Page 81 of Exes and Oh Hell No

I tilt my head slightly—slowly and deliberately.

She freezes.

A single moment of hesitation before the rage takes over.

“I can’t fucking believe this!”she screams, pacing back and forth in front of me.

She stops, jerking at the cuffs, glaring at me. “I seriously thought I was going to die tonight. All these regrets started running through?—”

“Regrets?”

She glares at me for a moment before continuing her tirade. “I thought some masked madman was gonna kill me!”

She faces me, blasting me with the full fury of her wrath. “And it wasyou!”

“What kind of regrets?”

She shakes her head slowly, eyes wide with disbelief. “Are you serious right now?”

“Incredibly.” I take a step closer to her, and she freezes.

Another step and her lips part.

A third and her tongue darts out, sweeping over her bottom lip.

My eyes bounce from it to her eyes.

Dilated pupils stare at me as I stop right before I’m touching her.

Close enough to feel the vibrations of her body as she stares up at me, hunger all over her face.

My hand shoots out, wrapping around her neck.

My thumb slides over her erratic and frantically beating pulse, reminding me of a trapped hummingbird slamming against its cage.

She swallows, her breath hitching.

“Tell me, Harper. What regrets?” I enunciate each word slowly and clearly, my gaze burning into hers from behind the mask.

She swallows audibly. “Ummm… I-I can’t?—”

“Yes, you can.” I take another step closer, my body pressing against hers.

A slight squeak comes from her lips before she takes a step back.

I let her, controlling the scene, predicting her every move correctly.

I step forward and she takes another back.

We do this dance twice more before the back of her knees hit the bed.

Her eyes dart around, and for the first time, I see the realization of all she’s missed, slamming her right in the face.

The cabin is full of candles, their flickering flames swaying and dancing, creating an intimate atmosphere.

Trails of rose petals lead to the bed covered with them.

I’ve placed vases full of roses and tiger lilies, her favorite flowers, around the room.

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