Page 36 of Haunted Hearts

Her question throws me for a loop. I laugh again, the sound is strained as my will to hold strong begins to crack. This is a losing battle. One I’m not sure I want to even fight anymore.

“Trying to catch me off guard?”

Willow smirks. “Is it working?”

“No.” I lie. I’ll hold firm until I get to the bottom of Willow’s moodiness.

Willow’s smirk disappears. “No, what? No, I didn’t catch you off guard, or no, you don’t want to have sex?”

“Both.”

My laughter is louder this time as Willow groans and covers her face once more.

“What are you reading?” she asks after a moment.

I glance down at the book, having completely forgotten about it. “It’s an encyclopedia of the native creatures in this particular realm within the Realm of the Dead.”

There is a pause.

“That sounds riveting,” her voice is thick with sarcasm. Her thighs press together and her free hand that’s resting on her stomach, twitches. The thought that she might play with herself right here next to me is the last straw. I’m going to fuck Willow Harvest.

But first, I’m going to drag this out as long as possible. Watching her struggle is nearly as enjoyable as being buried inside of her.

“Learning about potential threats that we may face is interesting,” I assure her truthfully. I’ve never been one to shy away from learning. “I'd rather be prepared than taken by surprise by the things we’ll find here.”

I watch as Willow’s jaw clenches.

“Well, go back to reading since that’s more fun than sex with me,” she pouts. “I’ll just try to go back to sleep.”

Smirking, I casually drop, “Your dad wants to visit with you today if you’re up to it. He’s back from wherever he’s been.”

Willow sits up immediately, her arm dropping away from her face as it lights up with excitement.

“Why didn’t you start with that?” she demands as she scoots towards the foot of the massive bed. I grab her wrist before she can get very far.

“I was too busy fighting off your advances.”

Willow scoffs and it’s followed by one of the most exaggerated eye rolls to date. When she tugs at her wrist for me to let go, I hold firm.

“Why did you wake up pissed off, Willow?”

My woman turns her face away from me as her shoulders stiffen. I wait… and wait for a response. Time ticks by and still, Willow doesn’t say anything. I’m aware that while Jonah still is talking, Kwil has gone silent. I have no doubt that both he and Theodon are listening to this conversation. But they’re stuck waiting for Willow’s response, just like I am. Unused to her silence, I open my mouth to push the issue when she answers softly, without facing me.

“Because I ran away yesterday like a scaredy cat.” Her voice is thick with embarrassment. “I should have stuck around, asked more questions, and learned whatever Brock could teach me about this realm, yet I ran away and decided to escape reality by sleeping the rest of the day away. Who does that? I don’trun, Viktor. I’m pissed off at myself.”

Oh… I certainly hadn’t expected this to be the direction the conversation would take. Nor did I expect how flawed her way of thinking is. How could she possibly believe she’d be ok after what Fulton put her through? I lean forward, grabbing at Willow’s hips, and drag her back towards me.

“Viktor!” Willow yelps.

I wait to respond until I have Willow tucked under my arm and pressed up against my side. When she turns her head to look up at me, I say softly, “You went through hell, Willow. Your mind wants to protect itself from any more trauma, and hearing that you could still be in danger was just too much, too soon. Your body chose to shut down rather than break down in this instance. It’s nothing to be upset about.”

“You guys have gone through stuff too, and you didn’t choose to run away.” Her eyes slide away from my face as her voice grows softly. “It’s not somethingIdo.”

I snort.

“Are you seriously comparing yourself to us?” I shake my head. “Because we have handled thingssowell.”

Though she doesn’t look at me, I see her weak smile. I tighten the hold I have around her shoulders.

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