Page 111 of Too Far

Yawning, I step into the living room and immediately spot a stack of blankets near the fireplace.

“Yahtzee,” I mumble, beelining for the pile.

I grab one and wrap it around my body like a robe, moaning at the feel of the ultrasoft fabric and its plush thickness. I take two more blankets from the stack, then turn to head back to the Den.

But when I spin, a hand catches my shoulder. Another gently presses against my lips.

“Don’t scream,” he rumbles.

Gasping, I stumble back and look up into the onyx eyes of Decker Crusade.

Chapter 52

Decker

Herbreathcaressesmypalm.

Her clear blue eyes go round with shock and shoot up to mine.

Panic. Trepidation. Unease.

Her eyes go even wider, then she inhales a sharp breath.

Removing my hand, I pacify her. “It’s okay. It’s just me.”

I was afraid I’d scared her, emerging from the dark the way I did.

As her fear transforms into resolve, her brows hitch higher and realization trickles in.

She’s not scared. Startled, maybe. But it’s not the unknown presence looming in the dark that’s throwing her.

It’s me.

I watched her walk into the living room. Looking for what, I didn’t know.

I watched her, satisfaction settling in my gut as my longing manifested into reality.

I thought I was hallucinating.

After I’d wished for her to appear before me all night, she waltzed right back into my orbit.

Close enough that when she passed, I could feel the shift in the air.

Close enough that the sweet scent of her shampoo assaulted me.

I’ve been up for hours.

Nursing three fingers of bourbon. Desperate to find a way to escape the ever-widening pit in my stomach. Willing myself to ignore the discontent overshadowing my existence.

It’s all in vain. I can’t ignore anything about how she affects me or how much I fucking miss her. Being in the same house only compounds the yearning.

I’m so attuned to her, so desperate for a glimpse of her face or the hint of a smile. I swear I sensed her before she’d made it to the top of the stairs.

My pulse hammered so loudly I was certain it would give me away.

But she didn’t see me where I sat, shrouded in darkness, slouched in a wingback chair.

She didn’t even sense me, not the way I always sense her.