Page 81 of Hot Blooded
“Tressa,” he says, his deep voice gravelly.
“W-What are you doing here?” I’m breathless and I don’t know why.
“You,” he says simply, his gaze burning intently on mine.
Everything I thought I’d lost slams into me at once. The depth of my feelings for Reign are impossible to deny.
And seeing him standing here before me makes my knees turn weak. His deep blue eyes are hungry and seeking. His masculine jawline, his height, and even his scent evoke a sense of deja-vu. I remember everything in perfect detail, including the wicked pleasure he gave my body. I suppress a warm shiver.
"Hi sugar," Alastair says, grinning at me from behind Reign.
What are they doing here?With a slow breath, I reluctantly let my gaze wander from Reign to greet Alastair and since I’m at a loss for what they’re both doing here, I simply step aside to let them in.
Lena’s smile is wide as she chats with Alastair, and I can’t help but be reminded of that time I walked in on her giving him a blow job. Awkward.
I inhale another cleansing breath and stand my ground. “What are you doing here?”
Despite my less-than-welcoming tone, Reign doesn’t flinch. “I told you. I’m here to bring you home.”
Home. The mansion carved into the side of a mountain isn’t my home. It shouldn’t feel like home, but I feel a pang of longing in my chest all the same. It’s awful. I try to hold it together, bringing my arms around myself.
“I can’t go back with you Reign.”
He stiffens. “Of course you can.”
My attention is so focused on Reign that it takes me a minute to understand that Lena and Alastair are watching our exchange. Perhaps we need some privacy, but we’re too far in now.
I tilt my chin, meeting his eyes. “So, you’ve decided to give in, to give me what I want, then…”
He frowns. “Tressa. Be reasonable.” There is pain in his voice. Alastair flinches too. Out of the two of them, I’d figure at least he’d be on my side about this.
“I’llgive you whatever your heart desires,” Alastair says with a smirk.What the fuck does that mean?
Reign steps closer to me, protectively, filling the space until all I can focus on is him. His fists tighten as he shoots an evil glare toward Alastair. “Don’t make me kill you as soon as we’ve arrived. It would really dampen the trip.”
When I meet his eyes again, he looks lost, broken, and it tugs at something deep inside me. As much confusion and anger I’ve felt about our disagreement, I still have feelings for him, feel alive. He was everything I never knew I wanted.
“Can we go out into the hall and talk for a minute?” Reign asks, his voice whisper soft.
“Hear him out, kid. Do it for me,” Alastair says, dimples out in full force, like he knows they’re impossible to refuse.The jerk.
I swallow and give an imperceptible nod before following Reign into the hall as Alastair slips inside the room. He chased me up here to the countryside; the least I could do was listen to his explanation. Maybe it will give me some much-needed closure. Maybe I can get the answers I need to move on and also figure out where we stand.
In the hall, it’s like neither of us knows how to start. We’re silent for several seconds and Reign’s hand twitches like he wants to touch me, but he doesn’t. Thank God.
“Tell me something Reign.”
“Anything you want to know.”
“Are you still set on not turning me?” I question him. What’s the point after all? I can’t grow old next to him.
“I can’t.” His voice is strained, but I can’t dig into that right now. I’m too close to the edge.
“Then I’m leaving.” I turn for the door, my hand gripping the knob.
“No. Stay. Please hear me out,” Reign pleads, prying my fingers from the door handle.
His hand on my skin sends a flash of heat through me at the memory of what those hands can do. He’s still the only person in the world who I have that weird electric tingle with. I shudder as though the memory singes some part of me.
