Page 44 of Eternal

He wants me to admit I want him.

But I don’t.

I can’t.

No matter what Declan wakes in my bones, I’m smart enough to know it will only spread if I feed it. It will grow until I run out of room. Until he seeps from my pores and becomes my ruin.

“Have it your way, Teal. Remember what I said.” Declan breaks his gaze on me, and I hate that I miss it.

I hate that it lands on Cora.

I want to burn her eyes out for daring to look at him.

It’s not like he’s mine. It’s not like I even want him.

But when he nods, and Cora’s eyes brighten, anger swells inside me.

He told me how to stop this. All I have to do is say the word, and I can put an end to it.

So, what’s holding me back?

My fingers clench, and I try to let the sight in front of me scare me off. I let it be the reminder of the lengths Declan Pierce will go to if he wants to prove a point.

That’s what this is—a statement.

He’s forcing me to admit that there’s a small, insignificant part of me that’s having a hard time separating what’s real between us and what isn’t. He’s trying to wake up my rage like it will give him the answers he’s looking for.

Everything about this scene playing out is proof that I should get out while I can.

So why don’t I?

Declan smirks at Cora. “Make it nice and sloppy for our guest.”

His guest?

My jaw clicks from clenching my teeth so hard.

Declan leans back in his chair, and Cora runs her hands up his thighs, aiming for the button on his pants and popping it open. She drags the zipper down, and my heart is racing.

I’ve heard the rumors. Declan isn’t shy. He prefers an audience, and his sexual escapades are revered between these walls. From the familiarity between him and Cora,she probably participates, which gives me even more of a reason to hate him.

This is his life, not mine.

But when Cora tugs Declan’s jeans and briefs down in the front, and his hard cock is freed, my head swims.

“What do you say, Tealene?” He glances at me. “Are you willing to admit what we are yet? What you want… Are you going to claim your boyfriend?”

Cora waits, not touching him, too familiar with this behavior for my comfort. She’s definitely been with him, and I hate that jealousy burns up inside me.

Declan isn’t mine. Not for real.

Except when Cora wets her lips, that’s what he feels like.

I close my eyes, and I can still feel the burn of his kiss. The flash of emotion that rumbled through my chest. He saw me. For one second in my life, it was like someone actually cared.

“No?”

My eyes fly open.

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