Page 26 of Ruthless God

Part of me wonders if I’m crazy. If I’ve lost control, if this has spiraled too far beyond my grasp. I’ve always been the one in control, the one who made the choices, the one who called the shots. But here, in the forest's stillness, with Ghosty’s presence so close, it feels like I’m no longer the one who decides.

The tension between us crackles in the air. I can feel him watching me, his gaze heavy, predatory, but also waiting. Expectant. And yet, there’s an undercurrent of something dangerous that calls to me.

It’s the choice I made when I didn’t run. When I didn’t fight. And now I’m here, my body responding to his every command, a part of me lost in the power he exudes.

What am I doing?

The question echoes through my mind, but I don’t have an answer. At least, not one I’m willing to admit.

His presence presses against my back, the heat of his body radiating, and I can feel his breath on the back of my neck, slow and deliberate. He’s right there. Too close, and yet somehow miles away at the same time. My pulse thrums in my throat, a steady beat that somehow matches his own unspoken rhythm.

“You’re doing well,” he breathes, his voice almost a purr.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, trying to steady myself, but the air is thick with tension, the weight of the moment pressing in. I don’t know what I’m waiting for. I don’t know what I’m hoping for.

“I’ve dreamed of this for a long time,” he says as he caresses my hip. “How you would look at this moment.”

A laugh works its way past my lips. “In the whole three hours we’ve known each other?”

“Who says it’s only been three hours?” His voice is low, barely a whisper against my ear. The words hang in the air, thick and heavy, as if they’ve been waiting for the right moment to be spoken. “I could have been watching you for a long time, Cecely. Learning your every move. Figuring out what makes you tick.”

My pulse hammers in my chest, the rhythmic beat threatening to drown out all other sounds. His words, cold but somehow intimate, slip under my skin, burrowing deep into mythoughts. I’m frozen for a moment, caught between the instinct to pull away and the strange pull to hear more.

The air between us feels charged, crackling with the kind of tension that makes it hard to breathe. My body tenses as his breath brushes my ear, the warmth of it lingering long after he speaks. Why does it feel like he knows me? Knows exactly how to make me feel like this?

The more I think about it, the more unsettling it becomes, but at the same time, I can’t shake the fact that a part of me is drawn to him. I should feel fear, or maybe even disgust, but instead there’s a strange sort of curiosity, something that twists deep in my gut.

God, why is that so sexy?

I hate myself for even thinking it, but the truth is, it makes me feel alive. Vulnerable. Like I’m on the edge of something I can’t control And for some reason, that edge is intoxicating.

I swallow hard, trying to steady my breathing, my hands still digging into the ground beneath me. The words slip out before I can stop them.

“You’ve been watching me?”

He chuckles, a sound that’s dark and knowing, the kind that sends a chill down my spine.

“Not just watching,” he murmurs. “Observing. Studying.Obsessing.” His voice dips lower, more dangerous now. “And it’s made me realize something. You’re far more interesting than I thought, Cecely.”

The way he says my name, the quiet intensity in his tone, makes something inside me tighten. I want to run. I want to get away, but my body refuses to move, as if paralyzed by his presence. His proximity is overwhelming, his every word a weight I can't escape.

“Are you scared?” he asks, the question barely more than a breath against my neck.

I shake my head, though I’m not sure if I’m lying to him or to myself.

“No,” I manage to whisper, even though a small part of me wonders if I should be.

“Good.”

My hair is brushed aside, the motion so gentle it sends a shiver down my spine. For a moment, I’m caught between the soft intimacy of the action and the sudden, unsettling awareness of his presence just behind me. I don’t dare move. Every part of me is on alert, watching for the next step, the next sign of what he’ll do.

Then, I feel it.

His lips press against my cheek, a brief touch, but it feels like a spark that ignites something deep within me. The warmth of his kiss lingers on my skin, his breath against me making my heart race. The sensation is unexpected, like a jolt of electricity shooting through me. It’s not just the physical closeness. It’s the weight of everything that’s been building between us, the tension, the uncertainty, the pull I can’t quite escape.

My breath catches in my throat. For a moment, the world narrows down to just the two of us, and the air feels thick, charged. I can’t tell if I should pull away, if I should tell him to stop, or if I should lean into the feeling, let it consume me. But I don’t move.

I’m caught in a strange stillness, waiting to see what comes next.

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