Page 52 of Forget Me Not

“Okay, so what else is there?”

“She just . . . I don’t know. She’s always had to be the center of attention. Birthdays. Christmas. It’s like she wants to replace me in my own life. She’s always wanted everything I have.”

“You have me.” It’s out of my mouth and into the air before I can think about what the fuck I’m saying.

Nova pauses, peeking up at me through her lashes and my chest clenches.

Fuck . . . what am I doing?

She opens her mouth to speak, but the moment she does, a few rain drops hit her cheek.

“Uh oh,” she whispers, as if the storm can sense her fear.

Then, as we’re both looking up at the sky, the heavens open up and the storm lets loose. Nova gasps as the rain drenches us, the torrential downpour stinging and chilly on our skin.

“Shit,” I grumble. We’ve walked pretty far from the inn. We’re out of the village’s sight now and it’s just us, the beach, and the Atlantic storm that threatens to sweep us away.

“This way.” Nova tugs my hand and I go with her, both of us stumbling in the dim lighting provided by the battery powered lantern she brought. She leads me up a steep hill to the grassy ledge above the beach and through the tall field of flowers and weeds to an ominous building that stands, abandoned on a cliff and overlooking the ocean.

“Where are we?” I ask, over the sound of the rain. Nova pulls me onto the front porch of the old house. It might as well be a mansion in Port Nova and I’m surprised it sits here empty. And in such good shape.

“We used to come here and goof off when we were kids,” she says, leading me around the wraparound porch to the front door. “Now, I just like to come here to think.”

So this is where she disappears to when no one can find her.

It’s pitch black inside, save for the light streaming from the lantern. I move to spin, stumbling into an old piece of furniture.

“Fuck,” I curse under my breath as my shin erupts in a dull pain and Nova laughs loudly, hands grasping for me in the dark. I don’t know if it’s because it’s nearly pitch black or because her laugh settles something heavy in my chest, but I reach for her, lifting her up and into my arms. She wraps her arms around my neck, her legs straddling my waist and suddenly, she’s very, very quiet. “Are you making fun of me?” My grip under her knees tightens and she squirms in my arms.

“Perhaps,” she chuckles when I set her down on an old table. I have no fucking idea what room we’re in and it smells like dust and mold, but still, my cock hardens in my jeans when her hand lingers on the planes of my stomach.

That’s new.

“Nova.”

She regards me for a moment and the only sound is the harsh beat of my heart and the drip of her hair on the table behind her.

“Why did you push that other guy out when I was dancing with him?”

Tension, thick and heavy settles in the air between us and for a single breath, I think about backing out. A better man would.

But, fuck, I warned her I’m a monster, just like the rest of them.

And I’ve never been good at following the rules.

Carefully, I set the lantern on the ground at our feet, and it doesn’t do much but showcase a massive spider in the top corner of the room.

“You know why.”

She swallows, the swell of her breasts shaking when she does and my eyes follow the movement. She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t move when I step closer to her. We remain, eyes locked and our breathing growing shallow as both of us try to decide what the fuck we’re doing.

Then, carefully, she moves her legs apart, allowing me to step in between them.

“Little bird.” I need to make sure we’re on the same page. “I kiss you, I won’t want to stop.”

She’s quiet, biting her lip between her teeth. Carefully, I reach up, tugging it free with my finger. My hand moves to her cheek, my thumb caressing the soft skin there and her breath catches.

“You don’t hate me?”

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