Page 60 of Blood Match
My breath is sharp as I pull it in. No! I don’t need him around. I want him gone.
“I want you gone,” I say, but he’s not listening to me.
He’s still looking about us, his lip curling in distaste. “Something’s wrong… Someone’s been here.”
“Precisely. You! You’re here. That’s what’s wrong,” I huff.
“Someone else.” His eyes narrow, and his nostrils flare. “A male. Someone you care about.”
I frown.
What is he talking about?
Then it occurs to me. “Heath?” Honestly, I don’t care about Heath…which surprises me because not long ago, I might not have said that. I’m not going to discuss that with him, though.
“Heath.” He says the name like it tastes bad. “You let him in here?”
“What’s it to you?”
“I don’t like it.” His fists bunch at his sides. He’s bristling.
What the hell?
“You don’t like it?” I scoff.
“I don’t like it. I don’t want him here anymore.”
He’s got to be kidding.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I repeat the thoughts in my head because I’m not sure if he can read my mind if we’re standing face to face.
“I’m not a man who ‘kids,’ Rowan.” His eyes meet mine, and my pulse immediately surges. I feel like a moth pinned to a board. Helpless. Immobile. “Don’t bring him back. He doesn’t belong here.”
“You don’t get to make demands like that. If anyone doesn’t belong here, it’s you.”
His eyes narrow for a while as if he’s considering this. “Have you noticed anything strange lately?” he asks, changing the subject so abruptly that my head spins.
“Anything strange? You mean aside from the vampire asshole who’s set up camp in my brain?”
His lip twitches. “Yes. Aside from that.”
“No. Nothing,” I lie.
He cocks his head, rocking back on his heels. And yet, still, he towers over me. “Nothing? No unusual…abilities?”
“Nope.” I make a popping sound with the “p,” then step back, needing distance between us. Up close, I can catch his scent, and it’s unsettling. I’m pretty sure my nipples are tightening. Because my body is a total traitor.
I need more space!
I back further away from him, my heart racing like a runaway horse. But before I can blink, he’s there, his hand clamping around my wrist like a vise. I gasp, the sudden contact sending a jolt through me.
“Let me go!” I try to yank my arm free, but it’s like pulling against solid steel. He doesn’t budge an inch. Nor does he respond. His eyes are locked on my wrist, watching the pulse jump beneath my skin. His nostrils flare, and I realize with a start that he’s scenting me.
Like an animal.
The touch of his hand sears into my skin, raising goosebumps that race up my arm. It’s like electricity crackling between us, and I hate how my body responds to him. I’m tingling.
Slowly, inexorably, he pulls me closer until we’re nearly touching. I can feel the chill radiating off his body, a stark contrast to the burning in my cheeks.