“You were running from what happened this afternoon.”
Denial. I lived in denial because I didn’t know where else to hide. My other hand came up and actually grazed his cheek before he pulled his head away. Snatching that fist too, he held both my hands hostage until it clicked in my panicked haze that I wasn’t going to be able to run away this time.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I truly didn’t, and I will apologize every other sentence if that’s what you need to hear to trust me again. But you can’t use what happened as a crutch to not move forward.”
He pulled me closer until my hands rested on his chest. My fingers instinctively curled into his shirt and held on. Warm palms gently skimmed my arms, up past my elbows and shoulders until they sank into my hair. Ezra was hugging me. A thick knot of emotion clogged my throat as I sank into his arms.
When was the last time someone hugged me? When was the last time Iletthem?
He drew back just enough and rubbed his thumbs gently across my cheeks. I knew exactly what he saw. No amount of makeup could hold up to this level of scrutiny. The dark circles under my eyes were now a permanent fixture on my face.Concealer did a good job at muting the harsh purple, but I swore it got worse every morning. I knew I was pale, no matter that it was the middle of summer and I had nothing to do but spend all my time under the sun.
He could probably tell I’d lost weight as well. I was surprised this skirt didn’t slide right off my hips. Being blessed with a great ass was the only thing that saved it.
“Be mad at me. Hateme,” he pleaded. “Whatever you need to do to not hate yourself. Put it on me, babe. Because I can’t stand to see you wither away anymore.”
CHAPTER 10
Ezra
The bass from the nearby party kept in time with the racing of my heart. It still hadn’t calmed, even after I found Rani. Her warm skin was right here and safe beneath my hands, but I couldn’t convince my brain that she wasn’t in danger. When that barrier spell went off…
Gods, she was going to be the death of me.
Her face was scrunched with fury, and her hands made little fists against my chest. Right on cue. Any mention of her feelings or that something might not be okay and she defaulted to spicy Rani—which usually was a huge turn-on for me. But not tonight. Not when I had enough rage to match hers and then some.
There were too many conflicting emotions warring within me to think straight. Outrage. Pride, Jealousy. Satisfaction. All of them disappeared when I looked at her. The way her hair fell in sensual wisps around her face. Her flushed cheeks and the glow in her eyes. Even the pinch of her lips was a distraction.
I was hard as fuck.
Focus, Ezra! She’s in trouble. Bad little siren, remember?
She took a breath, but we didn’t have time to sit here and argue when I already knew I was right. As usual.
“Before you say something that I’m sure you’ll regret when your common sense kicks in, we’re going back to the house. You can think of ways to make this up to me as we walk.”
I spun, pulling her along with me. She fought every step, as I knew she would. Her soft grunts as she tried to break free were a massive dick tease. This was going to be a long walk back.
“Let me go, asshole!” she growled, losing another foot of traction as we hit the start of the path.
I sighed. These motherfucking trees. I knew they were laughing at me, and if I could flip them off and corral my feisty bond at the same time, I would. Unfortunately, Rani was stronger than she looked. It took all my concentration to make sure she didn’t hurt herself twisting like that.
“Ezra!”
“Will you behave?” I asked, stopping before she broke something, like my fingers.
I watched her try to compose herself, but her hair was a lost cause, half hanging over her shoulder. Her clothes were all askew, and she panted like I’d made her run a mile. The silence stretched, and my suspicions rose. As a small safety measure, I released a tiny bit of magick, not enough to register, but just enough to slide across the brick and coat the bottom of her shoes.
“I find that question insulting,” she finally replied, looking me in the eye.
I smirked, recognizing the fire in her gaze, but decided to see how this would play out anyway. “The question remains. Pinky promise you’ll behave and I’ll let you go.”
I held up my little finger, and her angry facade cracked just a little.
“That’s it?” She eyed my hand warily. “I just have to promise?”
“Not quite. You still need to wrap your finger nice and tight around—”
She hooked her pinky around mine with a glare, and I felt it all the way to my balls. There was definitely something wrong with me. But fuck, even the most innocent touches from her plucked at my control. I was an addict. I wanted that damn finger to run over every inch of me.
