Page 73 of Possess Me! (I Want You To)

“What if I tell you something?” Prudence bartered, like this was a problem that was easily fixed. I almost wanted to laugh, but he was trying, so I didn’t. It meant something to me that in his own, awkward way he wanted to make me feel better.

Most people would go for a hug.

Not Prudence.

I don’t know what I’d do if Prudence tried to hug me. Probably explode into a million tiny pieces.

“You already answered my questions in the car,” I stalled. Not sure what he wanted from me. I couldn’t just turn off whatever I was feeling, no matter how badly I wanted to.

Or just one?

“Not good enough. You accused me of not being vulnerable enough. So let’s even the playing field.”

Shit. I had done that, hadn’t I? I opened my mouth to apologize, picking through my remaining ten fucking fries. When he reached for my burger, I slid my plate close to my chest, guarding it with both hands and a quiet huff.

The corner of his lip twitched up.

“I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do.” There. Words. Words were good. Just because I felt weird and uncomfortable, didn’t mean it was his fault. And it also didn’t mean I wanted him to give me something he wasn’t ready to give.

I probably shouldn’t have worried because I’d barely finished talking when he spoke.

“I hate my mother.”

Wow, okay. So he was going to do this no matter what I said. I waved a fry at him to continue, blinking owlishly as I shoved it into my mouth, and waited.

“She’s a self-righteous prick. Always has been, always will be.” Despite how strong his words were, I couldn’t detect actual heat in his voice. His tone was as bland as if he’d been talking about the weather. Not that Prudence would ever be caught dead talking about the weather. Ha! Get it? Caught dead. I hid my smile against my shoulder so he wouldn’t see. He must’ve taken that as a sign that he hadn’t given me enough information, and before I could stop him, he started talking again.

“We were raised in a very strict household. My two sisters. Me. I was the oldest, and there were certain standards I was expected to adhere to.” He folded his arms again, and his chest tested the fabric of his white t-shirt in a way that had me practically drooling. His tattoos flexed with his muscle. Lord have mercy.

“I’m guessing you didn’t like that,” I deadpanned. Understatement of the century. Prudence following rules? Yeah, right. I cocked my head toward the tattoos I had just been admiring and my breath stuttered when Prudence’s lips pulled into a wide, wolfish grin.

“I fought back at every turn.” His grin turned meaner. “Every opportunity I had to undermine her rules, I took.” See? That was the Prudence I was starting to know. I nodded, taking a big bite of my burger with a happy sigh. Now that he was talking, it felt less awkward. My skin no longer felt quite so tight.

“There was a woman,” Prudence continued. I choked on my burger.

“Not like that.” Prudence kicked me again, and I blinked away the wetness in my eyes as I tried to get my esophagus working again. Jee-sus.

“Prudence—” I moved to apologize. He just glared at me, and my jaw clicked shut as I nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

“She taught me about art.” Oh. Oh. My eyes widened, and I set my burger down and held my breath as I waited for him to continue.

“I didn’t know you were an artist,” my stupid mouth blurted out before I could stop it. So much was making sense. “So that’s why you were nosing through all my art shit,” I muttered under my breath. Also why he’d been so damn curious in the car.

He ignored me. “She was too soft. Too kind. Annoying. Like you.”

What a ringing endorsement. I rolled my eyes.

“I still think about her.”

Oh. Well, that was sweet.

I’d learned not to open my big mouth, so this time I wisely took another bite of burger and waited in silence. It took him a while to get up the nerve to speak again. I watched his face change. The blasé attitude he’d had before morphing, the glint in his eyes dying a slow painful death till no spark remained. He looked gaunt. Older than I’d ever seen him before as he glared out the window and I watched his shoulders tense. When he spoke, the words were quiet, hushed. “She died.”

She died.

Those words hit me like a train wreck and I was momentarily stricken as I stared at him. Those two words alone made it clear how much this woman had meant to him. When she died, something must’ve died within him too.

“It was my fault,” Prudence continued, the muscle in his jaw jumping. “I didn’t tell her what I’d seen. I didn’t warn her.”

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