Page 94 of Bleed for Me

“Jordan,” I whispered.

A crease formed between his brows, but he didn’t stir otherwise.

“Jordan,” I tried again, a little louder this time. Still… nothing.

Blowing out a breath, I reached out, placing a hand to his shoulder. His skin was hot beneath my palm, but I was too desperate to contemplate that much, either. Instead, I slowly shook him, making the bed creak beneath our weight. My heart rate spiked even more when his dark lashes fluttered, moving the shadows over his cheekbones.

Why was he so breathtaking? It wasn’t fair.

He could never want someone like you.

He’ll betray you just like Alex did.

You’ll never be enough, not even for the looney ones.

Where’s Archer? He’s already tiring of you.

I sucked in a ragged breath. It didn’t matter if Jordan wanted me, because I certainly didn’t want him. We barely even knew each other. It was just a physical attraction—anyone with eyes could see he was good to look at.

Still… even as I thought the words, they seemed to hold no merit.

Sighing, I shook him with more force this time. There was barely any time to register anything once his eyes snapped open. One moment, I was sitting at his side with my hand on his hard bicep, and the next, I was on my back beneath him. My lips parted in surprise on a silent gasp as I peered up at him with wide eyes. A snarl curled his lips as his gaze bored through my own, his blonde hair falling in front of his eyes ever-so-slightly.

“What are you doing here?” he growled, not seeming to even realize that his hips were pinning mine to the mattress, and his bulge was quite prominent through his sweats, even if he wasn’t hard.

A whimper tumbled past my defenses, fear sparking deep within me. The voices had calmed some, but they were still there.

“Answer me,” he demanded with a harsh edge to his tone.

I shifted beneath him, trying to will some air back into my lungs. Fire rapidly spread throughout my veins when the movement only caused him to brush against my center through the skirt I wore. If he noticed it, he didn’t let on.

“I-I needed to see you,” I stammered.

He didn’t seem convinced, even as the sleep ebbed from his features. “Why?”

Averting my gaze, I focused my attention on the wall near the back of the room. “They won’t stop,” I whispered. “I can’t sleep. I can’t think. I can barely remember to breathe sometimes.” My tongue darted out, swiping over my lower lip as the anticipation built.

Jordan dropped his gaze to my mouth, a stitch forming between his brows. “What won’t stop?” he demanded again.

“Sometimes I see things,” I continued in a low murmur. “I hear things. They tell me to do things to people—to hurt them—sometimes I really want to listen.”

He lowered his chest to mine, dropping his nose into the crook of my neck as he released a shaky breath. The warmth from his body seared through my clothing and I could feel every hard ridge of him through my thin shirt.

“Do you hear them now?” he asked.

I swallowed thickly, anxiety prickling through my veins along with something else—desire. “Yes,” I muttered, doing my best to keep my tone even.

“What are they saying?”

My eyes fluttered closed for a moment, my heart pounding within my chest. “That if I don’t kill you, you’ll kill me.”

He said nothing, his hot breath feathering against my neck, eliciting a series of goosebumps. He shifted on top of me, dragging his groin over mine through our clothing, allowing me to feel his hardening length. I bit back the whimper threateningto spill from my lips and laid there motionless and confused with my hands balled into fists at my sides.

What was he doing?

I thought he didn’t want anything to do with me?

Why was he still on top of me?

---