Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
“He’s my best friend. It’s always going to matter to me.”
“Yet you’re still actively chasing me, knowing that he likes me.”
My gaze narrows, and then something clicks. “Is this why you’re so convinced that I’m the one who’s going to hurt him?”
“It’s only a matter of time,” she tells me. “He’s made it pretty clear that he wants this.”
“Maddox likes everyone.”
“Does everyone get to sleep in his bed?”
My gaze shifts away. She has a good fucking point, and I let it sit for a moment. Maybe I really should back off. Let Lyra and Maddox figure this shit out between themselves, but there’s no denying that there’s chemistry between me and Lyra, and I can’t ignore that. Despite her constant rejection, she wants me too.
The red light paints a strange glow across her face, illuminating her blond hair like a devil with a red halo as she studies me, trying to figure me out. I turn away, my gaze shifting to another row of photographs. A self-portrait, the city skyline just beyond Black Velvet, and Smooch again.
I point toward the dog. “That dog looks happier in your photos than he’s ever been around me.”
Lyra grins and looks at the photo, her gaze softening. “Smooch has range.”
“He eats rocks.”
She barks a laugh. “Nobody claimed he was smart.”
A laugh escapes me before I have a chance to swallow it down, and honestly, it feels foreign on my tongue. I don’t laugh often, but when I do, it always knocks me right in the chest.
Lyra watches me, and as she holds my stare, something starts to shift in the darkness. The tension builds, and I step closer, waiting for her to tell me to fuck off, but when it doesn’t come and she doesn’t move, I take another step.
“If you don’t want me, Lyra. Tell me to go.”
She visibly swallows, her chin lifting higher with every step I take until my hands are on her waist, pulling her against me. Her chest rises and falls too quickly, a stark need pulsing through her wild stare, and when she pushes up onto her toes, I lean down, more than ready to capture her lips in mine.
“Go tend thy mouth to my nether cheek.”
I blink. Then pull back, trying to process what the fuck she just said.
“Did you just tell me to kiss your ass?”
A grin tugs at her lips. “Poetic, wasn’t it?”
I should walk away. I should drop my hands from her waist and leave without another glance, but I just keep staring, this woman becoming more than just a puzzle I need to work out. “Why aren’t you afraid of me, Lyra?”
Her brow arches, curiosity flashing in those bright green eyes, then that smile slips away. “Should I be?”
“Most people sense it from the beginning. They don’t know who I am or what I’m capable of, but they know they should run and never look back. But not you. Even now, knowing what you know, you’ve never flinched at my touch. Never backed down or feared me.”
Lyra just watches me, and it’s clear she’s unsure where to go from here, but before either of us can say a word, the door to the dark room opens and Maddox appears, looking just as dumbfounded as I had.
“What the actual fuck?” he muses. “What kind of bullshit pantry is this? Where’s all the food?”
Lyra laughs and shoves my hands from her waist, and I take a step back, giving her space as she gets back to her work, gently collecting a tray and washing the chemicals over the film.
Maddox walks deeper into the dark room, looking around at everything the same way I had. “I’ve been here three fucking times this week. How did I not know about this?”
“Simple,” she says, not bothering to look up. “You’ve been focused on bending me into a pretzel and not the layout of my apartment. I bet you wouldn’t have a clue what color my couch or bedspread is.”
Maddox pauses, his brows pinched, deep in thought. “I, uhh . . . hmm. You might have a point.”
Lyra continues developing her film as Maddox makes himself comfortable, picking up bottles of chemicals and looking over their labels. “Don’t touch that,” Lyra says.
Maddox uncaps the bottle and takes a whiff, before scrunching his face and Lyra sighs. “Down boy.”
He just grins. “What the fuck is this shit?” he asks, putting the bottle down, only to switch it out for another and take a bigger sniff. This time his eyes go wide. “Ugh, fuck. That burned my brain.”
“They weren’t made to be sniffed, you idiot.”
Maddox recaps it and puts it back, but when he goes to reach for another, Lyra shakes her head. “Uh-uh,” she says, gaping at Maddox. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re like a dog who won’t stop going after the socks in the hamper.”