Page 40 of Bleeding Hearts
“Then I’ll ask you for forgiveness instead. Forgive me for confusing lust with love. Forgive me for thinking you wanted me forever when you only wanted me for a moment. Forgive but don’t let me go. I can live with a little pain, I can live with you not loving me, but I can’t live without you.”
My words are stolen whispers between us, and for a moment, we just stare at each other.
“It would be easier if we didn’t love each other, wouldn’t it?” she murmurs. “You didn’t mistake anything, but I can’t be what you need, at least not right now.”
“Then I’ll wait right here until you’re ready. You are the love of my life, Laila Stewart. I’m not letting you go. Not now, not ever.” I lean down, aiming for her lips. She stares up at me before her eyelids shut in acceptance, then she arches her head up, and our mouths drift dangerously close until a shrill noise startles us apart.
We both scramble up, searching for it, until I grab my phone and realize it’s coming from there. The Risk logo flashes, and then there are instructions. I glance at Lally and see her gripping hers. Her face is pale as she looks down at the screen.
We share a look, our phones clutched in our fingers. “I guess it’s game time.”
I nod, but I don’t know what to say. She climbs from her bed and pulls off her oversized T-shirt. My eyes widen at the sight of her naked back, desire flaming through me before she tugs down a tank then turns to face me as she laces up her boots.
Her new shirt reads “I love pussy,” and there’s a picture of a cat, with more words under it that say “I like cats too.”
When she’s swinging on her leather jacket, she looks at me, hesitating before stepping past me.
Catching her hand, I tug her closer. “It isn’t too late to back out. We could just stay here.”
For a moment, I swear I see her resolve crumbling before her eyes harden and she pulls from my hold. “I can’t. I’m sorry. You can stay. You don’t need to come.”
I throw on my jacket and hop into my shoes. “When will you learn? I go where you go.”
Her sigh fills the air, but she holds the door open for me, and I take that as a victory.
Unlike the last few games, I’m not going in alone. Lally is at my side, and surprisingly, she doesn’t seem inclined to fade into the crowd and leave me by myself. She sticks close to me, and I slip my hand into the crook of her arm as the crowd thickens. She glances back at me and tugs me under the shelter of her arm to stop them from bumping me while we follow everyone up several flights of stairs in the office building.
When we first showed up, I was worried we would be found out, but there was no security guard at the desk, the turnstiles were open, and neon arrows pointed up the stairs.
“I hate exercise,” I mutter as my legs begin to burn from yet another flight. The excited and scared chatter around us drowns us out as she keeps pace at my side.
“Really?” She runs her eyes over me, and they heat with something that sends a shiver through me. “I like certain exercises.”
“Then maybe you can show me,” I flirt breathlessly.
She smiles wickedly just as someone knocks into me and sends us flying into the railing. She grunts from the impact,keeping her back to it so I don’t hit the metal poles, and glares at those behind us. “Fucking watch out,” she snaps before looking down at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I murmur, taking a moment to appreciate being this close since she doesn’t often let me. She glances at my lips for a moment before she looks away and guides us up the stairs. She takes my hand and tugs me up them faster.
“Come on. When this is over, remind me to take you to the gym.”
“No. I was made for comfort, not speed,” I retort. I sound winded, but I don’t care. Who the fuck climbs stairs like this? We have elevators for a reason.
“Good, I like both,” she mutters, but she doesn’t give me a chance to speak as we break out of the open rooftop door and step onto the skyscraper’s flat roof.
It’s large, and the crowd is already surrounding the edges, leaning into the railings and looking around at the city. Unlike the other games, this is in plain sight, right under the police’s nose. Bright lights flood the area as it becomes hard to move, bar a space in the middle of the roof that’s empty.
She moves to the front, taking me with her, and that’s when I get my first look at tonight’s game. Horror washes through me. Unlike the previous ones, this isn’t particularly extravagant or elaborate, but it does the trick.
There is a wide strip leading to the other side of the roof, and covering it is broken glass. I see little rocks under it, and as I go to speak, flames whoosh up through the glass, making us all take a step back.
“Welcome back to Risk. Tonight, you will show Pine Valley what you are truly made of. You will conquer your fear and come out the other side. Those who can’t will be disqualified. Can you take the first step? Can you risk it all?”
The words cut off, and everyone gapes at the glass. “We have to walk across it?” I mutter.
“Must be.” Someone at my side points, and it’s then I notice the cameras watching us. The door on the roof slams shut, and we jump, whirling around to see a clock counting down on it, displaying thirty minutes.
“Shit, is that for all of us to get across? What happens if we don’t?” I mutter.
