Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 249(@200wpm)___ 199(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 249(@200wpm)___ 199(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
He's softer in a way he's never been, more patient than I think anyone thought he was capable of being. Even his cousins notice the change. By the end of the week, they're walking on eggshells, so caught off guard by the change that they don't know how to react.
I'm not entirely sure what to do with this new side of him, either. He's always been human to me, but he's even more so now. It's seriously messing with my head. In quiet moments, while the sweat is cooling on our skin or he's just holding me, his soft whisper in the bathroom echoes in my head.
Let me in.
Let me in.
I want to do it. God, do I ever. But I choke on fear every damn time I think about telling him how I really feel about him. I think I'd rather have one piece of him than none of him at all. And if I tell him that I've fallen head over heels for him, I'm terrified I'll lose him. He'll pull away, try to put up walls between us, or change the rules again.
We're in a good place, and I do not want to rock the boat. But…the longer I don't say it, the harder it gets to carry that secret in silence. I love him. Wildly. Desperately.
Sometimes, he looks at me, and I'm convinced he feels the same. This isn't just sex. It isn't about control. It can't be…right?
I'm too afraid to be wrong to ask that question, so I just don't.
I'm a coward.
On Thursday afternoon, he appears in my office doorway like a dark knight, all ruffled hair and scruff. My stomach turns a flip as his green eyes bore into mine.
"We need to talk."
Never in the history of ever has anything good come after that sentence.
"Okay," I say slowly, tapping the button to save the video I'm working on. Our social media has really started to pick up since I started including pictures and videos of Bastian and his cousins. The video of Jax and Haven celebrating the arrival of the new printer performed nearly as well as the video of Jax melting down over it. And the montage of Bastian and Trystan on their little roadtrip outperformed even that one. No one can resist that grumpy scowl.
"My parents know that we've been sleeping together."
"Oh." I blink at him, not sure what I'm supposed to say. Luna and Carter know I'm having sex with their son. Awkward.
"They want you to come to dinner tonight."
"Uh…" I pause, studying his expression. He seems…tense about it. Definitely not thrilled. That's not a good sign. "I get the impression you don't like this plan?"
"Hell no," he growls.
"Oh." I try to pretend that answer doesn't hurt my feelings, but it's a lie. My feelings are definitely hurt. "Then I won't go."
"You have to go."
"I'm not going, Bastian."
"Yes, you are," he growls.
"You just said you didn't want me to go!"
"What the fuck?" His brows furrow as he stomps all the way into my office. "When did I say that?"
"You said you weren't thrilled."
"I'm not."
I scowl at him, contemplating stabbing him with a pen. I bet his cousins would cover for me.
"Jesus." He shoves my office door closed before stalking toward me. I try to push him away, but he's big and bossy and manhandles me despite my protests. I end up on his lap in my chair.
"You are such a jerk," I mutter.
"Yeah, I know. But I'd rather have you pissed at me for something I did than for whatever shit you're thinking right now. I didn't say I don't want you to go," he murmurs, sinking his hand into my hair to tip my head back the way he always does. I'm not sure if it's a control thing or a comfort thing for him, but it's like he's only happy if his hand is in my hair, and he's moving me where he wants me. "I said I'm not thrilled. I had plans for you tonight, and they didn't involve listening to my mom tell you embarrassing stories of the dumb shit I did as a kid."
"Oh." I pause, processing this. "What kind of dumb shit?"
"There may be photos of me dressed as a magician, pulling all kinds of stuff out of my hat."
I laugh softly. "You were a kid."
"I was twelve."
"I was convinced I was going to marry Nick Jonas when I was twelve." My lips twitch at the memory. "I even had a mock wedding with his poster."
"Yeah, fuck that," he growls. "You aren't marrying some jackass who poses for posters."
I fight a smile. Even when we're talking about someone who doesn't even know I exist, he's jealous. I kind of love it, even though I probably shouldn't. "So…you don't want me to go to dinner with your parents because you don't want me to find out that you're actually human?"