Page 136 of House of Pain
The way he said those words, the way that scorching gaze caressed her body… It was intoxicating.
“I hate you,” she hissed. And she did. But then something hit her. A realization. “Oh, I know what it is. You said it to me that night in the forest, but I didn’t listen. You think I’m easy, isn’t that it? The half breed only good for one thing, right?”
All humor was gone from his face in an instant, his jaw tight.
“You should pay attention to my actionsratherthan my words,” he said, and it almost sounded like a warning.
Alecto laughed, her body shaking with anger and the cold.
“I’m not going to be here to entertain you,” she snapped, backing away from him towards their House. “I’m not here to be your little plaything when Val or the others are not enough to satiate your fucking needs.”
Alecto whirled and walked away once more, this time proud that she said what she wanted to say and walked away from him.
Well, it wasn’t truly what she wished to say to Blaze, but it was therightthing to say.
This time, he didn’t grab her. Instead, he walked across her path, blocking her way just when she was a mere few steps away from the House.
Alecto clenched her jaw to stop her teeth from chattering as she glared up at him.
“Can you just let me fucking say something?” Blaze’s voice was frustrated, eyebrows drawn together. “Ican’tleave you alone. Ican’tlet you go and live out my days like you don’t exist.”
Alecto’s back straightened, her heart skipping a beat at his words. She didn’t want to hear what else he had to say, but she also craved nothing more.
“Why?” Her voice was so weak, the words almost got lost in the madness of the full-on storm now raging around them.
Blaze took a deep breath. “Because it’sphysicallyimpossible. Wherever I go, I always look for you in a crowd, even if I don’t want to. Whenever you’re not around, I find myself imagining you were there because otherwise, everything is so fucking dull.”
Alecto was pretty sure her jaw was on the fucking floor, which made Blaze smirk, the weird heaviness evaporating from his face, even if it still lingered in his gaze.
“You’re a fucking curse on my poor immortal soul, Black.”
At that, Alecto couldn’t hold the laugh back. Blaze’s smirk deepened, and he used the moment to slip his hand into hers.
Then he was dragging her into the House. Alecto didn’t stop him.
44
Alecto’s back hit the wall next to Blaze’s bedroom door, and his strong body pressed into her.She was grateful for it because she wasn’t sure she would have been able to stand on her own.
Both were soaking wet, raindrops falling on the hardwood floors as they glared at each other, breathing heavily.
Blaze blinked, breaking out of the haze they seemed to be lost in for a moment. “You’re cold. And soaked.”
Alecto snorted. “Yeah, asshole, so are you.”
Blaze chuckled, backing off a few inches, his hands still around her waist. “Undress.”
With that, he left her, disappearing into his bathroom. A moment later, the sound of water running came, and then Blaze appeared again, his shirt already gone.
Alecto inhaled a sharp breath at the sight of his naked chest, the broad shoulders and the defined abs, the carved-out V-line pointing at something hidden in his black jeans, which she already knew was worth fantasizing about—
Blaze cleared his throat, and that snapped Alecto out of her thoughts. He was standing right in front of her, with a smirk and an eyebrow cocked, clearly reading her thoughts on her face.
“I see you’re waiting for me to undress you,” Blaze said. “Fine, I’ll do it myself then.”
On an instinct, Alecto tried backing away, but there was nowhere to go. The wall was right behind her.
Blaze peeled her soaked coat and school jacket off, letting them drop on the floor. Then, his wicked fingers unbuttoned the white shirt sticking to Alecto’s body. As he let it open, his fingers trailed over her shoulders and arms, sending shivers through her.
