Page 50 of Conform
He looked down at me. “I don’t want pity. I have known love, and that is—” He paused, seemingly at war with himself. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them. I told you so you would know what the Illum and Elite are capable of. Trust what you see and not what they tell you.”
“If you’re Elite, why did they put you in blue?”
Hal let out a sigh. “We can talk about it tomorrow after you’ve slept. It’s a long story.”
We sat in silence for some time, our confessions mingling. My blinks became longer as I wondered what exactly made a person a Major Defect. How had two Majors made an Elite? It didn’t make sense. If they had love hidden in their tunnels, did that make the surface the place to fear? I had been taught to fear being cast down without really understanding it—that the worse possible fate, other than elimination, was to live outside of the Illum’s light as a Major Defect. I felt sleep tugging on my mind.
“I’m glad you were there tonight,” I murmured, eyelids closing.
The warmth of his body aligned with mine as one of his arms wound around my waist, pulling me in. Through the haze of impending sleep my stomach fluttered at the contact. I nestled back into him.
“Get some sleep, Moonlight,” Hal breathed into my ear.
I smiled into my pillow at the nickname, too tired to fight it, to hide. My breathing became deep and slow. Sleep curled up around my sore body as dreams came out to play. I heard Hal mutter through the haze, or maybe it was my dream.
“I’d do anything for love.”
There was no talk of sleeping on the floor as sleep claimed me.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
IOPENED MY EYES, IMMERSED IN WARMTH. THE SKY OUTSIDEwas still dark, but I couldn’t focus on anything other than the sight before me.
Hal lay on his back, one leg intertwined with mine, an arm curled above his head, the other wrapped around my waist, tucking me into his side, as if he had held me all night, which maybe he had. His face was relaxed, his dark blond hair tousled. I thought of brushing it away as my eyes traced over his broad shoulders and sculpted chest that lay exposed. I drank in every curve of his muscles before landing on my glowing wrist on his chest, close to his heart. I bit my lip, staring at my hand against his skin, impossibly smooth and hard. I could lean closer and replace my hand with my lips. I startled at the thought, embarrassment and heat flushing through me. My heart picked up its pace. I should remove my hand, should get out of bed and put distance between us. I knew I should, yet I didn’t move.
His breathing hitched, and I realized too late that he hadn’t been sleeping.
I crashed into starburst amber eyes. The hand around my waist tightened, drawing me closer. I let Hal pull me in until my body was flush against his, my hand caught between us, no room to think of anything but him and the feel of his warm strength surrounding me. Hal’s hand dragged lazily up my spine, and I arched into him until his lips were inches from mine.
“You just going to look at me, Moonlight?” Hal whispered, his hand leaving goosebumps in its wake as he swept along my back, venturing lower.
“Emeline, Emeeelinnne.”
Hal froze.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I pushed us apart, heart racing. Had Hal’s cuff not worked? Had my performance last night been too much? Had they come for me?
Thump. Thump Thump.
“For fuck’s sake, Emeline,” an exasperated male voice called from the opposite side of my door. Hal lifted a finger to his mouth before gesturing toward the bathroom. I nodded as he stood, the sheets falling off, clad in nothing but his briefs. My heart hammered for more than one reason as his sculpted back flexed when he bent down, grabbing his jumpsuit, undershirt, and boots before disappearing into my bathroom. For such a large man, he moved with stealthy efficiency.
I swept the room as he shut the door, ensuring nothing was left behind. I placed my glowing wrist under the scanner before I cracked the door to find Gregory staring at the ceiling.
“Fuck, finally.” Gregory pushed past me without an invitation.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, chasing after him, positioning myself between him and the bathroom door. Gregory took in my room, nose scrunched.
“You live here?” he asked incredulously.
“Obviously. What are you doing here?” I repeated, my heart refusing to slow. He was still in the wrinkled suit from last night. I could smell the wine wafting off of him.
“I seem to be tasked with fetching duties,” Gregory drawled, looking around the room. “I can’t believe people live like this.”
My cheeks heated. “Fetching what, exactly?”
Gregory rubbed his temples. “You, obviously. Please tell me being a Minor doesn’t make you dense.”
