Page 96 of Dare To Take

He’ll hate you even more for this.

I squeeze my eyes closed in an attempt to blot out the little voice.

“We can’t do this. Eli, you have to …” I moan when his lips close around my other nipple, sucking on it roughly.

He reaches for the button on my jeans. “Yes, we can.”

I grab his wrist, torn between wanting him inside me and knowing this is wrong. How he’s behaving is unnatural.

“Eli, there was something in the coffee. Please, are you listening to me?”

He licks a path along my neck. “Let me fuck you, Ari.”

I pull his head up and press my forehead to his. “I’m sorry, Eli. I’m so, so sorry.”

His entire body goes rigid, and for one second, I think my words have penetrated through the fog of whatever drug I’ve given him. He tears himself free from my embrace, and staggers away, across the chapel to the door.

“Eli?” Fear courses through me. Not sure what’s happening, I pull down my sweater and dash after him.

He makes it down two steps before his chest heaves, and he vomits into the snow. Swaying, he collapses sideways and hits the snow, face-first.

“Eli!” I scramble across the snow, drop to my knees, and roll him over onto his side. His face is pale, and his eyes are closed. I press my fingers against his throat, checking for his pulse, and I sag with relief when I feel his heart still beating.

What was in the coffee?

The question repeats over and over in my head.

I can’t leave him like this. Not out here in the snow and dark. Whoever is behind the texts wants to hurt him, and as much as we dislike each other, I don’t want to see him dead. I dig my fingers into my pocket and pull out my cell and send a text to the one person I can think of for help.

Me: Miles, please, I need your help. Eli is really sick.

Eli mumbles something I don’t catch.

“It’s okay.” I stroke his shoulder. “Everything is going to be okay.”

My cell pings.

Miles: Where are you?

Me: The old chapel.

Miles: Ok, don’t move. Help’s on the way.

Tangled emotions clog my throat, and tears burn the backs of my eyes.

Thank you, Miles.

“Help is coming,” I say into the dark. I’m not sure if Eli can hear me, but I hope the sound of my voice tells him he’s not alone.

His body rocks in a shiver beneath my palm. He’s in sweats and a t-shirt. They’re both soaked through from the snow. He must be freezing.

I glance back toward the chapel, chewing my lip while I think. I need to keep him warm until someone gets here.

My coat!

I dash back inside and snatch it up, then run back to where I left him. I tuck the coat around him as best I can, then kneel at his side, shivering.

It’s so fucking cold. My hands feel numb, and I can’t stop shaking. I tuck my fingers under my armpits.

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