Page 259 of Scarlet Wars
No.
She stood there for a second, trembling with fury, then crossed the distance between us in three quick steps, closing the space like she belonged in it, which, in some cruel, permanent way, she did.
Now she was at my side, inches from me.
Close enough I could feel the heat coming off her skin. Close enough that her scent hit me, fresh cut pear and fucking lilies.
Motherfucker. Having her this close and not touching her wastorture.
She stared at me like she didn’t recognize the person standing in front of her. “So what?” she said, the words cracking. “We’re justfriendsnow?”
The hurt in her tone—fuck—it stopped me cold for half a second. Long enough to feel it, long enough for it to cut.
I didn’t want to care. But Emma had this unique talent to crawl under my skin and stay there.
“No, Emma,” I said, voice like gravel. “We’re not. What I feel for you… It sure as hell isn’t friendship.”
Her lips parted, then she looked at me, something sharp behind her expression.
“Fine,” she said, cold and final. “Have it your way. Whatever you want, Caden.”
Whatever I want?
My hands fisted at my sides. My whole body vibrated with the rage and heat I barely kept in check. Like any of this was about whatI wanted?
She turned on her heel to leave—too close, reckless with it—and her arm grazed mine. Barely.
Skin against skin.
That was all it took.
A spark. A fuse lit. A line crossed without warning.
I snapped.
I slammed her back into the wall, hard enough that her breath left her in a gasp. My hand wrapped around her throat, pinning her in place. Her eyes widened, startled, but then thatlook…that fucking look of hers took over. Lust. Hunger.
She wanted this, she wanted me to break. She wanted me fuckingferalfor her.
And then my hand around her throatsqueezed. Her breath hitched and her lids fluttered slightly.
“Do you feel this, Nightcrawler?” I murmured, “The way I control your breathing right now? The way I decide how much air flows into your lungs?”
My other hand trailed down her side, leaving a path of shivers in its wake, and I felt the way her body arched into my touch like she needed it to survive.
“How I’m the one in charge of your oxygen?” I dragged my fingers across her ribs, savoring the way she trembled.
I leaned in until my mouth brushed the shell of her ear. “That’s how it fucking feels when you walk into a room.”
I squeezed her throat even harder. “Thisis how it feels when you fuckinglookat me.”
And then I squeezed it almost all the way. “Andthisis what it fucking felt like when you walked away from us.”
I knew I had to be hurting her—anyone else would’ve clawed at my hand, fought for air, panicked—but she did the unthinkable.
She fuckingmoaned.
Low. Unapologetic. Like she wanted me to know what I was doing to her.
