Page 51 of Beneath the Surface

My gut twists, head shaking back and forth, my body revolting against his hold.

I can’t go back. I won’t go back.

I fight against him, arms thrashing as tears burn behind my lids, my stomach heaving so hard bile teases the back of my throat. “Stop, stop, let me go,please.”

Iama bad judge of character. Years of lying with dark beasts clearly weren’t enough to show me all the ways a manipulator can trick you into thinking they’re the light. There’s a grasping of my jaw, my neck twisting, and suddenly my eyes clash with a golden gaze. My heart calms slightly.

“Lily. Stay with me, baby. Talk to me.” His voice is as firm as his hold and I swallow down more of the panic.

Alex isn’t Darryl.

He isn’t here. He won’t find you.

“Al—Alex,” I stutter. “Why do you have a gun on your nightstand?”

His eyes widen slightly, but his steady grip on my body never leaves. “I’m an investigator.” His voice is strong and quick, like he knows that in order to calm me down, he can’t beat around the bush.

Like he realizes thatthis is important.

My heart falters, my brain attempting to wrap around his words. “Awhat?”

His fingers twitch on my jaw. “An investigator.”

“Like a cop?” My nose scrunches, the fear ebbing back to its dark corner, hiding in the memories I try so fucking hard to erase.

Alex chuckles, his hand moving to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “No, little bird, definitely not a cop.” He pauses, his eyes shifting back and forth between mine, maybe from him deciding what to tell me, or maybe searching for some understanding.

Relief pours through my veins, and I take a few deep breaths, centering myself.

He’s not here.

I lean my forehead against Alex’s, our breaths mingling, hot and sweet, allowing myself to sink into his embrace. Letting his tight hold surround me until I feel the safety of his arms.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his hand moving to the back of my head and smoothing down the strands of my hair.

I nod, an explanation in the back of my mouth, but Ican’tfind the courage to push it off my tongue. So I change the focus to him instead.

“Give me all your secrets. I promise to keep them safe,” I whisper, echoing what he always says, my body trembling from the aftereffects of being thrown into my past.

He blows out a shaky breath, pausing for long moments before he gives in, following my lead and letting me change the subject. “I can’t tell you why I’m here. Not because I don’t want to, but because Ican’t. I sign NDAs. I’m in contracts. I could lose everything if I do.”

Nodding, my eyes glance around again, my fingers squeezing the material of his shirt as I contemplate what he’s told me… and what he hasn’t.

An investigator.

I let the word flow through me, settling into my psyche, and I replay every moment since he’s come into town. “Okay. Okay, that makes sense.”

His lips tic up in the corner, a small grin that doesn’t reach his eyes, and he leans in, pressing a kiss against my lips. I dive into the moment, desperate for his taste—for the feeling that only he has ever provided.

I stop suddenly as another thought hits. “Where do you live again?”

“Colorado,” he mutters against my lips. “But I can work from anywhere. I travel…a lot, so it’s hardly what you would call a home.”

His words stick to my insides like glue, remembering that Raindale is just a short stop on his way to somewhere else. “So... how much longer are youherefor?”

He exhales, his nose flaring, his gaze once again searing through mine. The moment is strained, and my heart aches, desperate to claw its way out of me and sink into him, to soak up the secrets he won’t show.

“I’m not sure,” he admits.

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