I was sick of seeing him for brief moments each day. I wanted more.
“No.”
“Mind if I use the front door?”
I smiled. “Sure.” We walked to the front door together, and he surprised me by reaching out and grabbing my hand on the way. His warm fingers stroked the tangled scars on my wrists.
He studied them. Looked back at me. “What happened?”
I swallowed. “I fell in love with the wrong guy.”
I waited for him to question me or get angry at my stupidity, but I shouldn’t have been surprised when he didn’t. This was Declan, and he wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met.
“I noticed them the night I showed you how to punch, but I didn’t say anything. I’m sorry for your pain,” he said, gazing down at the pink skin. “Your scars are beautiful. It means you survived. It means you’re here with me.” He kissed my wrist, light as a feather—and changed everything about us. “It’s my favorite part of you,” he said.
Big moments happen with the smallest of actions, and sometimes it’s not until later we connect the dots, but in that instant, I knew that somehow, someway Declan was going to own my heart. It terrified me and excited me all at the same time.
He brushed a finger down my cheek. “Elizabeth? Do you really want me to go? Because—because I don’t want to. It’s been a shit week and I’ve barely talked to you and—”
“I want you to stay,” I said softly.
Still holding hands, we went back to my darkened bedroom.
We got into bed together. Being careful of his bruises, I snuggled into his chest letting the warmth from his body seep into mine, banishing my nightmare. Wrapped up in a gorgeous body and tattoos, he was a heady sleeping aid. I wanted to yank my gown over my head, climb on top of him, and take him inside me. I wanted to ride him until all the bad memories were gone—but I didn’t. I settled for keeping my clothes on and pressing myself against his hot skin, pleasure flooding me at the way his hands roamed my back, brushing against the bottom of my shirt, his fingers massaging me.
His touch was sexual.
Yet it wasn’t. It was simply more, and I was terrified to put a name to it.
So I didn’t think about it at all.
I just went with it.
THE NEXT MORNING I woke up around five thirty, left Elizabeth in bed, and headed to the gym before class. I’d been going early so I could catch the contractors who were working on the updates.
After the gym, I left for class and met Dax at our usual spot outside the humanities building. We hadn’t seen each other much in the past few days, mostly because I was caught up in the gym and my classes while he was partying at the frat house. At least we had one class together, although it was hard to watch him sit next to Elizabeth each day and flirt with her.
“What do you think of Elizabeth?” he asked as we walked up the stairs to the third floor and came out onto the hallway.
He’d brought her up when I’d been thinking about her? “My Elizabeth?”
He paused mid-stride and flicked his eyes at me. “Yours? You shagged her?”
“No.”
“I’m sensing a but here.”
“Don’t be a knobhead.” I resisted the urge to shove him up against the wall.
Jealous of my own brother. Sad.
He stiffened. “What’s your deal? I’m just making conversation about a girl in class.” His eyes searched mine. “And let’s just say for argument’s sake that I wanted to shag her—would you be okay with it?”
I shrugged. “You’re your own person. Do whatever the bloody hell you want.”
He rubbed his jaw, studying me with narrowed eyes. “You seem a bit off. You okay?”
Just then Nadia and Donatello came down the hall toward us, effectively ending our convo. I didn’t miss that Nadia’s eyes lingered on me, a pleading look in them. I ignored her for the most part, but judging from her tight face and Donatello’s sullen expression, there was trouble in paradise.
They stopped in front of us, mostly because the line of bodies moving had come to a standstill. It was unavoidable we’d bump into each other. This was a small uni. I hadn’t talked to her since the frat party, and although she hadn’t been on my mind, her family had.
“How’s your mum?” I asked, as Ninja Turtle wandered off to talk to some of the tennis lads who