Page 105 of By His Play

Pulling my knees up to my chest, I pull Kieran’s hoodie over them and hold my mug in both hands.

A heavy sigh falls from my lips as the weight of the world presses down on me.

The sun beams down, but I barely feel the heat from it. Inside, I’m too cold. The birds overhead tweet their songs, but I don’t hear it.

The world continues spinning around me, everyone else going about their lives, and yet I’m here, stuck in my own misery with no sign of a way out.

“Effie?”

I blink, the brightness making my eyes water.

I wince, and my face hurts.

What the?—

“Effie?”

My breath catches at the sound of his voice.

He came back.

“Effie, where are you?” he calls.

He’s getting closer.

My heart rate increases at the prospect of seeing him. Of looking him in the eye and trying not to remember how he looked between my thighs last night.

“Effie, you’re starting to—” He bursts through the small gap that hides this part of the yard from the house, and he visibly relaxes. “Scare me.” His expression softens as he looks down at me, but it only lasts for a couple of seconds. “We need to get you inside,” he states firmly, making my brows pinch.

My face stings at the move, but I don’t think anything of it.

“Effie,” he warns, stepping forward and reaching for me.

Panicking, I sit up and shift to the other end of the seat.

I glance up. Hurt covers Kieran’s face.

“Luck, you’re sunburned. You need to get inside right now,” he explains.

My mouth opens to argue, but my eyes catch sight of my bare legs.

Shit.

Reaching up, I press the backs of my fingers to my cheek.

It’s red hot.

And I’m in the direct line of the sun.

Reaching down, he picks up my mostly untouched coffee and then holds his hand out for me.

I stare at it. Previously, I wouldn’t have stopped to question it.

But now…everything is different.

“Effie?” he whispers, his eyes boring into the top of my head.

I swallow, trying to force down the lump of messy emotion that’s crawled up my throat, but nothing happens.

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