Page 23 of Shadows in Bloom

“I won’t, Fiona. I’ll be okay, and so will you. Please tell me where you’re at.” The cars in my peripheral are all different, but nothing stands out. I turn on my blinker, waiting to turn left. A large, white truck pulls up behind me, but the windshield is too dark to see through. My heart lurches into my throat as my eyes stare into my rearview mirror, flicking back and forth between that and the side mirror.

The green arrow illuminates the traffic light, so I press on the gas, turning before immediately making another left, then a right. When the truck doesn’t follow after my initial left, my shoulders drop in relief.

“Fiona, can you hear me? Fuck!”

“Yeah,” I croak. “I’m here.”

“Where are you?”

I glance around, blinking rapidly, trying to get my eyes to focus. “Uh… Hyland Avenue.”

“Okay. Okay, that’s good. You know where I work, right?”

“Yeah. I know where it is,” I rasp, focusing on her utter calm.

I’m going to be sick.

I can’t fucking do this again.

“Come to me, Fiona. Let me help you.”

“Okay,” I whisper on a shaky exhale. “Okay…”

I don’t remember the drive. I don’t even remember parking. But then, my door is flung open, and Jamie is hauling me into her arms. I collapse against her, arms draping across her shoulders as I sob directly into her neck.

My breath is hot, making my tears sticky, but her palm skating down my spine grounds me.

“Fuck, I’m so relieved you’re here.” She presses her lips to my head. “You scared me.”

“I’m scared,” I stutter, loathe to admit it.

“I know. I know,” Jamie says, so softly.

“I—” I choke on the words. Jamie hushes me as she pets me, from my head, down to my tailbone and back up.

“Come on. Let’s go inside.” I sniffle when she releases me, suddenly feeling so much colder as she reaches in my car to turn it off and to grab my purse that fell to the floorboard. She loops her arm around my waist, urging me to walk alongside her.

My eyes burn with the need to blink, but I can’t. The parking lot is huge, filled with cars, all unsuspecting and empty—but I know that doesn’t mean a fucking thing.

Not anymore.

The second we’re inside and through the security located at the front, I slump against the wall around the corner. Jamie presses against my left side, her hand never once leaving my body, even as my muscles twitch and recoil, overstimulated and aching.

“Fiona…”

I turn and slam my mouth to hers. She gasps, frozen with surprise as I kiss her with every bit of fear I possess. “Fi…” she mutters against my lips, but I shake my head, eyes scrunched tight.

“Please, Jamie,” I beg of her. For the first time in my life, I beg.

In an instant, she gives in. Her lips are soft, and even in the extreme of the moment, she still lets me tug and guide her exactly where and how I want her.

I press even harder against her mouth at the sensation of my tears spreading between us, making my face wet and sticky and itchy. Jamie tries to pull away, but I clutch her hips desperately. “Just… need this. Please.”

She exhales into my mouth before tugging my bottom lip between her teeth gently. She sucks softly, pulling a whimper from my throat, and her fingers clasp the nape of my neck.

Pulling away far too soon, she presses one last kiss to my mouth before dropping our foreheads together. My chest is heaving, every breath raspy and erratic. Jamie is breathless too, but she’s in much more control of it—and I envy her for it.

But having her at my side, in this building, eases a sliver of terror as I spill one of my many secrets. Rolling my forehead against hers, I sigh and reach for her hand. As I twine our fingers, I stare down at them. Her pale, unmarked skin against my tanned, tattooed fingers.

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