woo or wear down?” I grit out.
Could I sound any more jealous? And why am I bringing her up again? Right. Because I don’t want to be the other woman . . . the Brume fling. He said he wasn’t dating anyone, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t involved with her in some other way.
“She’s the type you wear down.”
Not that I liked being the wear-down type, but now I’m jealous of sharing that status with this other girl.
“She’s a lot like you, actually.”
Great.
“She has these really intense blue eyes. So clear they look like glaciers, but ringed with this dark, deep ocean-blue.” His lips barely move as he adds, “I’d never seen eyes like hers. Well, until the groac’h in the well used them to lure me.”
That’s not true. He’s seen them on me.
His arms drop from their knot, and then he’s shoving one hand through his hair. “And here I thought you’d figured it out.”
“Figured what out?”
He lets out a long breath. “I saw you in that well, Cadence.”
My breathing catches. My heart, too. All of my organ’s functions become suspended as Slate’s confession trickles through me. And then everything starts up at the same time, and my heart detonates, and I wheeze, and then once I’m done making strangled sounds, my jaw loosens and my lips part.
“Me?” It comes out as a squeak. “But you said it was—that she wasn’t from—that . . .”
I’m flooded with memories of how strange he acted the first time he looked into the well, and how angry he got when Adrien mentioned it resembled someone we had strong feelings for.
I smack his chest.
“Ouch. What was that for?” Slate rubs his pecs dramatically. I really didn’t hit him that hard.
“That was for making me jealous.”
“How is that my fault?”
“You lied about who you saw in there.”
“Well of course, I lied. I barely know you, Cadence. If I’d admitted it, you would’ve freaked.”
Totally. “Want to know what freaks me out even more, though?”
“Do tell, what freaks you out more than my heartfelt confession?”
“How jealous I was of the siren and then of Jasmine.”
“Who’s Jasmine?”
Is he serious? He looks serious. “The girl who was all over you when I was showing you around the campus.”
He’s still rubbing his chest. “Oh. Her. I don’t even remember whether she was a blonde or brunette.”
Did I hit one of his bruises? Shoot, I probably did. “Did I hurt you?”
A lopsided grin takes over. “Very much. I think I might need some medical attention, doctor.”
I’m torn between the desire to strangle him and kiss him. “We should go. Adrien’s waiting.”
“He’s fine.” He finally stops rubbing his chest. “He can wait.” He lays his hand on my jaw, tilts it up.
My heartbeats are so loud and close together that they’re probably making all six layers of my clothing vibrate.
The tip of his nose touches the tip of mine, and his breath warms my parted lips. The only boy I’ve ever kissed is Romain, and those kisses were always friendly and sweet. I don’t think kissing Slate will be friendly or sweet. I lick my lips in anticipation.
“Can’t wait for our date.” He pulls back, releases my head but finds my hand in the folds of his coat, and tows me downstairs.
Yep. I’m going to strangle him.
Probably while kissing him.
29
Slate
Keep it in check, dude. Keep it in check. I’m battling with myself. I want nothing more than to taste Cadence, tangle my fingers in her hair, and kiss her until she moans. But I don’t. Why?
Because I’m a gentleman.
Or a masochist.
One of the two.
Maybe both.
She knows. She knows I saw her in the well and she didn’t run screaming. Already that’s a miracle. And she was jealous on top of it? Things are finally looking up for Slate Ardoin.
Unless my confession shocked her into a lie. Or maybe, she’s just as messed up as I am and is falling too hard and too fast for someone she barely knows. I want her so bad it hurts, but I know not to push. She needs to set the pace.
We step out into the permanent soup of fog, and I drop Cadence’s hand to lock the door of the house.
Adrien’s bouncing on the balls of his feet, probably trying to keep his blood from congealing. “Finally.”
My phone vibrates: Bastian.
As we crunch over the snow down the drive, I answer. “Yo, little bro.”
“Guess where I am?”
“Euro Disney?”
“Close but no. I’m in Brume!”
I stop walking.
“The train’s just pulling into the station.” He says this