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She gave me a sour look, muttering under her breath, “You pushed me.”
I scoffed, holding out a hand. “This one’s on you.”
Dragging her to her feet, I held on, as if she was some electric fence forcing my hand to hers. Her sudden silence let me know she felt it, too. The pull. The unwillingness to let go. She lifted her gaze, locking those blue irises on me, and the bolt zapping through me nearly floored me.
Her lips parted in a soft gasp, but those eyes never left mine. Neither did her hand clasped in mine. It started to tremble; her mouth opened as if she wanted to speak, but no words came through.
Then, she snatched her hand free and abruptly turned from me. The seconds it took to recover were too many. She hit the ground before I reached her.
She weighed nothing as I lifted her, and stood, hesitating in the empty space clutching her to me. What was I supposed to do? Take her back to the car and drive her to the nearest hospital? She made me promise never to do that if she were to faint again. Her father also told me not to involveanyone. Not foranything. Did any of it matter when she was hanging limp in my arms?
An engine humming to life made me swirl, Kaylie clutched to my chest. A shadow of a car rolled out from the hard shoulder and disappeared down the road. I tightened my grip as everything in me prepared tofight. It was irrational since the car drove away—not toward us, but it left a dark seed in my gut. A spark of fear. Not for me. But for her.
Against my better judgment, I stalked toward the B&B door and kicked it open.
A young man with long, light brown hair tied into a ponytail flew to his feet the moment his eyes landed on us. “Whoa!” he called out. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Drunk,” I lied. “Just needs to sleep it off.”
The man relaxed, and a knowing grin came over his face. “Need a room?”
I nodded and tried not to punch him in the face for that suggestive tone. What the fuck did he think?
“Follow me.”
I did, cradling Kaylie to my chest to keep her from bumping her head into the doorpost as the guy led us through a narrow corridor and into a bedroom.One bed.Of course. Why was I surprised? My eyes darted to the window on the opposite wall. The red glow from the sign outside fell on the glass, glinting like blood on the blinds and leaving a red and black striped pattern on the floor.
The guy cleared his throat, and my eyes snapped back to him, finding him staring at me expectantly while fidgeting with a keychain hanging from ripped jeans.
“Fuck off.” I shot him an irritated look. “Close the door.”
“Damn, relax, man.” He shook his head as he shuffled through the door, closed it, and disappeared.
I lowered Kaylie to the bed, smoothing out the sheets around her, then sat on the corner, staring down at her. “You better not make me regret this.” My hand hovered in the air above her as thoughts warred in my brain.
Touch her. Feel her.
Don’t fucking cross that line.
I did. Lowering my hand, I let gentle fingers brush the hair from her face. Tucking silky black strands away, I couldn’t stop the feelings from catching up.
Her skin, so pale it looked white against my tanned skin threw me back in time. To Julie. To that awful night.
I mentally kicked myself, blinking the memories away and Kaylie into focus. “Hey!” Instead of a gentle caress, I grabbed her shoulder and shook her. “Get up!”
The lack of response twisted my stomach into a knot. She was never out this long. I searched her pulse and held my breath as I found it. It was slow. Too fucking slow. Barely even there. Cold dread replaced the previous warmth, sending my mind back there again.
Toher. To that hospital bed.
“Get up!” My voice trembled. So did my hands on her. “Get up!”
She lay there, so still, so peaceful, as if her life hadn’t been ripped from her in mere seconds. As if she didn’t know she was taking mine away with her.
Get up. Wake up. WAKE UP!
She didn’t.
I blinked Kaylie into focus as my mind swung between then and now.
