Page 45 of My Revenant
He had responded to my text this morning.
Blue Haired Idiot
sorry. ill sort it with roy.
That was it. No influx of emojis for my old phone to convert into blank squares. It didn’t sit well with me. So when I’d asked Archer for his address and he’d told me he would probably be here instead, I’d decided to drop in and ensure nothing was wrong in a way that meant I had to get involved.
Leaving Delilah in the corner of the lot closest to the buildings, I started on my mission of locating that blue-haired moron. Most of the classroom doors had glass windows, which made my stalking incredibly convenient.
I found Toby first—glancing out the window and most definitely not paying attention to his lecture—and made a mental note to circle back to him if I couldn’t find Bryce myself. Those twowere practically joined at the incredibly annoying hip. Two halves of a whole idiot. It was a miracle Bryce hadn’t gotten him a job at the shop too so they could sit in each other’s laps—the two of them combined could do half the job of one regular person.
I continued on my mission, only it was brought to an abrupt halt when I scanned the next room. A flash of neon orange. Becca’s hair, like a beacon that sent my heart into a crescendo, because where there was Becca there was—
My honey-eyed inferno. Already looking back at me. Brow furrowed in his regular scowl, except his cheeks held a sudden flush of color that didn’t usually accompany his glare. I liked it. Wanted him to always react that way to seeing me. More.
I smirked at him. My gaze met the challenge in his. A raging fire, heated and set on destruction. Well, I was the ocean, raging in a whole different way. Fierce. Wild. Free. Untamable.
What happens when a wildfire meets the sea?
We stared at each other for seconds. Minutes. This pull between us as strong and certain as gravity, until his attention snapped to the front of the room and he glared at his professor with such heat it made me jealous.
I couldn’t hear what was being said inside the room, but I watched as his lips moved and he shoved his things into his bag and stood, clearly ready to leave. Becca looked confused until her eyes found mine at the door, and she frowned. I gave her a wink and stepped aside, waiting for my rabbit.
The door slammed, louder than necessary, then Jonah grabbed my arm harshly and dragged me down the hallway without a word. I followed. Of course I followed. Through a door and up the stairs, and then we were on the roof.
The building wasn’t tall, but from here I could see over the trees, to the ocean on the horizon. It was a decent view, but nothing compared to the fire in Jonah’s eyes.
“You’re stalking me.” He pouted, but the venom in his tone sounded forced. In fact, I’d even say he seemed rather pleased to see me.
“No.” I grinned. “I’m here for Bryce, actually.”
There it was. The disappointment. Just as I’d hoped. A slight flicker of vulnerability immediately eaten up by his flames. “Well…” I could tell he was scrambling for something to say, something to make him feel less vulnerable, less embarrassed at his own assumption. At the disappointment he felt like a dirty secret. “Why the fuck did you stand there staring at me for so long, then? He clearly wasn’t in there.”
“How could I not, when you look at me like that?”
His mouth dropped open. Snapped shut. I liked leaving him speechless as much as I liked hearing his angry tirades.
“Well. Whatever, then. Fuck off and find him.” He turned toward the door. I grabbed him by the arm, shoved him against the wall. Boxed him in, the way I knew he was hoping I would, and the fire in his eyes blazed and smoldered with new vigor. New purpose. His eyes dropped to my lips, and that fire burned withwant.
“You don’t get to run away now, Rabbit. Not after you basically kidnapped me and brought me somewhere we could be alone.”
“I didn’t—”
“You did.” His hands grabbed fists of leather, pushing me away, but his grip on my jacket prevented us from separating. Such a contradiction. What he wanted and what he thought he should want at war with each other. “What do you want, Jonah?”
His eyes were still harsh as they searched mine, seeking a threat that wasn’t there.
“I don’t want anything,” he said after a long moment.
Words spoken with distrust. I understood it well. But my rabbit would have to learn that if no one else, he could trust me. “Everyone wants something.”
“Yeah? What do you want, then?” he said, defensive.
“You,” I answered honestly.
He shoved me again, no doubt to distract me from the way his cheeks darkened and his eyes widened. I saw that want in him again. “Fuck off.”
“Never,” I said, and Imeantit.
