Page 51 of Stay for Me

The tears in my eyes spilled over, rolling down my cheeks. In the back of my mind, the small voice of doubt was shouting, warning me this was all just a dream.

It was too good to be true, something out of a fairytale or a heart-pounding fictional romance.

Police sirens wailed in the distance, and that small voice grew silent, fading back into the shadows, where loneliness and heartbreak intertwined. No, this wasn’t a dream. It was reality, and the moment ended as Mags dropped his hand, its warmth going with it. I could feel my heart splitting into two as he stepped away, and the absence of his touch nearly shattered me completely.

Why was he stepping away?

Why couldn’t he just give into this?

Why couldn’t he fall with me?

His eyes held mine as flashes of blue and red illuminated both of us, submerging us in the truth I wasn’t ready to face: Mags would never be mine, and I would never be his.

Chapter Nine

Diana

“Hey,whothefuckare you?” Lucas asked the cowboy, sitting up in the grass.

He was doing everything in his power to seem intimidating, including puffing out his chest and curling his upper lip into a snarl. If any other man I knew pulled that move, they might’ve succeeded in trying to be intimidating but watching Lucas do it was just another reminder of how pathetic he was.

I wasted years of my life on him, letting him abuse me.

“Lucas, I told you to stay the hell out of my life,” I shot out, looking back at Mags, trying to burn the image of him standing in front of my house in the moonlight into my brain.

He was here.

He came for me.

My heart drummed, the sound filling my ears as Mags’ dark eyes slowly found their way back to me. Heat bloomed in my cheeks, and my knees nearly gave out. Without a word, he raised my gun at Lucas as Chase’s cruiser pulled into the driveway, sirens echoing in the night. All three of us were bathed in red and blue lights then, reminding me this wasn’t a dream.

I just hoped it wouldn’t become a nightmare.

“Do youuu fucking know this guyyy, Diana?” Lucas blubbered. My eyes snapped over to him.

“Don’t youfuckinglook at him again.”

My eyes landed on Mags again, his dark command spreading over every inch of my skin before seeping into my bloodstream. His nostrils flared as his wide chest expanded with each breath he took. He stood before me like Death, waiting to avenge me.

“Don’t kill him,” I whispered, pleading. I knew Lucas didn’t deserve mercy, and yet, my soul still wanted to show him some. Mags was here, protecting me in a way I’d always craved, but I couldn’t let him kill Lucas.

“She caaan look at meee ifff—”

“Speak again, I shoot you,” Mags clipped coldly, the sharpness of his tongue causing me to flinch.

The cowboy pulled his eyes from me to look at my ex, his face unreadable.

Clearly, he wasn’t going to listen to me, and me begging didn’t affect him in the slightest.

My eyes wanted to followed his gaze, but I didn’t, keeping my gaze on him and only him, just like he ordered. Out of the corner of my eye, I knew Lucas was glaring at Mags with a hatred so potent, I could taste it on my tongue, sour and vile.

“What thefuckis going on here?”

A car door shut as Chase’s question hung in the air, snapping me out of it. I looked down and discovered the state I was in. Embarrassment slammed into me, seeing my peaked nipples and the blush spreading across my chest. It didn’t take much for my body to react to Mags—it was borderline pathetic.

No, it was pathetic. Get a damn grip, Diana.

I shuddered and fixed my robe, pulling it back over my shoulders and tying it tight before wrapping my arms around myself. The chill was back, and I was desperate to have Mags’ warmth surrounding me again. I was ready to drown in it. Chase appeared then, crossing the yard as his eyes came to me. He was dress in jeans, boots, and a wrinkled white T-shirt, his hair a mess. His tired eyes scanned over me, checking for injuries.

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