Page 108 of Shade
Shade’s ahead of me, Tiller and Roan there somewhere, and I’m scared out of my mind. It’s dark, and the tunnels make me feel like I’m running from Hitler in a maze, only wrong country, I know.
The entire experience screams bad idea.
Just when I’m thinking of telling them I want to leave, Shade drops back and walks with me. “What’s the matter?”
My voice literally trembles when I say, “If my nightmare of dying were real, it’s this place.”
He’s amused, bright-blue eyes shining like a little boy sensing his opening. “You scared?”
I glance at him like he’s lost his mind. “This is creepy.”
He lowers his voice, purposely trying to be mysterious. “It’s spiritual.” There’s a trace of laughter in his tone I should pay attention to, but don’t. Probably because one, I’m freezing—it’s cold down under Paris—and two, Shade can be a shithead, if you haven’t figured that out already.
I try to assess him, see if he’s bullshitting me but he’s a closed book of straight-faced. “Is it really?”
His shoulders shake, laughter rolling through him. “Fuck if I know. But you’re not thinking about it anymore.”
Nope. I’m thinking about you and me and the two of us being naked.
“True.”
To my surprise, he throws his arm around my shoulders. “Stay close. I’ll protect you.”
My entire body heats, which is nice given the drafty air down here. “Says the lion to the lamb.”
His arm tightens around me and I can feel his breathing, his eyes boring into mine. “I’m assuming I’m the lion.” His stare lifts as he winks. “But looking at your hair today, it could be you.”
I try to shake off his arm. “Fuck you. It’s humid down here.”
He only holds me tighter when I shiver. “Are you cold?”
“Yes.”
“You know the best way to make body heat is friction.”
This time I do shake him off and attempt to walk ahead of him.
He doesn’t allow it and grabs me by the elbow. “You weren’t serious, were you?”
I stare down at his hand on my elbow like it’s burning my skin. It feels like it is in that moment because I fucking suck at all of this. “About what?”
“Not wanting to have sex with me.”
No!My mind screams but, “Yep. Serious,” comes out instead.
Do you see his face? The scrunch to his beautiful features, the curiosity in his eyes? He’s never been told no before. I bet you none of the Sawyer boys have been.
With a subtle shake of his head, he keeps step with me. The guys have gotten way ahead of us, and I do not want to get lost in the catacombs with Shade because I know damn well what will happen. I’ll give in, have sex with him, and then we’ll die the next day for doing something naughty where dead people are peacefully resting.
“Not trying to be an asshole but why the hell not?”
“Because I don’t want to.” I keep walking. Suddenly I want out of these tunnels. Sooner rather than later. “It’s a free country.”
“We’re not in America.”
“Last time I checked, France was too.”
He stops me, backs me up against a stone wall. I check to make sure it’s not one with a skull on it and thankfully it’s not. “That’s not good enough.”
