“You won’t if you just…” She licks her lips, the frigid look in her eyes shifting to desperation. “I want you, Lev. If you’ll just say something.”
I fight the urge to twist out of her grip. “Say what?”
“Say you want me too.”
Unshed tears shimmer in her eyes. Is that what this is about? Fuck me, why couldn’t I see that before? “Dammit, Alex. I want you.”
“Then why…?”
“Because I’m fucking stupid, that’s why.”
I crawl over her legs and pin her with a furious kiss, the potency of my passion shoving her head into the headboard. Guilt shoots through my chest when I hear her whimpering cry and I cradle her gently in my arms, nestling her beneath my body. I don’t rest my weight on her. Instead, I kick the covers from her body and settle between her bare legs, grasping her hips while I mark her lips.
She twists beneath me, wiggling until she finds the perfect spot. Her delicate fingers curl into my hair and pull me away from her lips, making me groan with frustration. The tease of her tongue against my lower lip makes my cock bounce to life, stiffening instantly.
“Oh, sweetheart,” I whisper as I nudge her cheek with my nose. “Don’t you know how empty this place would be without you?”
It’s true—and I’m tired of pretending like it’s not. The depth of my affection is so vast that it scares the fuck out of me. It terrifies me because of the potential for her to trample all over me. But I can’t let that stop me anymore. If she wants out of this place, maybe I can get her out.
Her hands fumble between us, eagerly tearing open the button of my jeans. While she massages my cock to full mast, I smooth my fingers over her panties, the soft sigh dripping from her lips driving me fucking crazy.
A knock at the door sends me flying off the bed. I drop to the ground and roll underneath, the door opening just seconds after I’ve hidden.
“Alex?” That sounds like Ophelia. Her small feet come into view, and then the mattress depresses ever so slightly with her weight. “Another one of your classmates died. Irene Brie.”
I hear Alex take a sharp breath. “Shit, that’s awful.”
“School will be open on Monday, but attendance isn’t necessary. The principal just told me they would offer counseling over the recent tragic losses.” Ophelia pauses. “Are you…Do you need that?”
“Your concern is a little too late, Mother.”
Ophelia snorts. “I’m just trying to help you.”
“If I die, you’ll get everything, so I don’t see why you’re trying to help.”
“How dare you insinuate that I would want to gain from your death?”
Alex scoffs. “I have a few years until I’m twenty-one. There’s plenty of time for you to inherit everything instead of me.”
“I would never want that to happen to you.”
“You sure have a funny way of showing it.”
Ophelia stands. Though I can’t see her face or most of her body, I can tell by the way she walks that she’s offended by what her daughter said. But if Alex is the sole heir, then it’s true. Ophelia would gain everything.
Which puts a lot into perspective.
“Get some rest,” Ophelia snaps. “For God’s sake, you look like a train wreck.”
The door hisses shut and clicks into place with a note of finality. I wait a few minutes in stiff silence, crawling from beneath the bed when I’m sure the coast is clear. Alex looks shaken by the news. She crosses her arms over her chest and frowns while I crawl onto the bed next to her.
“When are you planning to run?” she asks. “Please tell me it’s soon.”
I nod. “It’s soon.” I take her hand, sweeping my thumb over her knuckles. “And I want to take you with me.”
She turns her dark brown eyes to me, the irises shimmering with so much hope that it actually makes me smirk. I tug her into my arms and stroke the back of her head, sighing with relief that she’s trusting me, that she’s finally giving in to me.
And that I’m giving in to her.
“I’ll protect you,” I promise. “Nothing is ever going to fucking hurt you again. Do you understand me, Alex? I’m not letting it happen.”
“I believe you.”
I close my eyes while she rests in my arms. This moment is everything right now, the fucking strip of light cutting through the darkness. It means the future isn’t so bleak. I won’t have to go to England alone or have to dodge my father’s lackeys without someone watching my back. Alex is a badass—and I know because I’ve seen the way she fences.
She can be ruthless and cunning when she wants to be. And I hope that comes in handy with the two of us racing toward freedom. It’ll serve us well.
I don’t need to imagine us together. All I have to do is look down into my arms. And what I see is so satisfying that I let myself smile.