Page 81 of In Shadows We Dance

I look at the rose, and my heartbeat quickens, my breathing turns shallow and uneven. Before I can second-guess myself, I pull my shirt over my head, toss it to the floor, and step closer to the open window. My fingers grip the frame, stopping myself from running.

What if he’s watching?

The question makes between my legs throb, and I squeeze my thighs together. My heart races, and I lean forward, the open window baring me to the outside world.

I want him to see me.

The thought is dizzying, stealing the breath from my lungs. My nipples tighten. Heat pools in my stomach. My heart pounds in my ears as I accept the truth I can no longer ignore.

I don’t want to be invisible anymore. Not to him. I want him to notice me, to know I’m here, waiting.

A car turns into the road, headlights moving across thebuilding, and I jerk backward, one arm covering my breasts as I grab for the curtain and yank it closed.

My heart is thrashing against my ribs so hard, I’m sure it’s going to burst out of my chest. Fear, exhilaration, desire all converge together, leaving me jittery and breathless.

My eyes dart around the room, landing on my discarded top, and I snatch it up and tug it over my head with shaking hands. Grabbing my pajamas, I rush to the bathroom, heat burning in my cheeks as I avoid looking at myself in the mirror. The water is too hot, scalding my skin, but I don’t care. The sting is grounding, leaving me embarrassed and ashamed.

When I return to my room, the rose is still on the sill. I stare at it for a long moment.

I should move it. I shouldn’t leave it there.

My heart still hasn’t settled, and my thoughts are a tangled mess.

What have I just done?Anyone could have seen me. What if they speak to my father and tell him what they saw?

Sleep comes in fits and starts, and my dreams are no better. Wren is there. His dark eyes find me no matter where I try to hide. His voice is low, insistent, pulling me closer, wrapping around me like a tether.

I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep when I feel it—the mattress dipping beneath someone’s weight. My eyes snap open, and a hand clamps over my mouth before I can scream.

“Shhh.”

CHAPTER 42

Bared By Moonlight

WREN

The rose sitson the windowsill, framed by the glow of the moonlight, a silent invitation I never expected to see. But it’s not the flower that holds my attention now, it’sher.

She’s there, standing at the open window, the faint light tracing the delicate lines of her shoulders, and the curve of her breasts. Her hair shifts slightly in the breeze, the cold air teasing her skin, hardening her nipples. I stay still, hidden in the shadows just out of view, watching.

She hesitates, her hands gripping the window frame like it’s the only thing keeping her there. Her breaths are uneven, chest rising and falling rapidly, clearly showing her battle between stepping back into safety and leaning further into the night.

What are you doing, Ballerina? What are you asking for?

Her lips part as though she might say something, but there’s no one there to hear it … or at least, shethinksthere isn’t. She looks out into the darkness, searching … for what, or who, I don’t think she even knows. ButIdo. She’s searching for me. For the ghost she’s been chasing all day, the one that’s haunted her every thought since I marked her throat.

And now, she’s proving that she’s mine.

The sound of a car turning onto her street breaks the silence, and she startles. The headlights sweep across the front of her building, momentarily illuminating her. She flinches, one arm wrapping around herself, and she pulls back from the window, snapping the curtain closed.

The look of terror on her face makes me laugh.

She’s bold, but she’s not fearless. Not yet.

I wait in the darkness, watching her silhouette as she retreatsfrom the window, my eyes fixed to the rose.

It’s a clear message. An invitation. One I’m not going to ignore. But I have to time it right.

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