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“Sex does not prevent love.”
“Okay, not prevent, but it can get in the way. Love is born in the mind. It's ridiculous to think refraining from a physical relationship will stop us from falling in love. It will probably do the opposite. We'll end up pining for each other.” I widened my eyes at him. “I'm sure you know what pining does.”
He leaned down into my face. “Then maybe we should have sex.”
“Maybe we should. You want to make use of one of these bedrooms?” I put my fists on my hips.
Tristan sighed, his expression crumpling. “I just want to keep you safe, and I'm astonishingly bad at it.”
I snorted. “Sex isn't a horrible idea.”
He took my hand again and pulled me closer. “If the goal is to not fall in love, it is. Sex can hinder a blossoming relationship, but this is beyond the budding stage. If we have sex now, I'm falling.”
“I don't think your flower metaphor worked.”
“I try to tell you I'm falling in love with you, and you tear about my declaration.”
“Oh, I'm sorry. That was a declaration? Because it sounded more like a hypothetical situation.”
Tristan stepped back, holding his hands up. “Never mind. We don't need to worry about love. We've got it under control.”
I giggled and pulled him back to me. “Foregone conclusion, remember?”
I kissed him. It was the wrong time and definitely the wrong place, but I couldn't help myself. Tristan didn't seem to mind. His hands went to my back and pulled me closer. The thrill of kissing him blended with relief. I'd come close to letting him slip away, and it scared me. I was an expert in screwing up relationships. Usually, it was just another life lesson. But with Tristan, it would be a life-changing lesson.
When we pulled apart, we stayed in our embrace. It felt as if we'd crossed a bridge. In trying to protect me from a dangerous love, Tristan had made us face what walking away would mean, and ended up pushing us in the other direction.
“Mirana said there was no avoiding my fate, only surviving. I'm your only chance.” I grinned. “So, sex tonight?”
Tristan laughed hard enough to break our embrace. “Eight o'clock work for you?”
“Perfect.” I paused. “We might want to work a little on stopping Osric and Fabian too.”
“We probably shouldn't be in Fabian's house then.” His amusement shifted into seriousness. “If he forces this on us, it could go very wrong, and I'm not talking about you becoming Heartbreak's new vessel.”
“What could happen?”
“I'm not sure. But we know what happened the last time people tried to pull it out of me. Forcing it into you could kill you outright, especially if forcing Heartbreak results in transferring it too quickly for a human body to survive.”
“It will destroy everything I am. That's what she said. I'll live, but I'll probably be a vegetable.”
“There are other possibilities, but none are good.”
“We simply can't let this happen,” I said.
“You just said you can't avoid your fate. Either we believe Marina or we don't. I'm inclined to believe her.”
“Damn it, I got carried away and forgot my own argument.”
As we laughed, the sound of the front door opening carried up to us. Tristan's hand found mine before I could move. He pulled me out of the room and into the one across the hallway. We pressed our backs against the wall, and Tristan pushed the door nearly shut. As he peered through the crack, my heart raced. The sound of footsteps neared, coming up the stairs, boards creaking. The footsteps passed us, fading into the room with the crazy stalker walls.
Tristan went rigid and whispered, “Fabian.”
Chapter Eighteen
Tristan stepped into the hallway, pulling me alongside him. We crossed into the other room. A man stood by the desk, his back turned to us as he unpacked a satchel. His olive-toned hands removed a flat piece of carved limestone and set it on the desk.
At the sound of our footsteps, the man did not flinch. He didn't scramble for a weapon. He simply finished setting the stone down and turned around, a welcoming look on his face.
