Page 16 of Darkness Colliding
Chapter Nine
Goodnight
Cameron
She’s pressed so hard against the door I think she might crash back into the hall at any moment. For several seconds, we just stare at one another, the room growing smaller and smaller by the minute. She feels too close and yet too far away at the same time. My gaze follows the blonde locks that are kissing her cheek down to the soft skin of her neck and down to the full curve of her breasts. It takes more thought than it should to force my attention back to her pretty eyes.
Her gaze slips over the panes of my bare chest for only a moment. The dusty blanket over the bed skims against my thigh as I shift, my shirt held in my hands as I wait for her to speak.
But … she doesn’t.
“Did you need something?” There’s a rasping tone against my words, and I mentally face palm at the sound of my voice.
“I just wanted to say goodnight.” She nods. I nod. I wonder if either of us actually believe her.
“Goodnight.” I repeat the polite phrase. It feels tense against my tongue.
Everything I do and say around her is a tense form of who I really want to be. I want to say all the dirty thoughts that she pushes into my mind at all hours of the day. I want to make her smile the way she did that very first night I met her. I want to push her back against the wall and feel our bond on the deepest level possible.
But our bond grows weaker every day.
A tangle of guilt and fear sinks through my stomach.
Eventually, the connection that brought us together will dissolve away with time. What will it leave behind? Will she still look at me the way she’s looking at me right now if there isn’t that connection of magic?
The fear that’s ripping through my chest pushes my body into action without thought. My boots skim slowly over the boards on stalking steps. Amber eyes watch my every move as she stands with her hands pressed behind her back.
A crackling feeling snaps through my body as our bond licks through me from our closeness. My fingers reach for her, barely skimming her hip when she speaks.
“I want you to leave.”
A weighted feeling has my hand dropping to my side in an instant. My gaze flicks back and forth between her serious eyes. She looks small standing before me.
But the energy within her feels monumental.
I know she wouldn’t have said what she just said if she didn’t mean it.
“You don’t want me here?” My jaw locks in place to keep my emotions inside.
“I want you safe. I want you to be where you’re supposed to be. You’re not supposed to be in the Underworld, Cam.” A shriek trails after her words, and I feel like she’s barely containing herself.
For several seconds, I just blink down at her as anger starts to build inside me.
Finally, I take a single step back from her.
“Neither are you.” My teeth grind together before I fully walk away, putting distance between myself and her rejecting words.
“Cam,” she whispers. But that’s all she says. That’s all she seems to have as an argument.
The mattress dips beneath my weight. On slow steps, she comes to me. Every step she takes is watched with energy building in my chest. There’s a sadness in her eyes that makes me regret the anger within me. I swallow down the tension, and I can’t help but grip her hips the moment she’s close enough.
She’s here. Just in front of me. Held between my hands. The smooth skin of her stomach meets my fingertips, and she’s so close I could lean forward and kiss the soft skin there.
I hate this confusing fucking energy that’s always between us. I hate not knowing where I stand. I hate that the only reason she keeps me around is because of this bond.
The tension in her spine seems to relax beneath my touch, and the simple feel of her body in my hands makes my dick hard. I swallow as I stare up at her, waiting for her to either reject me or accept me.
Just end me now.
