Page 38 of Forsaken Oath

“Yeah, maybe,” I murmur. “I’ve gotta get back.” I hook my thumb to my left, toward the general direction of my car seven blocks away.

“Got a date or something?” His voice has a sharp edge, his brows dipping low over his eyes.

I take a couple of backward steps and roll my eyes. “I’m going home. You know, to Avalon Falls, the city where webothlive.” The corner of my mouth curls into a smirk, mischief bubbling inside of me like popping candy.

“Kismet, baby,” he hushes out.

It’s the way he says it, almost with reverence, that has me stopping.

“You feel it, don’t you, Peach?” he asks, his voice ballooning with hope.

I feel the weight of the world at that moment. The moon and the stars pressing on me from above, digging my heels into the ground with every second I try to reason with myself that I can even entertain the idea of getting tangled up with him.

“I’m tired, Beau. That’s what I feel.” It’s a copout, a shoddy sidestep.

I tell myself that I don’t want him to call me out on it. That I want him to take my words at face-value. That I don’t want him to look too closely at the house of cards I am.

So why the fuck does disappointment wrap a tight fist around my heart?

18

BEAU

I drinkin the sight of her, feeling greedy and wanting more than these stolen moments on a darkened sidewalk. Her hair falls in soft waves around her face, and I ache to reach out and tuck a stray strand behind her ear, to let my fingers linger on the smooth skin of her cheek.

The air between us feels charged, electric with unspoken words and unacknowledged longing. Or fuck, maybe I’m projecting.

I tap the hood of my car twice. “Don’t move, Peach.”

I’m not letting her go that easy. Not when I’ve found her again. Fate has a funny way of bringing people back together, and I’m nothing if not an opportunist.

She pauses, dipping her chin an inch. I’ll fuckin’ take it.

I slide behind the wheel of my Hellcat, the leather molding to my body like a second skin. The engine purrs to life as I turn the key, the vibrations thrumming through my bones. It feels like adrenaline personified.

I turn around and park on the other side of the road, cutting the engine quickly. I slide out of my car, swinging the door closed with a satisfying thunk. The night air is cool againstmy skin as I start across the street, my strides purposeful and unhurried. I twirl my keys around my index finger, the metal jangling against itself in a familiar rhythm.

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I whistle a tune, some old rock song that’s been stuck in my head all day. I stop in front of her, my fingers itching to touch her.

The street lamp shines a halo over her, bathing her in golden light. She’s stunning from every angle, but up close, she’s a goddamn vision. She looks like some kind of Greek god, and I feel like fucking Hades about to corrupt her. Suddenly, I understand all too well how easily he went from adoration to abduction.

I drink in every detail of her like a man dying of thirst. The way her strappy green dress hugs the curves of her body, the fabric clinging to her hips and flaring out over her toned thighs. The dusting of freckles that dance across the bridge of her nose and trail down to her collarbone, like constellations mapped across her sun-kissed skin. I want to trace them with my fingertips, connecting the dots until I’ve memorized every pattern.

Her eyes are a shade of gold I’ve never seen before, flecked with hints of amber and framed in thick dark lashes.

Goddamn, do I want to kiss her.

“What are you doing?” she asks, brows furrowed.

“Walking you to your car.” I stuff my hands in my pockets to stop myself from reaching out to her.

She scoffs and starts walking. “I can manage on my own.”

“I know.” I fall in step beside her. “Humor me.”

She huffs, but I don’t miss the glint of something—amusement, maybe?—in her eyes. “Fine. But if Slick Rick and the douchebags come back, let me handle it.”

“Don’t worry, Peach, he won’t.” I take two big steps behind her, putting her between me and the buildings and stores on our left.

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