Page 84 of A Smile Full of Lies
“No, sweetheart, I’m savoring the moment,” he murmured.
My throat tightened and my cheeks burned. My thumb hovered over the end call button, but he spoke again.
“But I think you’re lying to yourself.”
It was such a smug, know-it-all thing for him to say. It pissed me off so bad I couldn’t resist the urge to reply.
“I’m lying to myself?” I seethed. “About what, exactly?”
“About why you want him.”
God, he sounded so fucking self-assured. Arrogant fucker.
A sharp thrill skittered down my spine.
“What could you possibly know about why I want him?”
“You don’t just want him because you’ve known him forever,” he purred.
I scowled.
“Is that so?”
“You don’t just want him because he’s been taking care of you, either.”
“How could you possibly know that? Have you been spying on me… on Knox… on us?”
Adrenaline hit my bloodstream hard, and I practically started vibrating on the spot.
“You want him because of how he makes you feel.”
I choked out a hysterical laugh.
“Yeah? How does he make me feel?”
“He makes you feel cherished. Protected. Possessed, even.”
My brain made busy signal noises as I tried to figure out how Nox Obscura knew what he knew.
“You think you’re untouchable when he’s around.”
A sharp ache bloomed dead center in my chest as I stared down at my feet, reeling from the way he’d knocked my whole world off its axis with a few well-placed words. He kept right on going.
“And maybe you are.”
I bit my lip and tried to think of something to say to throw Nox Obscura off, but nothing came to mind, so I stayed quiet.
“But tell me, sweetheart… If he made a move — if he pushed you the way I did last night — would you let him? Or would you push him away?”
Hot tears leaked down my cheeks.
“I don’t know.”
“Liar,” he growled. “You know exactly what you really want to do.”
I shook my head, even though I didn’t think he could see me. But then again, maybe he could. What did I know?
“And it’s not pulling away.”
