Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
He set his plate down and sighed before taking the chair across from me. “Because, Oakley, every-damn-thing about you is seared in my brain. Not something I can control.”
For a moment, I stopped breathing. Had I heard him correctly?
He nodded his head toward my plate. “Eat.”
I picked up my sandwich but then realized I was obeying him and stopped. We were gonna have this conversation. He wasn’t going to say something like that and force me to forget it.
“Why is everything about me seared in your brain?”
He lifted his eyes to mine and took a drink from his can of beer. The power those dark eyes used to hold over me. Who was I kidding? They still did. They reached me in a way no one else’s could. They had since the first time he’d looked at me.
“We’re stuck together in a room carved inside a mountain for an undetermined amount of time. Do you really think it is wise for us to dig into that?”
Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.
“Why not, Wilder? What else is there to do?”
He set his beer down with more force than necessary, causing the tiny table to shake. “Don’t, Oakley. Whatever it is you think you’re doing, don’t.”
“You hate me that much?”
Wilder shot up out of his seat. “It’s not fucking hate,” he said loud enough for it to be a borderline shout, then stalked across the room.
I turned and watched as he ran a hand through his hair.
“I wish I hated you. I wish I could hate you.”
When he finally turned and his eyes met mine, my heart sped up. From fear of what he would say next to hope that it was something I could cling to, not something that would slice me open. Again.
“You were the only one I trusted in that family. And you were the one who stood up there in front of that judge and said my lifestyle wasn’t appropriate for a child. That she needed her mother. I know you weren’t the only person that spoke that day, but you were the only one I thought I could trust to defend me. And you didn’t.”
He sighed heavily. “But then you became Sarah’s favorite person. Her source of security and everything her mom should have been. She adores you, and I know you’d die for her. That … that makes it impossible to hate you.”
So, it was all about Sarah. Our past was only still living in my head. My heart. I was the one who couldn’t let it go. Just like in life, I was alone in this too. Thinking it and knowing it were two different scenarios. I wished, now, I hadn’t pushed. I’d stupidly thought I would get him to admit he felt something for me. That he always had. That it wasn’t just me who was unable to stop feeling things.
“I see,” I managed to say, then turned back around and picked up my sandwich. My stomach rebelled at the thought of eating, but I wasn’t going to let him know the level of my disappointment.
“No, I really doubt you do,” he said in a hoarse whisper.
“You made it real clear,” I assured him.
He let out a harsh laugh, and I set my sandwich back down before looking at him. His eyes were closed, and his head was tilted back, facing skyward. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his sweats. The sight of him like that was unfair.
“Fuck,” he swore under his breath as his eyes snapped open.
He took the five long strides to reach me. He leaned down and grabbed my arms, pulling me out of the chair. My chest hit his just before his mouth slammed down on mine.
For a moment, I feared this was a dream and I would wake up at any minute on that sofa. I held on to his biceps, praying this was real. That it wasn’t going to evaporate, leaving me aching. I opened my mouth to his as he ran his tongue along my bottom lip. The second he slid inside, my knees buckled, and his hands went to my waist, tugging me closer.
A growl vibrated in his chest, causing my entire body to pulse with warmth. I never wanted this to end. I was afraid that when it did, he’d push me away. Give me a taste of how it could have been, then snatch it all from me. No future. No hope for more.
I heard a whimper and realized it had come from me. It was a mixture of panic and desire. I would do anything to keep him from stopping. If he did, I was most certain I would be destroyed. Never to work correctly again. Completely damaged.
Wilder’s mouth left mine, but his lips trailed across my heated skin. Along my jawline to my neck. “Stop me,” he said in a low voice near my ear.