Page 41 of Hot Blooded
Her gaze drops to my neck and a frown replaces her smile. Crossing the room in three efficient strides, Mrs. Potts puts her fingers beneath my chin and lifts. As I raise my face, her hand drops immediately as though she’s been stunned.
“Oh my.” Her hand wobbles as she brings it up to her heart. “Oh dear.” She takes a step back and mutters something under her breath. “This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.” She’s shaking her head and her eyes are filled with alarm.
I form my mouth into a smile that I hope is helpful. “Everything is fine. I’m okay. And everything is fine.” Am I repeating these words to her or to myself?
“Tressa, it’s just that…” She takes a halting breath. “Reign is a complicated man. These matters are…delicate.”
I shake my head. If only she knew. I was the one who asked for this—all but begged him. All’s well that ends well, right? I’m about to make a joke, but somehow I don’t think she’ll appreciate it.
“You know what? I think I’m going to work today after all.” I rise from the bed and untie my robe. “There’s just no point in lazing about all day reading while there’s work to be done.”
I tread into the adjoining walk-in closet and begin picking out an outfit. A pair of jeans and an oatmeal-colored sweater. No, a turtleneck, I decide, putting the sweater back on itshanger. “If you’ll excuse me,” I say to Mrs. Potts, gesturing to my pajama-clad self. “I need to change.”
She gives me one more worried frown before turning away.
“Thank you for the tea!” I call out to her retreating form.
***
Reign comes into the library later and his presence sets off a chain reaction inside my chest. My body tingles pleasantly and my heartbeat grows erratic.
He doesn’t smile or even say anything as he approaches the table where I’m seated. He seems somewhat downtrodden, and I wonder if Mrs. Potts gave him the verbal lashing she so obviously wanted to.
He stops beside my chair and strokes one hand along my hair, settling it on my shoulder.
“How are you?” I say, needing to fill the empty silence between us. I look up, giving him a hopeful look.
He settles into the chair beside me and I can feel the heat of his gaze on my neck. The twin pink marks he’d left there don’t hurt at all. “I’m… okay. More importantly, how are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“Tell me the truth.” His voice is stern.
“I’m fine, Reign. I promise.” I reach for his hand, but he pulls it back.
“I got carried away,” he continues.
“It happens.” I lift one shoulder.
“Not to me, it doesn’t.”
Sensing we’re at a crossroads, I close my mouth and look away, watching out the window as the sky begins to darken into an ominous gray. It looks like it may storm later.
Perfect. The dark and stormy sky matches my mood exactly.
Still staring out the window, I start again, “I’ve been alone for a long time. I love living here, love the work I get to do. Love—” I stop myself from saying something I don’t know if Reign wants to hear. “—that I finally feel like I belong somewhere. Like I’m…” I stop myself again. He couldn’t understand all these human emotions, could he? “Never mind.”
“You’re what?”
“Wanted.” I meet his eyes. “Desired. I’ve never had that.” My voice is small.
His eyes plead with mine. “I’m not a safe choice for you.”
“Maybe I don’t feel like playing it safe anymore.” Look where it’s gotten me in life so far. Taking a little risk has made me feel alive for the first time in forever. There’s no way I’m about to give that up.
I also don’t believe Reign will truly hurt me. Perhaps he got a little carried away last night, but now we both know the limits now—we would be more careful in the future.
Right?
