Page 86 of Burned & Bound

I couldn’t pull out fast enough but did my best to be normal about the whole thing.What counted as normal?Was I supposed to stay there? Cuddle?

I didn’t know what the fuck to do.

I settled on a faint kiss before I collapsed on the bed next to him, blinking back hot tears and thankful for the dark. Something painful burned its way through my chest—something I could barely hold back.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

“Are you okay?” Jackson asked softly. His fingers wove through mine and squeezed gently. His touch fucking hurt. It took everything I had to not flinch or pull away.I couldn’t do that to him.

“Yeah,” I lied, breathless and dying a little inside.

CHAPTER 57

west

Inhale…

Exhale…

Thump… thump thump… thump…

Inhale…

Exhale…

Thump thump… thump… thump thump…

My heart galloped wildly in my chest as I attempted to breathe. I couldn’t catch my breath. The weight sitting on my lungs was too much. The shadows pulsated around me while the room swayed unsteadily.

I sat on the floor at the end of the bed, a tangled mess in the sheet. It was as far as I managed to get before my legs gave out.

Panic clawed its way violently through my chest. I just wanted to get the fuck out of there. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to pretend I was somewhere else—anywhere else.

Open fields.

Horses.

Clouds.

Dark clouds.

Darkness.

Screaming.

So much screaming…

I couldn’t stop the screaming…

I lost control completely, succumbing to endless screaming in my head.

CHAPTER 58

jackson

Ragged breathing pulled meout of my sleep. Groggily, I sat upright and tried to gain my bearings.Fuck, deep sleep never did me any good.I reached over to check on West only to discover he was gone. I flipped on the light fast and saw him sitting on the floor at the end of the bed in a mess of sheets—unmoving.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.My heart lurched into my throat, a feeling of dread settling in my chest. I refused to jump to conclusions, but it was hard to avoid when I’d been worried about this, to begin with.

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