Page 44 of Forged in Flames (Made of Steel 2)

That wasn't exactly what I thought he'd say, but I wasn't entirely sur

prised. I didn't expect him to suddenly make any sense. At the same time, though, I completely understood what he meant. He made me feel better. He took away the pain. And I did it for him too.

"Make no mistake, Sadie. Our time may be limited, but I plan on making the most of every second."

He grabbed my waist and pulled me in for a kiss.

I couldn't possibly say no to him when he was holding me like this. I parted my lips and let him make my head spin. And the truth was, I didn't want to say no. This was what living was supposed to be like. Taking leaps. Not wishing on a star that your life would suddenly be less dark.

"I need to get to class," I whispered against his lips.

He kept me firmly in his arms. "We're going to figure all of this out. I promise."

I nodded. As soon as he let go of my waist, this feeling of guilt seeped into me. Last night, if V hadn't accidentally shot Eli, I was going to go tell Miles everything. Nothing had changed. I had found out the truth and it was eating away at me. He had been looking for me. He most likely thought I abandoned him or that something terrible had happened to me. Didn't he deserve to know the truth? God, what would he think of me now? "Can I tell someone else about all this?"

He took a moment to study me. "Who do you want to tell?"

Miles. But I couldn't say that. I saw the way V glared at Eli. I didn't want to upset him. "Kins," I lied.

"Telling anyone would put them in danger. Let's just keep it between the three of us. Well, four actually."

"Four?"

"Liza."

"Oh. Right, of course." I had completely forgotten about Liza. I remembered how weirdly she had acted when I was at her apartment. "She has a crush on you, by the way."

V laughed. "No, she doesn't."

The sound made me smile. "I'm not joking. She does. Although, she thinks your computer skills could use some improvement."

He shook his head. "Well, it just so happens that I'm a little preoccupied by someone else right now."

His words should have made me happy. All I could seem to think about, though, was how our sort of relationship was ticking down. "But if we don't end up together..." I let my voice trail off.

"That doesn't change how I feel."

It should. I didn't want to be talking about this right now. Borrowed time. I knew it had to be referring to me. And Don. I tried to shake away the thought. "What am I supposed to tell Kins? She's going to wonder what I'm up to."

"Tell her whatever you need to in order to distance yourself."

"I don't want to distance myself. She's my friend, I..."

"Telling anyone would put them in danger," he repeated.

I bit my lip. "So I can only talk to Liza, Eli, and...you."

"Mostly just me."

I shook my head. "I really do need to get going. I'll see you tonight."

"So you are spending the night again?"

Crap. I hadn't really meant to say see you tonight. It just kind of slipped out. But I did want to see him again. I felt safest here. "Do I really have a choice?"

"No. Athena, unlock the entrance."

I heard a clicking noise and looked over my shoulder. The window slowly rose.

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