Page 46 of The Sound Of Silence

“Childish much?” Willow grumbles and I almost smile.Almost.

Opening her hand, Pippa reveals a very expensive-looking necklace, and my stomach knots as a burning sensation fills my chest.Who the hell is giving Willow jewelry?If I find outthatguy is behind this…

“Wow, Willow. This looks expensive. Have you been hiding a boyfriend?”

Willow rolls her eyes, her expression doing nothing to hide how absurd she finds that notion. But why? She’s so fucking beautiful it pains me. Not that I want her to have a boyfriend but…holy shit, I need to rein in these thoughts.

“I made it, Pip,” Willow says with a hint of nerves, saving me from my madness. “Well, I didn’t make it today. I…I finally finished it. I’ve been working on it for a while.”

“What?” Pippa’s face lights up like a kid looking at candy, and she smiles proudly. “You said you were only justthinkingabout making jewelry. You’ve already started. This is amazing, Sis. Can you show me what it looks like on?”

“Sure, turn around.” Willow steps forward, reaching for the necklace, but Pippa backs away with her hands in the air.

“Oh, no. The first piece you design needs to be worn by you.”

Willow pauses, her brows furrowing as she nibbles on her bottom lip, slowly raising her hand to her neck, holding it there like a necklace. The sight makes my throat dry as I picture my hand in its place while I lean forward and set her lip free.Jesus.What the fuck was that?

“Ah, okay,” Willow says, cutting into my thoughts. “Will you help?”

I notice Pippa shaking her head out of the corner of my eye, and when she waves her long, manicured nails in the air, I know what’s coming. “Definitely not…nails,” she says before looking my way. “Jesse, can you please help her do it?” she adds, turning back to Willow. “I’m going to grab one of your love potions from the display. I think we should do a marketing campaign with your designs.”

Pippa hands Willow the necklace before walking toward the other side of the store, giving me no chance to argue.

Not that I can with my mind locked on what she said.Love potion?

Willow and I watch Pippa until she ducks out of sight, and then the silence between us is deafening.

Taking a deep breath, I turn around and find Willow already trying to secure the necklace in place, the struggle evident on her face, but she’s a determined little thing.

I only watch for another few seconds before I’m just as frustrated as she is. “Oh for fuck’s sake. Give it to me,” I say reluctantly, my voice coming out a little rusty.

Without a word, Willow holds the necklace out for me, her throat bobbing as I reach forward to impatiently grab it. But once the delicate gold sits between my fingers, I still, suddenly acutely aware of what I’m about to do as Willow spins slowly, lifting her hair and exposing the slightly flushed skin on her neck.

I gulp, a tense feeling taking over me, and after raising the necklace over her head, I hold my breath, deciding that inhaling her scent is the worst thing I could do right now.

My fingers brush against her skin, and my heart races as she quivers, sending me into a panic. Though her reaction was subtle, I notice and slam my eyes shut to block it all out, instead focusing all my energy on getting the clasp together.Correction, that is the worst thing I could do… because holy hell.

I ignore the way she feels beneath my touch. The way I affect her. The waysheaffectsme.But God, it’s hard to pretend.

As soon as I’m done, I step back and clear my throat, my fingers still tingling.

Willow startles as though coming out of a trance before turning back around, a shy smile on her face.

We’re silent again until Pippa squeals from behind me and runs toward Willow, pushing me out of the way. “I was certain that the oils were your thing, butthis…I think jewelry just might be your calling. It’s absolutely stunning, Willow. Don’t you think, Jesse?”

“Beautiful,” I say honestly, and I’m not just talking about the necklace.

Willow blushes on top of her already pink skin, drawing my eyes to her chest before I spin around, busying myself with the rest of the store.This is bad.

Pippa and Willow take a few photos and chat about some ideas while I head outside, not even bothering to say goodbye.

And it’s not until I’m out of her space that I can breathe.

Fuuuck!

IwantWillow. Like I’ve never wanted anyone before. I want to run my fingers over every inch of her skin, I want to feel her quivering body beneath me, and I want to fuck the fake smile right off her face. But more than anything, I just want to kiss her. Everything about her is sucking me in. She’s a succubus, and she fucking haunts me… Makes me crave things I've never wanted before.

And I really need to get the hell out of here before I act on it.

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