Page 51 of Ugly Truths
The faint, familiar scent of cedar from his cologne fills my senses, wrapping around me, anchoring me in the only comfort I’ve known in years. He exhales sharply, shoulders loosening just a fraction beneath my touch.
Still, he doesn’t speak. “If you’ll let me, I’ll choose you first this time.” Our faces are mere inches apart as I continue, “You can decide if you want me back.”
His hands twitch at his sides, caught between what he wants and the part of him that insists he shouldn’t.
“I love you,” I admit as I rise onto my toes. My hands slide into his nape, fingers threading through the soft curls as I say the words he once had the courage to tell me in the spring. “I’m here for as long as you’ll have me.”
My mouth presses to his in a promise and a plea. Every ounce of longing, every regret, every broken piece of me that still belongs to him is laid bare. Hesitancy coats every inch of his body. Still, I press closer, pulse hammering while I search for a response.
Only when my tongue swipes the seam of his lips do the floodgates open.
Hands find my sides in a snap, dragging my softness along the hard planes of his chest. His bruising grip on my hips, the scratch of hisbeard, and the small bump of his glasses pressing into my nose are almost painful in their familiarity.
Silas is the one person to quiet the static that hums beneath my skin. He is my opposite and equal, a force that both challenges and complements me. And now, with the weight of his body pressing into mine, I feel the balance returning. Like a gravity that was once off-kilter has been corrected.
When we break apart, our breaths mingle in the narrow space between us, heavy and uneven. My body still thrums with uncertainty, but for the first time since he dragged me back to Chicago, the hatred in Silas’s eyes has dimmed to a faint flicker.
“And if you decide you don’t want me…” My fingers trail lightly along the space where his neck meets his shoulder, the teasing edge in my voice tempered by the truth behind my words. “Killing me is still on the table.”
For a moment, his expression softens. And then it happens.
He gives methat breathtaking, soul-shattering smile that he guards so carefully. The one I’ve only seen directed at Natalie, Davey, and Scarlett.
But now, it’s directed atme.
“Let’s go home.” His voice is a low rumble as he leans his forehead against mine, our noses skimming gently. “Please.”
Home.
My heart swells so tight it’s hard to breathe, but I still manage to nod and softly echo his words. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter 22
Silas
Elena moves around Nat’s guest room quietly, folding clothes, gathering the few belongings she’s accumulated in the short time she’s been here.
I lean against the doorframe, watching as she tucks a shirt into her bag. There’s stiffness in her shoulders, and the way her hands move just a little too fast tells me she might be as unsure about this as I am.
Pulling out my phone, I type a quick text to my sister. At the very least, she deserves an update after I demanded she and Cora leave the house only five minutes before I showed up on her front step.
Me:I’m taking Elena with me.
The reply comes almost immediately.
Natalie:You don’t say?
A second later, another message.
Natalie:I’m happy for you.
I don’t answer. Mostly because I still don’t know what thehell I’m doing.
When we make it outside, Elena is wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, her head tilted down to keep her face hidden. It’s probably unnecessary, but neither of us wants to take chances.
Only once we pull onto the road and are protected behind my tinted windows does the tension seem to ease. Being in the car with her relaxes me in a way I didn’t expect.
My hand finds her thigh, right where it used to rest, simply because she’s next to me in a way I never let myself consider again.
