Page 29 of Branded By Shadow
His forehead rests against mine. His breathing is rough. Mine is worse.
“Not like this,” he says.
I should be embarrassed.
I should step back.
Instead, I clutch his cut tighter.
“Like what?”
“Scared. Hurting. Looking for something to make it stop.”
My chest aches.
The worst part is, he’s right.
The even worse part is, I still want him.
Not because he’s safe.
He isn’t.
Not because I’m fine.
I’m not.
I want him because everything in me is shaking apart and he’s the only thing in this room that feels steady. Because his hand on my face makes the panic quieter. Because when he looks at me, I don’t feel stupid for being scared.
I feel seen.
I lift my chin, my fingers still twisted in his cut.
“Then don’t make it stop,” I whisper.
His eyes flare.
“Talia.”
“My name is not a warning label.”
“It is when you say it like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you don’t know what you’re asking for.”
I lean closer, close enough that my mouth brushes his when I speak.
“I know exactly what I’m asking for.”
Something rough moves through him. I feel it in the hand at my waist, in the way his fingers flex once, hard enough to make my breath catch.
“Careful, little hellcat.”
The nickname should annoy me.
It doesn’t.
