Page 29 of Raven's Curse
She let her head fall against the cushion as she blew out an exhausted breath, remnants of the nightmare still lingering in the shadows. Nothing concrete, just dead eyes staring at her from the darkness. A sense of familiarity that prickled the hairs on the back of her neck. “I don’t really remember.”
Chase nodded, staring down at her for a few moments before shifting back — reclaiming the chair on the other side of the coffee table. He didn’t talk, merely eased onto the cushion, watching her as if he thought she’d vanish.
Several months’ worth of wanting to be in this exact scenario — the two of them alone in her apartment — and he couldn’t have been farther away if he’d tried. The distance between them larger than a fissure now. More like a chasm. The kind of expanse no bridge could span.
Irony at its best.
Greer rocked to her feet, stretching out her neck as Chase stood, still staring at her as if she were a ghost. “I can’t believe I fell asleep out here.”
Chase shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I tried to move you but…” He chuckled, though it sounded forced. “You get a bit aggressive in your sleep. Tried to deck me, twice.”
She cracked a hint of a smile. “A girl can’t be too careful.” She pointed to the chair. “Did you seriously sleep in that?” She groaned when he simply stood there, shifting his weight. “You didn’t sleep.”
He glanced at the door, then back. “Your security system’s not nearly as robust as mine. Zain would be disappointed.”
“Then, it’s a good thing Zain doesn’t live here. And it’s plenty secure. Haven’t had to shoot an intruder, yet.”
Chase scoffed. “With how easily someone could bypass that alarm, you wouldn’t get the chance before you’d be dead.”
His voice roughened on that last word, as if he’d caught himself a bit too late to stop it from clawing free. Hadn’t wanted to jinx the future by putting the thought out into the universe.
She pursed her lips, wanting to walk the few feet over to him — sink into his arms. Instead, she rounded the couch to the hallway, stopped at the edge. “I’m going to grab a quick shower before another emergency springs up.” She turned, pausing when the floor creaked behind her.
“Greer.”
God, the way he said her name. It made her knees weak, her damn heart beat so fast she thought it would explode.
She took a fortifying breath, looking back at him over her shoulder. “Did you want to go first?”
Or join me…
She didn’t say the words out loud, but damn, she wanted to. Wanted to wrap her arms around him, close her eyes and believe that everything would be okay, even if it was only for a moment.
Chase toed at the floor, looking like he had the other night when she’d thought he’d bolt. “I already had one.”
“Then, feel free to make some coffee, unless you take after Zain and burn everything.”
“I don’t. And I would have already, but you’ve got less in your cupboards and fridge than we do, which I didn’t think was possible.”
Greer raked her hand through her hair. “It’s been a long few days.”
“Don’t you mean months? Because you’ve been working insane hours since we met.”
“My boss was a drug dealer. The sheriff’s station has a lot to atone for, and I can’t earn back everyone’s trust by sitting on my ass.”
“Pretty sure you’re allowed to eat.”
She sighed, barely pushing the breath out amidst the suffocating pressure all around them. As if he’d increased gravity in the center of her apartment. “I’ll go shopping later.”
“It’s about more than just groceries. You need to take better care of yourself. Of your safety.”
“Chase…” She paused, noting the tight press of his mouth. The hints of red on his cheeks. All that hyper-vigilance focused on her. Like the death vibe he’d given Faraday last night, and she knew this was about more than just coffee and milk. “I’ll look into a better security system.” She motioned toward her room. “After I shower.”
He glanced down the hall, and she wondered if he’d insist on searching the shower before he deemed it safe enough for her to be alone. “I’ll tell Zain he needs to fortify this place.”
“Fine.” She got another two steps in before he called her name, again. She turned, this time, repeating her mantra in her head. How she needed to give him time. Space. Anything to alter the cold reality staring back at her.
That somewhere between the kiss in the parking lot and Rhett’s death, she’d already lost him.
