Page 37 of Prince of Storms
“I’m jealous.”
“Your husband is right there,” I said, pointing. “Go get some of that, then, and let me do this in peace.”
Ally laughed, patting me on the shoulder. “So proud of you. Good for you.”
“Thank you,” I said dryly, knowing that if I didn’t cut it off, she would keep on me for the entire time I was in there. Not that the conversation would be over either, but at least I could delay it until. “Now, will you let me finish in peace?”
“Fine,” she pouted.
“Thank you.”
She left the bathroom. At least she remembered to close the door, giving me some privacy.
Not that it mattered. By the time I got out, he was already dozing on the floor, having pulled the pillows off the couch to use as makeshift padding around him. I stared at him for a few minutes.
That had been fun, yes, and maybe even a little bit needed. I couldn’t entirely call Ally a liar. But it was too much. Watching him sleep and the feelings stirring in my chest, not to mention between my legs, was all too much. I’d gone too far, too fast. Despite what Ally had said, Iwasn’tready for it. I had to put an end to it. Cut it off before he got in too deep and I couldn’t cut him off.
I resolved that, come the morning, I would do just that. Somehow.
Sleep didn’t help me devise a way to tell him that worked to my satisfaction. I thought about it through breakfast but couldn’t come up with a satisfactory reason to give him. None of them feltright, and I didn’t want to lie to him. So I kept my distance.
Eventually, Ty showed up, and we all piled into the truck and headed back to Tor’s mansion. I sat in the backseat, behind Tor, so I didn’t have to worry about him seeing me in the periphery.
“Your car should be back before the end of the day,” Ty said. “I had someone come out bright and early to grab it.”
“Thank you,” I said, trying not to sound as tense as I felt. “I appreciate that a lot.”
Ty just nodded.
Tor, meanwhile, didn’t say anything. Was he mad at me for not engaging in more last night or that morning? Or was he aware of what I was working myself up to say and giving me the space to say it? I wasn’t sure.
That’s an understatement.Unsure. Scared. Confused. And a great many more things. All of which are distractions I don’t want, which is why I have to end this now before it becomes even worse.
Tor abruptly sat upright, and Ty stiffened.
“What the—”
Brilliant blue-white light exploded in front of the truck, blinding me for a moment and forcing me to blink back tears. Tor shouted something I didn’t understand while Ty roared in surprise and wrenched the wheel to the side.
The truck shot across the road, right at the concrete barrier.
Chapter Seventeen
Mia
It happened in slow motion. Someone screamed the entire time, the high-pitched shriek filling my ears as it mixed with the screech of metal bending and warping from the impact. The concrete barrier groaned, providing a bass undertone to it all.
Tor grunted and slammed forward. The seatbelt snapped tight against my chest. My head whipped forward, practically rebounding off my chest and back up, just in time to see Tor’s head make contact with the windshield, his airbags deploying with a wimpyfloofinstead of a bang.
It came as no surprise that his hard head won that contest, aided by the bulk of his body as it continued to propel him forward. The windshield gave way, popping out in a single piece, flying off toward the driver’s side. Bits and pieces of metal and plastic filled the air as everything shattered.
In my periphery, I saw the steering wheel warp under Ty’s impact. His airbags didn’t deploy either, but he was wearing his seatbelt. Between that and the steering column, he stayed mostly in his seat.
Tor finished exiting the vehicle, sliding along the crumpled hood, the angular ruins turning his body to the side as he flew, starting him spinning. He continued past the concrete barrier and slammed into a tree trunk with a bone-chillingthudbefore falling limply to the ground, out of sight in front of the ruined front end.
My lungs gave out, and the screaming stopped abruptly. I hit the back of the seat with a bruise-inducing thump, then rattled around briefly as the truck settled to a stop, creaking, groaning, and emitting steam from under the hood.
I hung there against the seatbelt for several seconds, trying to come to my senses. Ty recovered swifter, spinning around.
