Page 97 of The Sound Of Silence

Don’t do it. Walk away.

I stand frozen while an internal battle rages between what I want to do and what’s right.

Unfortunately, the rational part of my brain loses out, and as I open her door, I’m hit with the invisible field that keeps pulling us together. The tension we never lost.

“Willow?” I call out and cringe when something hits the floor in her direction. I have to physically stop myself from running to her, knowing I probably just startled her.

“Won’t be a moment,” she calls back, her voice slightly shaky, making me wonder…did I elicit that? Does she feel it too?

Trying to keep to the task at hand, I focus on the counter instead of staring in her direction. It’s only when I see a small bell there that I realize why I startled her—I didn’t hear a chime above the door when I walked in. My gaze flashes back there to see the bell gone, and I bite back a smile.Small wins.

“You came?” Willow asks, sneaking up behind me, drawing my gaze.

Her cheeks are flushed and she has her lip trapped between her teeth. If I hadn’t just been watching her in the window, I’d think that I’d just caught her in the middle of something, with the doe-eyed look she’s giving me.

“I did. Pippa sent me for the—”

“Necklace,” she says, cutting me off, her hand moving to her neck as though the word invoked a memory for her. A memory of the last time we were here.

My eyes flash to where the delicate self-designed necklace sits perfectly against her collarbone, and I imagine myself replacing her hand with mine as I press her against a wall and…Whoa. Holy fuck! Where did that come from?

My cock twitches at the incredibly vivid picture, and I have to force myself to smile.

“Yes, the necklace,” I say, my voice wavering a little.

“I considered making something really awful and charging you double for it, but I changed my mind at the last second.”

My smile widens, unpermitted, but when I see the way Willow lights up in response, I don’t actually mind.

“Why don’t you show that part of yourself more often,” she asks shyly, her hand resting against her lips.

“I guess I need more things to smile about,” I say honestly, then instantly regret it when a look of pity crosses her face. “I didn’t mean that for you to—”

“I know,” she says, a darker pink tinge rising up her neck. “The pity wasn’t for you.”

My chest tightens as I take in her meaning.Fuck. She doesn’t even realize that she’s one of theonlyreasons I smile at all. And I want to tell her, but instead I change the subject.

“Let’s see your creation. I’m sure Pippa’s going to love it.”

Willow nods, and when she walks to the storeroom, I slip behind the counter to be closer, unable to take my eyes off her. Once again, I’ve fucked myself over. Constantly putting myself in situations I shouldn’t be in.

She comes back out with the gold chain draped over her fingers, and startles at our close proximity, her chest rising as she sucks in a breath. My pulse spikes, and I swallow a lump in my throat.

“Here it is…” she says nervously, raising the chain in the air.

Stepping forward, I reach out to touch it but stop barely an inch away. “Do you mind?”

Willow shakes her head and takes a step closer, causing my heart to thud in my chest. I inherently know something is about to happen, but I can’t bring myself to stop it. I don’t want to.

Running the tip of my finger over the intricate design, I leave it in her hand for safekeeping.

“It’s incredible, Willow. She’s…” The words die in my mouth when I notice Willow’s throat bob as I look up at her. My focus shifts to her mouth at the exact moment her tongue slips out, glistening her lips before she bites down on the bottom one and moves it between her teeth.

Any good intentions Ieverhad desert me as my body moves forward of its own accord. Willow steps back until she hits the wall—just like I pictured it—and her hand falls by her side, the necklace all but forgotten as it dangles from her fingers.

“Jesse?” she questions but I can’t answer. I have no fucking idea what I’m doing.

Running a finger down her cheek, my eyes bounce between hers as I silently ask her to trust me, telling myself at the same time that I can trust her.

---