Page 14 of Pawn

The walls in the bathroom feel like they’re closing in so I head for the door. A sign reading ‘Chapel’ is on the wall in front of me. Avoiding Damien some more, I dash down the hall and into the room.

It’s empty when I’m inside the quiet room. A set of four cushioned pews in front of a small podium.

The hospital sounds muffled, the walls a soothing blue-grey. Like his eyes.

Collapsing into a rigid pew, I let my head hit the wood, staring at the painting on the ceiling. Angels. Clouds. The opposite of the hell I’m in.

And when I hear the voice of the devil, it doesn’t look like I’m getting out of Hades anytime soon.

“Let’s handle this, Medusa. Now.”

Four

Damien

I’m a monster and she knows it.

The fear I see on that perfect face proves it.

It’s not the same look of fear that I crave. No, this is different.

“What are you doing in here?” she asks, her body stiff when she sits up, hoodie over her curls in her face like she’s hiding from the world.

I hate that she’s scared. Hate that she’s pulling away from me. I want to wipe it all away with another kiss, her lips on mine to calm us both. But we’ve got some real shit to deal with.

“This isn’t the bathroom.” Locking the door behind me, I approach her, boots thudding against the beige carpet.

“Damien, I need space and it can’t be with you.” Rising from her seat, she’s being stubborn as always. Those words sting more than she’ll know but I keep that stoic face. “Now open the door. You don’t own this space. You don’t own me.”

“We’re talking about this..” I’m moving closer to her inch by inch, the smell of coconut getting stronger. “Marion’s dead. We can’t ignore that.”

“That’s your fault!” Her hands are in fists again. “It’s your fault that she’s dead! It’s your fault I’m in this mess! I want out, Damien! I’m gonna die of a heart attack before twenty! Or be committed for fucking murder!”

Out?

No. That won’t do.

My jaw tightens. “Chill out, Rowland.”

“No! Why should I listen to you now? Why should I listen to anything you have to say when I’m the one who saved you. Remember?”

Jo is too in her tizzy to notice I’m pushing her towards the podium, my chest against her body as I’m savouring her warmth. Her back hits the wood, voice wobbling with the wood behind her when I trap her again.

“I’m the one who gathered your friends to get you away from Marion,” she continues. “And here I am, still in this fucking mess!” Her hands come to my chest and even when she’s mad and frantic, I love the way they feel. Her eyes stop on mine and her scowl softens, but she looks away. “Leave me alone.”

“I can’t do that.” Tilting her chin so she looks at me, those eyes sending tightness to my abs, I make it clear, “Not after this.”

“We can’t be together.” Her words come out a whisper, nails curling against my chest.

Every muscle inside me tenses and the swallow she takes when my eyes narrow tells me she knows she touched a nerve. I’ve been saying this same shit the entire time but she let me fall for her. She let me say those three words and now she doesn’t want to be with me?

Fine, Medusa. Let’s do business. “Listen to me, Rowland, you’re not leaving my sight. Once Willow’s released, we’re going to the lake house and we’re staying there until this shit gets cleaned up. Baldy’s on it.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Her brows lower and her voice gets a little too loud for my liking. Glancing over at the door, I make sure no one’s overhearing this. We’re not in The Grove anymore. People in Eden look for scandals like wolves hunt for food. “I should be going to the fucking poli—”

My hand wraps around that smooth, slender throat, her sentence coming to a stop when I do. “Are you threatening me, Medusa? You should know better than that by now.”

The fear is gone from her gaze, my other hand coming to her chin, forcing her to keep those eyes on me. It’s hard for me not to get riled up. It’s the same look she gives me when I tell her to come on my cock.

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