Page 36 of His Haunted Desire

“You weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t like storms.”

“You don’t have to make fun of me.”

“I’m not making goddamn fun of you,” he growls.

“It sounded like you were about to start.”

“No,” he says with a tired sigh. “I wasn’t, and Iwouldn’t. You’ve got every reason to be frightened of them.”

“Oh, I understand it,” I tell him. “I lost my parents when the weather was like this. I was sitting at the front window, waitingfor them to pick me up from Grandma’s house. Back then, I liked storms. They made me feel cozy.”

“But understanding it and overcoming it are two different things,” he says.

“Exactly.”

He gestures to the TV. “We’ll put onMisery. Distract us from the storm.”

The thunder crashes even louder, and a gust of wind blows so hard the bones of the mansion tremble.

“Are you keeping your mask on?” I ask.

“Yeah. Easier to play the role. You’re my scared girlfriend, and I’m a comforting boyfriend.”

And it will remind us at all times that weareplaying roles. When I agreed to this, I didn’t expect to become conflicted so fast. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not like I’m falling in love with him or anything melodramatic like that.

I like his company, though, even when he’s being grumpy, and that’s a problem.

He switches on the smart TV and findsMisery, purchasing it in HD. I sit on the other end of the couch from him, my legs folded beneath me, doing my best not to shudder each time thunder cracks or the wind howls.

“Don’t be proud, Aurora,” he says. “Come here.” He opens his arms.

“Is that an order… sir?”

He smirks. “You’d find it easier if itwerean order.” When I don’t say anything, he grunts, “Yes, it’s an order. Get over here. Now.”

A shiver courses through me, teasing up my spine, a seductive energy moving through my body.All part of the game, I whisper inside as I crawl into his arms.

He cuddles me close as the storm grows louder, stroking his hand through my hair.

I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a thousand times better than sitting alone.

“This scene always gets me,” Raiden says as Annie forces Paul to burn his manuscript. “All that hard work gone up in flames. All that struggle. All that pain. For nothing.”

“Does it hit close to home?” I murmur, my eyes growing heavy.

“I worked and bled in the Marines to earn the money to start my business. Some people, pricks who were just given everything, don’t understand that. They don’t understand the weight of betrayal.”

“It’s okay,” I whisper, moving even closer to him, feeling protected even if I’ve always claimed, to myself, to my friends, to Grandma, that I don’t need a protector.

“You don’t have to stay awake, Aurora,” he says with surprising softness.

I do my best, but the crazier the storm outside becomes, the warmer his embrace feels. I rest my cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and somehow, forget none of this is real.

CHAPTER 14

RAIDEN

Itake off my mask and then carry Aurora to bed. Leaning down, I gently remove her mask too, revealing her full beauty. While sleeping, she looks even more vulnerable. For a brief and impossible moment, I imagine being her protector for real.