Page 63 of Darkest Deception

“What if I said I want to argue about why you haven’t been looking me in the eyes?”

If I didn’t know him, I would have thought he cared for a second there, more than a boss would care about an employee.

I open my mouth, but there is no argument. I can’t tell him it’s because every time I look at him, the flashes of us kissing enter my mind, and I haven’t been able to think straight.

Or the fact that even right now, with him so close to me, I can only focus on my pounding heart and the thudding in my ears.

Helia’s eyes soften as if he found an answer in me. His body heat tempts me to curl into him to seek warmth, comfort, and safety.

With a mind of its own, my hand raises, my finger almost touching his lips, but when I realise what I am about to do, I go to drop it, but Helia takes hold of it.

A moment follows, his eyes captivating me.

Silence hangs between us, but it’s like thousands of words are said.

We aren’t meant to be, and we both know it.

If we took it even a step further, to just clench the thirst we feel, it would turn messy.

We are supposed to hate, kill, and defy each other, not try to find comfort, try to ignite a brighter fire between us.

Our breaths mingle, heavy, hot, and choking.

“Touch me,” he rasps, his body slowly pressing into mine.

“Touch me the way you want to.” He continues.

I feel my breath taken away the minute he allows me access.

“But I hate you.” I weakly argue.

His eyes don’t leave mine, not even for a mere second.

I am falling weak at the hands of the man who has written my demise. The sheer force and strength in his body would be out of this world, but right now, there is peacefulness around him that leaves me dazed.

It leaves me confused as to why I notice it, why I want those strong arms to wrap around me so he could be my armour while everyone tries to harm me for what I did.

What would Helia do if he knew about me?

He wouldn’t be like this, would he?

He wouldn’t show any mercy to me.

I’m trying to be better; so to think of him that way while not giving him the full truth… I can’t do that. No more lies and deception on my part.

I can’t keep another person in the dark. Can’t let another person suffer at my hands.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I allow my fingers to ghost over his lips, promising myself I’ll tell him everything so he can go back to hating me and stop treating me like this. I can’t see his eyes change while not knowing exactly who I was.

“You can hate me and want me, Emerald,” he whispers, and the words cut deeper.

No. You will hate me more than you ever have.

I let my fingers graze his soft lips, my touch going up to his cheek, to his eye, then across his brows. He closes his eyes, soaking in my touch.

The tips of my fingers tingle, then light up with a spark.

He breathes in, and I breathe out.

---