Page 100 of Range
I shook my head and exposed too many of my teeth to count.
“I don’t frighten you, Range, my proximity and boundlessness does. To be frank, it scares me too, as much as it gratifies me.”
“So, I’m not alone?”
“You’re never alone. Not anymore. Not if you let me be here. For you. For life.”
She closed her eyes, running her fingers over her forehead. Soon after, her head fell into her hands.
“I’m not like the others, Josiah. Normal women exist. So many of them. You’d save yourself a lot of trouble taking your pick of the litter.”
“I’ve never ran from trouble, Range.”
Her head lifted from her hands.
“I like your kind of trouble. It’s the best fucking kind. The kind I won’t regret in the end.”
“Jos–”
“I like you,” I informed her. “All of you. Even the parts of you I’ve yet to learn. Even the parts of you that you’ve yet to learn.”
“Ughhhh,” Range groaned, pushing her fingertips into her cheeks. It was gratifying watching her unravel.
“Talk to me.”
She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. And, I didn’t need her to.
I rose, putting our distance behind me. On her side, I slid her chair backward. Hesitation never slipped into the equation. I extended a hand. She accepted, standing up on her feet.
With my right hand, I sunk my fingers into her skin and lowered my lips onto hers. Our tongues tangled. She was as sweet as I recalled. Darkness surrounded me briefly.
Josiah. I warned.
The realization that I’d lost my way so quickly peeled my eyelids back. It was imperative I remained in control.
To protect her.
To protect her career.
To protect her reputation.
“I’ve missed you.”
My confession came as I pulled away. I stared down into her anguished eyes. She was battling so much within.
Her morals.
Her beliefs.
Her feelings.
Her frustrations.
Her future.
“Have you missed me, Range?”
A nod followed my question.
