Page 14 of The Cheerleader

I turn to her, feeling the weight of it all crash down on me, the truth I’ve been trying to avoid. But the bond is so strong now, I can’t lie to myself. I can’t hide from what I am to her, and what she is to me.

She stirs, my name a soft murmur escaping her lips, and her eyes flicker open. They lock onto mine, that intense, searching gaze, and I feel it again, that damn pull. The irresistible way she draws me to her like a magnet.

She’s still mine.

“Abel?” Her voice is weak, still sleepy, but there’s an undercurrent of something in it. Something ... needy. She doesn’t have to say it. I know what she wants. I know what she needs. I can’t help myself. I take a step toward her, drawn like a moth to a flame, even though every ounce of me is screaming to run. To walk away and never look back.

But I don’t.

I sit on the edge of the bed again, my eyes never leaving hers. I can’t stop looking at her. The bond makes it impossible. That’s not true. Even before the bond, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I’ve been infatuated since the moment she showed up at Dark Side of the Moon, her presence filling my thoughts and fantasies even though I tried to fight it.

“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice low, rough.

She nods slowly, her lips curving into a tired smile. “Yeah. Just ... a little stiff.”

“Don’t lie to me, Juliet. I can feel you.” The words slip out before I can stop them. The bond is stronger now.

Her breath catches, and I see the flicker of realization cross her face. Her eyes go wide for a split-second, and then her shoulders sag. She looks away from me, pulling the sheets tighter around her.

“I don’t know what to do now,” she whispers. “You don’t want this. Me.”

And fuck, if that doesn’t hit me like a goddamn punch to the gut. Because neither do I.

I want to reach out, to pull her into my arms and tell her everything’s going to be okay, tell her I want her and only her, but I can’t. Because I don’t know if it will be okay and I refuse to lie to her. I know this isn’t going to be simple. Not with everything at stake.

I’m not the right man for her. I’m not the man she deserves. And yet, here we are. The bond is unbreakable. We will be linked until one of us dies. Or one of us decides to sever the bond.

“We shouldn’t have done this,” I finally say, the words coming out harsher than I intended.

She looks at me, hurt flashing across her face before she schools her expression. “What do you mean?”

I take a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check. I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want to push her away. But I know I need to.

“This,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. “You and me ... this bond ... it’s not good for either of us. You’re young. You have a life to live. A future.”

“And you don’t think I know that?” She sounds so small, so vulnerable. It fucking tears at me.

I want to hold her. I want to kiss her and tell her everything’s fine, but I can’t. I can’t let myself fall any further into this. Into her. She pulls the sheets tighter around her once more, her lips trembling. “I don’t care about the future. I just care about right now. About you.”

And goddamn, her words crush me. I run a hand through my hair, standing up, fighting the urge to go to her.

“I can’t give you what you want,” I say, my voice thick with regret. “I’m not the guy you think I am. I’m not a good person, Juliet. You deserve better.”

But her gaze stays fixed on me, unwavering, despite the unfallen tears clinging to her lashes. “I don’t want better. I want you.”

And that’s it. That’s the moment I know I’m in deeper than I’ve ever been. I don’t fight what I am feeling anymore. I go to her, take her in my arms, and kiss her with every ounce of passion and want I am feeling. She rolls me over, straddling my hips and taking my cock inside her. I lose myself inside her once more even though I said I wouldn’t.

I am so fucked.

Chapter Ten

Juliet

I wake up alone, the spot beside me empty and cold, the scent of Abel still heavy in the air. My body is sore, but there’s something different about it—a deep, primal ache that’s lingering, that won’t go away. I shift to the side, and the ache deep inside me tightens, the pull between us stronger than ever. I can feel the bond stretching, deeper, harder, more real.

And I hate it.

I don’t hate him. I don’t even know how to explain it. The ache is inside me, gnawing away at the edges of my thoughts, and I can’t escape it. But I also know this is more than just desire. This is the mate bond. This is a life-changing force.

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