Page 31 of Stolen Sun

It takes all my fucking willpower not to take what she’s silently offering, but shewillsay it. I growl and lower my face to close the distance, letting her feel my breath fan across her face to make her think I’mgoing to give in. My lips almost touch hers.

“Eyes open,” my voice comes out in a low rumble.

Her eyes fly open in surprise, searching my face like she doesn’t know what to expect.

Not him.

“Watch what you do to me, Noel. Watch me do whatever you ask. Let me hear the words come out of that pretty mouth.”

Licking her lips, she braces herself with her fists still wrapped in my shirt. She opens her mouth to speak twice, but nothing comes.

Finally she exhales a whisper, “I can’t.”

Then she’s gone—pressing her back against the wall, staring past me into nothing, silently at war between what she wants and what she thinks she should do. Her chest rises and falls quickly as she tries to cool the flames, and I can practically smell the desire on her.

She’ll ask for what she wants, or she’ll take it. Either way, she will own it.

“Show me your painting,” I whisper gently.

Slowly, she looks at me again. The torture fades from her eyes. She pushes away from the wall and leads me to another part of the house.

We find ourselves in a room that looks like an art gallery, and I’m immediately drawn to hers. The first thing I notice is the way the darkness touches the center point of light without dulling it. The shading is subtle, and the effect gives shadows in even the brightest areas. The opposite is also true of the darkest areas in which she managed to brighten with a shiny, metallic color. The swirling of the colors feels circular, and I’m transported back to the moment that inspired this. It confirms that everyone who played a role in keeping us apart deserves to pay.

“Well? Care to guess?”

Looking down at her, I can see the pride in her eyes. It bolsters my determination even more to get her out of marketing and into her own studio. Fuck them all for putting her dreams on hold.

“You did a much better job painting it than I did when I described it. It’s exactly what I meant when I told you that you brought light into the darkness.”

Relief washes over her face. A slight look of confusion passes over her before she looks at the painting again. I know she’s starting to see the holes in the stories she was made to believe.

Soon, sunshine. I’ll tell you everything soon enough,I silently promise her.

“Let’s go, beautiful,” I say, taking her hand.

After stopping to eat at a restaurant on our way to the track, we still arrive with plenty of time to unload the car before time trials begin. Before we get out of the truck, I look over at Noel.

“You ready for my version of fun?”

“Ready or not,” she says with a smile.

“Come on. After we unload the car, I have something for you,” I tell her and jump out.

Zander and his girl, Jade, get out of his truck beside us. He walks over to give me a bro-hug.

“Noel, this is Zander and Jade.”

“Nice to meet you,” she says.

Zander and I unload the car. Noel stares at itterrified.

“Ever seen a car like this before?” Zander asks, noticing the look on her face too.

“I guess in movies,” she says and looks at me like a deer caught in headlights.

My blacked out ‘70 Challenger is street legal, but barely. It’s loud as fuck and has too much horsepower to drive other than at the drag strip.

“Come with me.” I gesture toward the opening of the enclosed trailer.

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