Page 224 of Ominous: Part 1

My throat feels a little tight, and slowly, I drag my gaze to her. She’s fully facing me, one leg crossed over the other. She’s leaning back against the counter now, her elbows propped behind her.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes. Thank you for those.”

“You’re very welcome.”

I step toward her, and without me saying a word, she uncrosses her legs, spreading her knees apart. I come between them, my hands on her thighs as her muscles tighten beneath my touch, but she tips her chin up to hold my gaze, still smiling, her throat exposed, her hair falling over one shoulder in knotted waves.

“One day,” I tell her, bringing my hands to either side of her neck, holding her gently as I run my thumbs up the column of her throat. “You won’t jump when I touch you.”

Something passes through her eyes. Something I can’t quite puzzle out. Darkness, maybe, blurring the colors of green, brown, and blue, morphing them into a secret I don’t know.

Why are you skittish?

It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask. But I say something else. “Tell me about this heart problem of yours.”

The darkness is gone, and she raises her thick brows, her knees closing against my hips. I step closer, and she pushes up from her elbows, wrapping her arms around me, having to look up even higher. I slide my hands over the curve of her jaw, back toward her ears, then thread my fingers through her hair, smoothing it back from her face.

“It’s not a problem,” she says, a little defensively.

“You have a prescription for it. When were you diagnosed?” All things I wanted to know last night, but I was thinking with my dick instead of my brain, and now I realize I need to understand the severity of her problem. I’m not sure why, my long-term outlook into the future has never been great. But with her… I want her there beside me.

Her fingers press into my back, hot against my cold.

Her chin comes to my sternum as she pins me with big, beautiful eyes. “When I was fourteen.” There it is again. Thethingthat makes her eyes go from multi-colored to darkness, all in a blink.

“Tell me what happened.”

She looks down, her long lashes grazing her cheeks as she presses the softest kiss to my abs. Longing for her has me taking deep breaths, but I know this trick. I’m not going to let her distract me. “There’s nothing to tell.”

I reach for her chin, keeping one hand in her hair. I tip her face up, so her eyes are on mine again. “Don’t be a little liar,” I tell her. “Tell me the story.”

“You’ve told me none of yours.”

I feel a tightness in my chest, and I glance at Dominic, still sitting with his feet in the water, now scrolling through his phone, probably looking for a distraction. Was that what our fight was last night? Is it what he’s using Eden for?

“I will,” I tell her.

“When?” Her tone is edged with impatience.

I meet her gaze, tracing her bottom lip with my thumb, searching for a distraction of my own. “My dad invited you to dinner tonight. Here.”

She pales, her body tense as her thighs squeeze around me. “Really?” She sounds so unsure of herself, like she doesn’t understand why my dad would be interested in having her around.

“Really.” I lean down and press a kiss to her mouth, not opening my own, because I still haven’t brushed my teeth. I pull back, keeping a grip on her chin. “Tell me about your diagnosis.”

“I will.” A shitty little smirk tugs on her lips as she repeats my words back to me.

I grip her jaw harder, not enough to hurt, but to get her attention. “Tell me now.”

She shakes her head, brings her hands to my abs and pushes me away slowly. I step back, allowing it, and she twists her face out of my hold. “No.” She slides down from the stool, raking a hand through her thick mass of hair. “I’m going to go change.” Then she starts to walk off.

I grab her wrist, but don’t pull her to me.

She stills, and I feel her pulse rise in her veins just beneath the base of her hand.

“If I had a heart problem, I wouldwantto tell you all about—”