Page 119 of Inception

Every cell in my body stilled. I was afraid to move or speak or God forbid inhale his heavenly scent and truly lose all control over my limbs.

He turned the door knob and tugged the door open behind me, causing me to lurch forward into him. Thigh to thigh, you couldn’t slide a piece of paper between us, we were that close. And holy smokes, I needed an icepack.

He looked down at me for what felt like an eternity, his jaw hard at work as our nearness charged the air around us. I could feel my body humming—vibrating from the heat of his body pressed up against mine. His head tilted towards me, inching closer as though he were going to kiss me, and I held my breath, curious to know if his lips felt as soft as they looked.

He stopped abruptly and steeled his gaze. Before I could assemble another thought, his arm dropped from the door, freeing me from his cage. It was over before it even began.

I slid away gingerly and watched as he exited the room in silence.

Needing a moment to catch my breath, I staggered to the chair and sat down. I couldn’t figure out how he caused my entire body to go haywire with nothing more than his proximity. I swore to myself that the next time he broke into my personal space like that, or played those damn hot-and-cold games with me, I would give him a real piece of my mind. Or something. Who did he think he was anyway?

I quickly changed into a pair of skinny jeans and my favorite V-neck tee before letting him back into his room. My arms were crossed and my guard was up. Though, they both faltered as soon as I noted the unnerving look on his face.

“There’s a couple of things we need to talk about before we do this,” he said as he walked over to his dresser. He picked up his silver watch and swapped it with the one he was wearing.

I sat back down in the chair and rubbed my palms against my jeans. “Let’s hear it.”

“There’s a reason the Council doesn’t let us travel back without their consent,” he said, taking a seat on his bed just across the way from me. He leaned forward on his elbows. “The temptation to change things can be...overwhelming.”

I could understand that—heck, it was one of the reasons I wanted to go back—but I stayed silent, hands folded in my lap like a good little girl.

“The problem is that even the smallest change can open up aRipple.” He gave me a meaningful look. “And believe me when I say, you don’t want that to happen.”

“Why not?” I wasn’t even sure what it was.

He paused before answering. “Say you go back to the day your father died and you decide to warn him about what’s going to happen—”

Sounded like a perfect plan.

“—you’d inadvertently be setting off abutterfly effect. Chances are he’ll accept that Death is coming regardless of your warning because he’s Anakim, but before he goes, maybe this time he prepares his final wishes for you. Maybe he decides that you should go stay with a distant cousin or an old friend. Maybe you never end up coming to Hollow Hills and you never meet me—we never make the trip. How do you then get back to the present now that you’ve erased it?” His eyes were sharp, focused. “That’s a Ripple. Even a small Ripple could destroy everything.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“I need to hear you promise me you won’t do anything stupid. That you’ll leave the past exactly as you found it because as far as your dad’s concerned, it’s just another day. Can you handle that?”

I didn’t know if I could do it. I didn’t know if I’d be strong enough to see my father and not warn him about the attack—about what was going to happen.

“Jemma?”

I had no other options. My hands were tied. “I promise,” I said, tasting the bitterness the words left in my mouth.

He rose from the bed and walked over to me. “If it’s too much for you, you don’t have to talk to him. We can keep our distance.” He held out his hand and I took it easily. “I’ll still take you to see him.”

“I need to be able to talk to him…tohughim.” My eyes welled up at the thought of being able to feel my father’s embrace again after so many months. Something I never even allowed myself to dream of.

“I understand.” He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his thumb grazing my cheek as he wiped away a lone tear that had fallen.

The gesture made my knees and heart tremble.

“When you’re ready to go, just start thinking about the day you want to go back to,” he instructed, soothing me with the deep whisper of his voice.

“Any day I want?”

“Any day.” His dimples pressed in as he hedged a smile. “Just make sure it’s not too far in the past if you plan on talking to him. And make sure theJemmafrom the past isn’t around either,” he added, deepening his smile as though he would have enjoyed the doppelganger run-in.

“Got it.” I rubbed my palms against my jeans. “And then what happens?”

“And then I put my arms around you and read your thoughts. I need toseethe place in order to get us there so I’ll have to lift the memories from your mind.”

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