Page 20 of Defying Ella
“Do you want tea or something?” I bit my cheek the second the words slipped from my lips.
Don’t push your luck, Ella.If he took giving him paracetamol as an attempt to look after him, then hot beverages would definitely set him off.
With the words out, I couldn’t do anything but hover waiting for his rejection.
He shook his head. Then he cleared his throat. “Some of that wine would be good, though if you’re willing to share.”
My gaze fell to the open bottle of red between us. My brows knitted together for a moment before a breathy agreement tripped off my tongue.
I grabbed him a glass from the kitchen.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse. Our fingers grazed as he took the glass and a tingling awareness lingered on my skin.
“You’re welcome,” I whispered, the words barely audible.
I lowered myself to my sofa, eyes fixed on the fire. We each sipped our drinks while the awkward silence deepened. Maybe staying upstairs had been a mistake. I wanted to chill out, not suffer through an awkward interaction that didn’t need to happen.
“Look, I don’t like being alone with my thoughts anymore.” He grimaced before rubbing at his stubbled jaw. “I know that’s weird, you don’t need to tell me. I just want company, even the silent type.”
Ultimately, his imploring eyes did me in. He could have fed me pretty lies, but the unease staring back at me challenged me to remember that beneath the bad-boy exterior was a person I’d actually liked for a very short period of time.
I’d never really questioned why he got to me so badly, but trapped in the silence, it was becoming harder to ignore. Maybe I’d been more taken in by him than I originally thought.
“What do you want to do while we sit here in silence?”
The easiest thing would have been watching a TV show, but the lodge didn’t have a TV. Strange for the winter home of a stupidly rich rock star, but Andy came here to disconnect from the world. We were lucky we had internet before the snow took it out.
Jared shrugged, his gaze fixed on the flickering flame. He slouched on the sofa cushion, his blanket almost forgotten while his skin no longer carried an unnatural white tinge.
“I could grab you one of the paperbacks I read on tour?”
“That sounds great.”
Honestly, getting out of the room served me as much as him. The niceness put me on edge. I didn’t trust it, and that saddened me, that we’d gotten to this point.
With the book in hand, I stalled as long as I possibly could before heading back to him. I hadn’t made my bed when I got up. That needed sorting. My clothes from yesterday still lay on the floor. Might as well put them in my laundry bag.
My heart thumped hard in my throat as I made my way back up the stairs. Maybe it would all be fine and we’d have a peaceful night. We were going to read. Could he turn a solo activity like that on me?
In theory, no.
He hadn’t moved when I returned. His long legs stretched out, spread and pulling at the loose fabric of his joggers. He didn’t say a word when I stopped in front of him, holding out the book. His head lolled back against the sofa cushion, seemingly oblivious to my return.
“It’s a thriller.” I leaned a little closer, waving the paperback in his face. His eyes met mine with an edge I couldn’t read. “Didn’t think you’d like any of the others.”
Still, he said nothing. His jaw shifted as he studied me, unnerving me while also setting off a prickle of interest in my stupid body.
“If you changed your mind, just say.”
He grinned at the annoyed bite in my voice proving for the last time that he really was an unpredictable psychopath. When would I learn that trying with him would lead to nothing but a minor sting and a whole lot of disappointment?
His fingers latched on to my wrist, tugging me forward. I fell against him, one knee landing on the cushion between his legs. Before I could register that I partially straddled him, his hand wove into my hair, pulling my head down. His lips latched on to mine hard, biting and bruising with his demanding kiss.
The shock of it froze me to the spot. It had happened so fast, I couldn’t figure out how I’d gotten myself into this position. At my lack of response, his hold gentled, turning coaxing while his other hand rubbed circles against my lower back.Those traitorous sparks ignited, flaring down every nerve ending and dulling the reasonable half of my brain.
It did feel rather nice. I’d forgotten how perfect his hooker lips felt against mine. I leaned in, pressing my chest against his, chasing more.
I’d definitely forgotten how much I loved the press of his body against mine.
