Page 306 of Hateful Games

She flicks her chin behind me and I turn, finding Nova standing in the far corner with Nathan.

Watching me.

Possessively.

Rivetingly.

Fiercely.

“Nova never takes his off you either, Ro. Ever.” Her voice floats with awe. “And I mean since the beginning.”

I blink in shock.

Iris walks away but I hardly notice.

I’m held suspended by Nova’s dark gaze. My heart betrays me by beating faster while my cheeks heat under the intensity of his stare. Suddenly, the earth feels shaky. Gravity a myth. Especially when Nova takes a step forward. Then another. His gait is purposeful and his destination—a trembling me.

Turning around, I flee.

Hide.

I need to hide.

Except, I don’t make it far.

His hand locks around my wrist and spins me around. I crash against his chest. His mouth lowers to my ear and he harshly whispers, “You never have and never can outrun me, Rose.”

“Nova.” My tone is shaky.

“I will always catch you.”

“That’s what scares me.”

“It should.” His voice is strong and unbending. I swallow against his hand seizing my throat and tilting my face up to his. Our foreheads touch when he bends and rasps, almost pleadingly, “I’m never letting you go. It’s as impossible as drowning in an ocean and not fighting for air. Stop fighting us. Stop running away and let me have all of you, Rose.” The same hand trails to rest over the racing beat of my heart. I taste the words before he even utters the first syllable, “I lo—”

I press my palm over his lips, shaking my head. A tear slipping as I whisper, “Don’t say it, please. Hate me. You should hate me, Nova. That’s all we’re allowed to feel.”

Kissing my palm, he lowers it.

The powerful emotion remains etched across his handsome face.

It doesn’t waver.

Diminish.

It burns hotter and deeper.

“I hate you, Rose,” he admits in a gravelly tone. The meaning of it all wrong. Upside down. “Is that what you want to hear?”

I swallow down a sob.

“I hate everything about you. From your smiles to your sass. I hate your fierceness. I hate every second I’m with you and still wish for more. I hate when you kiss me back and melt in my arms. I hate how you seek me out in your sleep in the middle of the night. I hate that you let yourself be vulnerable with me, I hate that your soft and sweetness is for me alone. I hate your obsession with black that I would paint the world the same if it made you happy.” I taste the salt from my tears on his lips as he murmurs against mine, “I hate you so much it has consumed every fiber of my being. I hate you so deeply it hurts to breathe. I hate that my heart only beats for you. That if you asked me to carve it out and lay it at your feet, I would do it.”

He said hate and all I heard was love.

His brown eyes shine with the same emotion.

I hide my face against his chest, his chin resting atop my head while strong arms circle my waist. His passionate and compelling confession washing over me, basking my soul in its potency.

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