Page 28 of Roaring Flames

I squeeze my eyelids shut and whisper, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

I feel rather than see him place his hand over mine. He gives it a single squeeze before releasing me.

We drive the rest of the way in silence.

I only reopen my eyes when the car begins to slow down.

“Izzy?” Ansel’s voice is rife with concern.

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure this is the right address?”

We’ve stopped in front of a dilapidated apartment complex that has seen better days. Mold covers the roof, and overgrown weeds line the front entrance. Most of the windows are either broken, boarded up, or missing entirely.

I can see why Ansel is concerned.

“I can’t go home to Hale and Gerry right now,” I whisper, a ball of tension crawling up my throat. “I just…can’t.”

“And this place is better?” One of Ansel’s elegant eyebrows touches his hairline. “If you don’t want to go home, you can stay with me?—”

“Do you really think your mom will allow that?”

“Who cares what she thinks?” Ansel’s fingers begin to tap rapidly against the steering wheel, a clear indicator of hisagitation. “We can get a hotel or something on the other side of town. Anything will be better than this.”

Before I can think better of it, I lean across the center console and plant a chaste kiss on his cheek. Ansel stops tapping immediately, and a ruddy flush explodes across his face, turning even the tips of his ears a bright, neon pink. A muscle bobs in his throat as he swallows.

“You’re sweet, Ansel, but I’ll be fine. I’ve been here before.”

“Do you know someone who lives here?”

“My friend does. Mybestfriend.”

Though Grayson won’t be here for me to take comfort in.

Fuck, where even is he? When will he be home? Why did Ashton and the others take him away?

What if he’s injured? Hurt? Dead?

What if?—?

I swallow down the sharp spike of fear. It’ll do me no good focusing on the “what-ifs.”

A strange look inches across Ansel’s face before he gives a reluctant nod.

“All right. But can you just…” The blush that dissipated during our conversation returns with a vengeance. “Can you just text me every once in a while? So I know you’re okay?”

Heat and butterflies vie for dominance in my stomach, and I wonder what Ansel would do if I didn’t just kiss his cheek…but his lips too. His firm, plush lips that look as if they’re made for kissing?—

I clear my throat, trying to ignore the surge of energy shimmying down my back.

“I will. I promise. But Ansel, I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”

“I know.” There’s not a hint of duplicity in Ansel’s voice. He says those two words as if he’s stating a fact. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, Illy. Just be careful, okay?”

“Always.” Warmth snakes through me as I hold his gaze.

His eyes dip towards my lips, and I wonder if he’s thinking about kissing me. Do I even want him to kiss me? After the day I had, and all I learned, the answer to that question should be no, but the heat ravaging my body suggests otherwise. I’m a vibrating mass of knife-edged molecules, and all of them are inching towards him.

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