Page 47 of Hell and High Water

I grind my hips once, twice, feeling his rock hard shaft straining against the elastic of his boxer briefs.

“I think I want to test your claims. If you answer my questions, I’ll reward you.”

“And if I don’t?” He glares at me.

“Then you’ll have to watch me take care of myself and you won’t be allowed to touch.”

“That’s… still a pretty good deal.”

“Not when you see what I do to myself. Not when you see what you could be doing instead…”

“Well, then, I guess I’ll tell you anything you want to know!” He laughs, leaning up to try and kiss me again.

“Ah, but here’s the trick… if you tell a lie, I’ll know. And a piece of clothing goes back on.”

“Easy.”

“First, tell me your middle name.”

“Tyler Adam Vand.”

“I’ll let the last name slide, only because you hate your family name,” I tease, rubbing my hands up his firm, well-defined pecs. I let my pinky fingers bump over his nipples, peaking them with a touch.

“Oh, how magnanimous of you.”

“Next, tell me about the night we met. Were you really there checking on someone’s kid? Was our meeting really…”

“Total chance encounter. You took me by surprise.”

“Good.” I buck my hips a little, dragging the crease of my sex across his length, making him squirm.

“Finally, tell me…” I falter, something shifting in my chest.

Tell sees it immediately, rising up to wrap an arm around me, his other hand cupping my cheek. “Hellena, what is it?”

“Tell me about you… tell me something real.” the tiniest sliver of fear wriggles loose inside me, clawing at my heart.

Where is this coming from?

Pain flashes through Tell’s eyes, a shadow passing behind his gaze.

“I love you. That’s real. That’s the truth.”

“I just—” I nearly choke, my chest aching for him, to hear him say the words…

His lips meet mine, deeply, passionately, stealing my worry, fighting back the doubts. I pull away, just enough to look at him.

“Ever since the night of the Ball, when everything came crashing down, I’ve had these dreams. And with everything Evan did, and then finding out that you were hiding secrets, so many secrets from me, it makes it hard to tell what’s true, sometimes. To know if we are real.”

Tell sighs, pulling me closer. “Hellena… you are the most real thing in my life.”

“I need to know who you are. Who we are together.”

Tell’s eyes falter, looking down.

“Hey, up here,” I tease, trying to keep myself from crying. Crossing my arms over my chest, I lean away from him, making him see me.

“I wasn’t—” he starts, realizing I’m messing with him. “What do you want to know?”

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