Page 123 of The Villain

His head rests over my chest and I pull the blanket over us both. I tilt my head until my cheek rests against his hair and stroke my hand over his back. I pull the phone to me and open it to show Shade the text I sent to Tera.

He nods but doesn’t say anything.

I toss the phone aside and wrap both legs around him, running my fingers through his hair. I’ll wait him out. In the meantime I’ll enjoy having him pressed all over me.

“I’ve always wanted someone to sleep next to. To wake up to.”

I pick up the phone to carry the conversation forward.

“You’re upset I got out of bed?”

He doesn’t answer and I don’t stop running my hand through his hair. He’s thinking way too hard to be asleep. I reposition the pillow behind me and settle back again to get comfortable. I get the feeling we’ll be here for a while. I curse silently as the throat clearing starts again and take a sip of tea.

When that turns awkward I tap his shoulder to get him to sit up a little. He does, watching me readjust until I’m sitting straighter and I gesture him back to me.

“Your throat. You keep clearing it. Is that why you’re out here?”

I nod and crook my finger to him again.

When he resettles against me I type him a new message.

“I wanted you to sleep late today. I want to see it happen.”

He scoffs as he reads.

“I don’t know what I thought you were doing,” he mutters. “I just woke up and you were gone. I flipped out.”

I nod to keep him talking.

“I’m fucked up, baby. If you hadn’t noticed.”

I huff a silent laugh and shake my head as I type.

“You’re perfect.”

“No. I’m possessive and needy. I’m never letting you go.”

It doesn’t sound like a problem to me. Now, why is he upset about it?

“You’re fine with it now but it’s going to get to a point where you want to walk away. I don’t know how to stop it and I’m bracing for it.”

“I’ll never walk away.”

“You say that,” he sits up to meet my eyes. He looks so serious and frustrated. As if I’m not understanding what he’s talking about. Maybe I don’t, but that fact won’t change. I will never walk away from him.

I lean forward and press a hard kiss to his lips, surprising him.

“You’re mine.”

“I am,” he admits with a clenched jaw. His eyes trail over my naked torso and a slow smirk lifts his lips. “And you’re mine.”

I nod slowly with a raised brow. Now he’s getting it.

“You don’t understand yet but you will,” he tells me in a severe tone that I guess is supposed to be menacing.

Instead of rolling my eyes I pull his head back to my chest and settle in for the long haul. I can text it, mail it, say it, or have it written in the sky. He won’t learn until I’ve passed whatever game he thinks I’m going to fail.

I’m thinking this is the big one. The all or nothing game that everyone else has fucked up. Some more than once I’m sure.

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