Page 80 of Red Queen (Red Thorns Crew 3)

Please let this work. Please let this work. Please let this work.

“Are you cold?” Max’s voice pierced my thoughts.

“What?”

“You’re shaking. Are you cold?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t feel cold.”

He pulled the comforter over us anyway. “Here. Just try to hold still and focus on your body.”

“Kind of hard when death might greet us at the door.”

He paused. “Have you spoken with your family at all?”

“Yeah. I have. I mean, since we’ve gotten out of the hospital, yes. I talked with Dad this morning.”

“How did that go?”

I snickered. “I asked him for space and he practically cursed me for it.”

“I’m so sorry for putting you in such a bad spot with your family.”

I shook my head. “It’s not your fault, Max. I made these decisions of my own volition.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

I peered up at him. “What do you mean?”

When he didn’t look back at me, I started moving myself. I straddled his lap. I sat up, feeling our naked pelvises pressing against one another again. I cupped his cheeks, making his eyes look deeply into mine. And as he heaved a heavy sigh, I stroked his face with my thumbs.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I just get the feeling that--”

“That…?”

He rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder if I’ve forced you into this life with me. If maybe you thought you’d lose me if you didn’t come along with me. So you did it just for that reason.”

“What if I did?”

His face fell. “Did you?”

“I don’t want to lose you. Ever, Max. Why is that a bad thing?”

He shook his head. “I should’ve known better. I should’ve known better than to have forced you into something--”

“Now, wait wait wait wait wait.”

His eyes closed. “I forced you into this, didn’t I?”

“Max, look at me.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“I’m telling you to look at me.”

His eyes slowly opened. “What?”

---