hurt, but resisting her did.

“I kissed her,” I told him, the confession coming out rushed, like we were thirteen and sneaking a conversation over walkie talkies.

“Yeah? How was it?” I froze, unable to describe it. Instead, I found myself transported back, the touch and feel of her invading my senses.

“Damn. Okay, you clearly don’t have an issue when it comes to Lilah touching you.” A small smile crossed my face as the image of her hands on me.

“Alright, now you’re making me jealous. And with the storm coming through, I’ve gotta go without my guy for who knows how long.” Bull groused, and I laughed.

“You know Logan would be here in a minute if you asked him. He’s waiting on you to make that big move. To fully invite him into our world.” He had a boyfriend who lived a few towns over. He knew of the club, and I had met him a few times, but Bull had yet to invite him to an official club event.