Page 40 of The Ripper

My body froze when his warmth abandoned me, and I hugged myself to rub away the goosebumps his touch left in its wake. I watched him as he walked to the elevator and pushed the button again.

The doors opened automatically as he held out his hand, waiting for me to grab it.

“Come on, I’ll buy you one of those blueberry smoothies you like so much on the way,” he smiled.

Maybe he was bipolar, because what the fuck was that?

I wanted to take his hand, but I didn’t. Not because I was afraid or because I didn’t like it, but because I could see how much it hurt him to touch me, how much it pained him to be close to me when I wasn’t sure of him.

Especially when he seemed so sure of me, as if all the years he had been watching me had been a slow burn that had led him to the brink of absolute desperation. He seemed intent on letting me go, almost as if he was sure I would come back, and after the few hours we had spent together, I wasn’t sure I could stay away from him either.

On the drive home, my body felt numb.

We barely spoke, other than the small talk we had after he kept his promise and bought me a blueberry smoothie, which I drank quietly next to him as he drove, unintentionally moaning after each sip.

“Jesus, woman, stop that already,” he almost growled, without raising his voice.

“Stop what?”

“You’re moaning as if you’re having a fucking orgasm,” he rolled his eyes, stopping the car in front of my building.

“Who knows? Maybe I am,” I shrugged and shoved the straw between my lips, looking straight at him.

His eyes widened when I swallowed and moaned again, then he swore through his teeth and bumped his head against the headrest.

That’s it. Squirm.

He asked for my keys, and I gave them to him, all the while holding the straw between my lips.

Grimm narrowed his eyes, as if promising I would be sorry for toying with him like this, then he got out of the car and went up to bring me a pair of pants, even though we both knew I had no issues getting out exactly as I was.

After he came back and I put them on, he held the car door open for me, but didn’t offer his hand again, probably because I’d refused it earlier.

“I’ll be here when you make a decision,” he said, pushing his hands into his pockets as if he had to keep them occupied so he wouldn’t touch me.

“Will you keep watching me if my decision won’t be the one you’re hoping for?” I asked, biting my lip after the words left my mouth.

“I will never stop, not even if you marry another man and I have to be a mere spectator in your life.”

“Wouldn’t that hurt?”

“Not seeing you would hurt more.”

I nodded, not knowing what to say to that as my insides seemed to liquify, then I turned and slowly made my way towards the entrance.

“Arella,” he called my name when I reached the door.

“Yes?”

“If you choose to return to me,” he paused, his eyes darkening as my heart began to pound even harder in my chest, “there will be no turning back.”

CHAPTER 8

WHEN BULLETS FLY

GRIMM

I couldn’t believe that I actually let her go.

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