Page 60 of Make Me Bleed

I nod vigorously. “Oh, me, too.”

“What the hell are you two doing in here?” Peris snaps as he stomps into the room.

“Making out,” I say, just as Gabe blurts a loud,“Nothing.”

Peris narrows his eyes at us both, lips pulled into a tight line. I grin at him, which only makes it worse.

“Don’t fucking talk without me around,” he finally replies.

“Sure thing, boss.” I salute him. Gabriel blows out a breath and rolls his eyes.

“Jesus Christ,” he mutters, shaking his head as he backs out of the room and goes back into the kitchen. He has a towel slung over his shoulder, and for some reason, that makes him look way hotter. I’m practically drooling onto their floor—until Gabe snaps me out of it.

“You actually gonna stick around this time?” Gabe asks, and I snort, eyes never leaving the spot Peris disappeared from, even after my vision starts to blur against the white walls and they morph into a blob I can’t look away from.

I start to laugh. Deep, full belly laughs that make my lungs ache from the effort it takes to inhale.

“What’s so funny?” Gabe exclaims, moving in closer. His thick, dark brows are pinched together in concentration as he stares down at me, trying to figure out what’sso fucking funny.But he just has no clue.

The reality is, I’ve been here the whole time. Unable to truly leave Peris behind. I’m still as insane for him as I’ve always been, and now that I know he’s just as obsessed with me… there is no going back from this.

We’re caught in the visceral whirlpool of destruction we created in one another.

There is no escape. Only a fight to the end to see if we can make it out the other side still breathing.

And I don’t think I care that much if I survive, so long as I die by his side.

CHAPTER 15

PERIS

As the baconcooks in the skillet, I can’t help continuously looking back at Abel sitting at the counter, cup of coffee perched in his hand, the rim skimming just beneath his large nose as he takes another sip.

My eye twitches when he adds more sugar to his cup.

“Still have the biggest fucking sweet tooth of anyone I’ve ever met,” I mutter as he drops the spoon from mixing. His eyes flicker up to meet mine, and I relish in the pink blush that blooms across his cheeks.

“So what if I like things sweet? What’s it matter?”

“You’ve added like an entire cup of sugar into one cup of coffee,” I tell him bluntly, leaning back against the counter and crossing my arms over my chest.

“I don’t like the bitterness.”

“I’d say that’s a bit more than that.”

“Well, whatever,” Abel huffs and drops his gaze. His cheeks blaze a bit more red. “What’s it to you?”

“Nothing,” I say after a minute of watching him squirm. This is different. The tables being turned. Seeing Abel vulnerable. It’s… surreal. “Just curious.”

“You already know everything about me,” he says directly, and I shrug as I turn back around to flip the bacon.

“It’s been two years. People change. I know you have.”

“Not that much,” he mutters, and I snort.

“You’d be surprised,” I murmur, and Abel lets out a soft hum that I barely hear over the sizzling in the pan.

“Why? Because you’ve changed so much?”