Page 29 of Nick
No.That wasn’t enough.He couldn’t allow himself to fall into old habits, into believing their performance—so he needed to make sure Sarah remembered their purpose too.
He was willing to help her save the pack from Vincent—but that didn’t mean he trusted her.
Does it?
Nick bit back a growl, not sure if the flash of anger he felt was directed at Sarah or himself.
He straightened, his hand sliding from Sarah’s hair to cup her chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze—a gaze filled with unspoken command.He leaned in close.“Remember why we’re here.”His words made her stiffen.“This is all for show, Sarah.Don’t start thinking any of this is real.”
The warning was clear, a reminder of the lines drawn in the sand, the boundaries of their ruse.It was a jab at her vulnerability.The romance between them was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated dance, and Nick was leading.
Sarah’s eyes widened, a flicker of hurt passing over her features as quickly as it came, replaced by a mask of composure.
But Nick saw it—the briefest flash of pain before she buried it deep beneath the surface.It pained him too, the necessity of his coldness, but he couldn’t afford to let her see that.
Not when so much was at stake.
And yet he found his anger fading into sadness.
He bit that back too.
It’s all a show, he reminded himself.
With a final squeeze of her hand, Nick signaled the end of their performance.He drew her away from the fountain’s edge, his grip firm yet careful not to cause pain.
They stepped back into the throng of festivalgoers, their public display of affection now a memory to be whispered about among the curious onlookers.
As they melded back into the crowd, the scent of her still lingered on him, threatening to unravel his control.
Nick wove through the crowds, his mind churning with the turmoil of their staged intimacy.
The warmth of Sarah’s skin seeped into him, tempting and forbidden.He could almost taste the salt of her sweat.But the sweetness of her scent also held the bitter tang of memories, memories of betrayal that had once torn through his heart.
His wolf prowled just beneath the surface, straining against the leash of his human restraint.It yearned for the woman beside him, demanded her with an intensity that bordered on madness.Yet the same beast snarled within him at the recollection of her deception, a wound that time had done little to heal.
“Nick?”Sarah’s voice was soft, tinged with uncertainty.
He glanced down at her, those deep brown eyes nearly unraveling him.“Keep moving.”
With each step, Nick fought the urge to pull her back, to claim her mouth again and mark her as his own in front of all these oblivious humans.
The thought sent a thrill through him, a dangerous blend of possessiveness and desire that defied the pact they had made.This was about power, about showing the lurking eyes of the Sunburst Pack that Sarah was his.
Even if it was all a pretense.
But there was no denying the raw lust that threaded through his veins, a hunger that had nothing to do with appearances.For a fleeting second, he allowed himself to imagine what it would be like to truly have Sarah again, to strip away the lies and lay bare their connection.
“Watch out!”Sarah’s warning came just in time as Nick narrowly dodged an artist’s display, his focus snapping back to the present.
“Careful,” he murmured, though whether it was an admonition to her or a warning to himself, he couldn’t say.
As they emerged from the crowd and into a quieter side street, the sounds of the festival began to fade.
“Nick,” Sarah started, but he shook his head.
“Not now,” he said, all the unsaid words of the last several years hanging heavy between them.
Nick steered them away from the festival, his senses alert, his guard up.
