Page 216 of Kiss the Villain

I can almost feel the cold sting of his blood beneath my fingertips, in my veins, and carved in my chest.

Still, seeing him expands my lungs. For the first time in what feels like forever, I can breathe. His presence fills the space like a storm, leaving me both paralyzed and desperate to reach him.

But I can’t.

A burning tightness twists my stomach, but I say in a clipped, detached tone, “What are you doing here?”

Simone’s and Jethro’s bickering fades as Gareth’s green eyes meet mine. My grip tightens on the railing to stop myself from descending, from pulling him into my arms, from touching him.

“That’s what I was asking!” Jethro snaps, his voice cutting through the tension. “Why the fuck did you bring him here, Simone? You trying to get him killed?”

She shoves him away. “He said either I bring him or he goes to Grant. What do you think was the smarter option, genius?”

He was on his way back to school, but he demanded Simone bring him here? To me?

“You should leave,” I say coldly, though my grip on the railing threatens to crack the wood.

Gareth’s brow furrows, his gaze darkening as Moka jumps from his arms. Then his upper lip curls into a snarl. “The fuck you just say to me?”

“Leave, Gareth. Go back to school.” I aim for firm, not harsh, but I see the anger ignite in his eyes.

Then I turn, climbing the two steps again, and head back to my office. I barely sit down before the door hits the wall as he barges in, his shoulders crowding with tension and the lines in his face harsh.

He rounds the desk and grips me by the collar of my shirt, turning me in the chair so I’m looking up at him.

The brush of his knuckles against my neck sends a zap down my spine, and I want to touch him, to grab his waist and pull him into me, but I can’t.

Iwon’t.

He needs to leave before I lose control.

I flex my hands on either side of me to stop myself from reaching up.

“Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?” The bite in his deep, slightly husky voice rolls off my skin and settles in my gut.

Fuck. I missed his voice.

“Whether I go to school or sabotage my whole fucking life is none of your goddamn business.” He tightens his grip on my collar, his rage mounting, but so does the pain tucked underneath.

Gareth has always been mentally strong. I know because I attempted to break him in the beginning, but he kept bouncing back again.

And again.

But now, he’s in pain and it rips at my chest.

“You shouldn’t throw your future away for me.” My tone remains neutral.

“It’s not for you!”

“Then why are you here, Gareth?”

His beautiful defined lips set in a line, and I want to press my mouth to them, taste him.

Just…for a moment.

But I force myself to drag my gaze to his eyes. “Because you feel sorry for me? Pity my pending death?”

A flash of darkness strikes his pupils again, blowing them up, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Your life is mine, remember? You’re not allowed to die without my permission.”

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