Page 55 of Possession

“This?” He released my hand and brought his fingertips to the rough lines of the paper. “This is shit, I was bored, just waiting for you.”

“You come here with your brothers a lot?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, I sit here and sketch usually. I like the bass, it helps with the voices. Liam and Kieran, they do their own thing.”

I glanced around the room again, Liam and Lana were still flirting at the bar. His hand was on her hip, her mouth at his ear. I didn’t see Kieran. “Where’s Kieran?”

“He’s around, probably closer to the stage. He really likes this band. So does Liam.” His brows furrowed.

I laughed. “But you don’t?” I raised my eyebrows and watched his lips turn up at the corners as I sipped my water.

“No, not really.”

Setting my glass down, I said, “Then why are you here?”

“I wanted to see you.” He pushed a piece of my hair behind my ear and I shivered. His touch was the fire I’d needed for so long, the heat my body had lost.

“This is my first time in a bar, you know.” My laugh was soft and his smile widened. He reached for my hand again and I gave it to him. The feel of his calloused palm in mine was simple, and I sighed in relief as that fire stoked higher.

“How do you like it?”

“Honestly?” I quirked my eyebrow.

He nodded.

“It’s loud and smells weird… and I’d rather be somewhere quiet, drawing with you.”

“Then let’s leave.” He stood and I was forced to stand as well as his grip tightened in mine.

The black sweater I had on fell farther down my arm exposing more of my shoulder. Declan admired the exposed skin.

“Where are we going?” I asked, a little dizzy as we moved toward Liam and Lana.

“My place.”

Liam and Lana hadn’t seemed to care that we’d decided to leave, and I’d told him to tell Kieran I’d see him tomorrow at work. The front door of Bellows shut and the sound evaporated into the vacuum of pandemonium behind the glass door. The ice in the air coated my lungs as I sucked in an anxious breath. Paige gave me a shy smile and laced our fingers together. Her smell mixed with the fog of her breath as she leaned closer to me starving for heat. The bare skin of her shoulder and arm was covered in goose bumps as I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“Where did you park?” Her voice was muffled. She’d hidden her nose in the warmth of my thermal shirt.

“I walked, I don’t have a car.”

She stopped and looked up at me. “You don’t?”

I shook my head. “No, I use TRAX. Public transportation is easier, everything I need is within walking distance most of the time anyway.”

She shivered again. “I wished I hadn’t driven Lana’s car tonight, we could have used mine.”

I chuckled. “My apartment is just a few blocks.”

She frowned, but conceded, snuggling back into my side as we crossed the street. “Alright.”

The sky was empty of clouds, the midnight blue soaked the atmosphere with pinpricks of light. Even in the well-lit city, you could see the stars. This was how it should’ve always been. Me and Paige, together. A wash of regret chilled me, and I pulled her, if possible, even closer.

It took about ten minutes to get to my apartment. Paige’s teeth were chattering as I opened the back door. She practically fell over the threshold and sighed once the heat of the apartment surrounded her.

“You’re lucky I love you. I wouldn’t walk that far for just anyone, especially in the freezing cold.” She hugged her body and I shut the door behind us with a quiet laugh.

“Do you want anything to drink?” I asked as we moved through the kitchen.

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