Page 26 of Heal Me

“Be with me tonight.”

“Of course. I’m not going anywhere,” I reassure her.

“No, I mean be with me,” she says, rocking against me again to clarify her point.

So she is trying to kill me. “No, Charlotte.” She tries to pull away from me, but I won’t let her.

“I’m sorry. You said friends, but I just thought maybe you wanted more than that. I’m sorry I misread—”

“Charlotte, you didn’t misread anything,” I cut her off, thrusting my hard cock against her hot little pussy. “Do you feel what you do to me?” It takes all of my willpower, but I pull back. “I want you, but it’s not going to be tonight.”

“Why?” she whispers shakily.

“Because I know you’re still not ready,” I say, not quite believing she’s offering herself to me on a silver platter and I’m turning her down. “When we’re together, I want you with me. And only me. No other memories stealing the pleasure that I’m going to give you. And Charlotte?”

“Yes?” she breathes.

“I plan on giving you more pleasure than you’ve experienced in your entire life.” With that, she whimpers quietly, and my cock twitches. “Good night,” I tell her, giving her a chaste kiss on top of the head.

“Good night,” she sighs, and I have a very long night of the most painful blue balls I’ve experienced in my entire life.

Waking with the same problem I went to sleep with, even more so now, I gently move Charlotte’s head from my chest. Teleporting home, my cock’s just going to have to be angry with me, because there’s no time to take care of business. After a quick shower, I use my power to dress and teleport to my favorite coffee shop. Ordering two caffè lattes, I send one to Charlotte’s nightstand for when she wakes.

Even though I’m late for work, I return to my sister’s gravesite. “I’m sorry I had to cut my visit short the other day,” I tell Gabby. “Rumel is…well, you know Rumel.” I drag my hand down my face in frustration. “Fuck, Gabby, what am I going to do?” Last night’s turn of events made it clear I’m starting to fall for Charlotte Jasmine Patel.

“Courage is being scared shitless and doing it anyway,” I say, and then give a little acrid laugh. I’m not very courageous, because when Charlotte learns the truth about who I really am, she’ll want nothing to do with me.

Chapter 12

Charlotte

“Problem, Ms. Patel? You’re distracted,” Dr. Cooper comments as I tag along with him on his rounds of follow-up care.

“I’m not distracted,” I reply as we enter the room of the young man who came in with a gunshot wound what feels like a lifetime ago. Of course I’m distracted, but who wouldn’t be after last night? I’m running on fumes, and the most amazing caffè latte I’ve ever tasted.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Cooper asks the patient.

“Better. Ready to get outta here,” he says nervously, looking around the room. For what or whom, I’m not sure.

Dr. Cooper nods and then partially opens the patient’s hospital gown, checking his sutures. “Looks like you’re healing nicely.” He looks over the patient’s chart on the computer and types in some notes. “How’s your pain level?”

“It’s okay. I’m ready to leave,” he says quickly.

“Sure thing. I’ll go ahead and get your discharge started.”

“I’m surprised you’re ready to release him,” I say once we’re out of the room.

“Two MPD detectives are downstairs waiting on him with a warrant for his arrest. The guy’s itching to get out of here, so I’ll help him.” He looks at me with a little smirk. “What, no bleeding-heart plea for the kid?”

I shrug, not in the mood to spar with Dr. Cooper this morning. “Something’s with you,” he comments as we enter the break room.

“I’m just tired.” An understatement. My thoughts wander back to last night. Gabe was so sweet, escorting me home and insisting on staying the night on the couch, coming up with what I’m sure was a bullshit excuse. And then I had a nightmare, and Gabe was only trying to comfort me, when I threw myself at him. God, I wanted to curl up and die from embarrassment when he shot me down. He’s right, though. I’m not ready, and I hate it.

“Burning both ends of the candle?”

“Hardly.” There were candles around the magic circle last night, but that’s not the type of candle he’s talking about. The fear I felt when Eiael appeared before me and grabbed my throat…I try not to shudder.

“I didn’t take you to be the party type,” he says, giving me an assessing look.

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