A Cut so Deep - Dani Rene Page 0,90

ready for the real thing this time,” she whispers when she steps into the glass house. She’s dressed in tight black yoga pants, a tank top with her hoodie unzipped, and sneakers. She looks beautiful in the darkness, just like she did the first night we ran.

I hold the rose up, reaching for my lighter, I flick it to life. The flame dances over the petals, searing the perfection, turning the deep red to black. Nesrin’s golden eyes are ablaze, just like the flower that’s slowly turning to ash.

Once the bud is completely singed, I kill the flame and slip my lighter into my back pocket, before handing her the burnt rose. Her hand wraps around the stem, and I watch in awe as the crimson drips from the piercings of the thorns.

“You did that on purpose,” I accuse her, and she can’t refute me; she knows it’s true. When Nesrin opens her hand, I grab her wrist, bringing her palm to my nose. Inhaling her scent has my mouth-watering, and I can’t stop myself from leaning in to taste her. “Are you completely sure you want this?”

Her gaze flits to mine, her pupils dilate, and her lips part on a soft whisper of, yes.

“Then run,” I order, low, barely audible, but when her feet move, I know she’s heard me. I step out of the greenhouse, watching her path into the trees, and then I take off behind her. The moment I hit the tree line, I listen, slowing down just enough to pick up the footfalls on the ground.

When I hear the creak in a branch, I move to the left. My heart rate spiking with excitement, as I make my way through the shadows of the trees. Even though it’s dark, I know my way through the maze before me. I wonder if she’ll head toward the water, or if she’ll run the other way.

A few meters later, I stop, listen, and close my eyes to focus on the sounds that skitter across the forest. A harsh breath echoes from my right-hand side, so I follow it. A smile playing on my lips, as I make way on the soft ground, and, seconds later, I see her in the sliver of light coming from the moon above us.

I grab at her, my fingers brushing along the material of her hoodie and a scream falls free from her, making me chuckle.

“I’m coming for you, wild rose,” I warn her, as my cock thickens against my zipper. Fuck, I’m so ready for her right now. I want her heat wrapped around me like a vise.

She shoots forward, her breathing coming out in short, quick spurts that makes my desire for her burn through me like a blaze taking out everything in its way.

I’m about to grab at her again, when she twists to the left, making me race the wrong way because I couldn’t slow down in time. Even through the trees, I can make her small form out, and the animal deep in my gut roars with happiness when another scream lurches from her as I make another grasp for her.

But my wild rose is quick, shocking me and she makes a break, racing from me on those slender, sexy legs. I fucking love this girl. The thought comes quickly, but I shake it away the next second, refocusing on the task at hand.

I can’t think about that now.

Not yet.

39

Nesrin

My lungs are burning, but I don’t stop. My legs wobble with every step, but I focus on the adrenalin racing through me. Even though everything aches, I’m euphoric. The talk with my mother, the truth she revealed, no longer twists the anger in my gut. My chest is no longer tight with frustration at the lies.

I’m free.

The need to grab a blade, to open a wound in order to release my fears is no longer at the forefront of my mind. With every tentative step I take, hoping he finds me but also, praying he doesn’t; I can’t help but realize I can make it through whatever challenge comes my way.

It’s a thin, sleek line between strength and weakness for me. One small incident can tip me over the edge into the darkness, and I’ll get lost inside myself.

The darkness engulfs me, holding me in its chilly embrace. I stop for a moment, completely lost. I took a turn somewhere along the way, thinking it would lead me to the lake, but it hasn’t. I’m not sure where