Page 102 of Beneath the Stands (Sugarlake 2)

I don’t do either. Not because I don’t want to, but because I need to start trusting in Lee’s strength. I’ll be here for her at the end of the night when she needs someone to lean on.

I walk around the building, not quite ready to face the people inside.

There’s a back entrance that leads to a hallway behind the gymnasium, filled with empty studios. Lee used to teach dance in one of them, and I know it will serve as a good hiding spot while I build the shield to face my folks, and the rest of Sugarlake, for one last night.

I grab the handle of the door and twist, when suddenly, heat slides across my back.

“Looking for somewhere to hide, Rebecca?”

My body spasms, the deep rumble of Eli’s voice and my full name off his lips cascading over my body and infusing every pore with need.

His frame hovers against my back and I choke on my breath, my stomach somersaulting on the wings of butterflies. His hands skim my arms, fingertips teasing until he grips the outside of my shoulders. The feel of him is a thousand volts of electricity lancing off my skin.

It’s the first time we’ve touched in years.

His breath ghosts along my neck, the ends of his hair tickling my cheek. My core contracts, a sharp ache slicing through my middle. My fingers grip the door handle so tight it hurts.

“Eli,” I rasp.

“Tell me why,” he whispers in my ear.

My heart pounds inside my chest to the beat of my thoughts.

Tell him.

My eyes flutter cl

osed.

“Okay.”

44

Eli

Becca spins, peering at me through her lashes. “What do you wanna know?”

I shake my head, irritation sparking in my gut. “Don’t do that.”

My arms cage her in, my hands pressing against the cold metal of the door behind her. I’m desperate to make her feel me, but I’m terrified that once she does I’ll never recover. The whisper of a touch I’ve already given her is almost more than I can handle. “Stop pretending like you don’t know exactly what I’m asking you.”

She glances down and exhales a shaky breath. I grip under her chin without thinking, static running through my fingertips as I tilt her face back to mine. “I deserve to know.”

“I just—” Her hand comes up, knotting in the curls on her head. She tries to duck under one of my arms. I slide it down so she can’t.

She huffs. “Can I get some space?”

My jaw clenches. “No.”

“I can’t breathe with you this close, Eli. I need… I need some damn space, please.”

Funny. I haven’t been able to breathe since she stole my breath five years ago. I’m still waiting to get it back.

“No,” I repeat, my voice low.

She meets my eyes, the pull of her gaze hooking into my chest and tugging, trying to tether us together. “Why the hell not?”

Her question chafes the damaged pieces of my soul. I exhale slowly, my nostrils flaring. “Because I’m afraid you’ll leave.”

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