Among the Echoes(46)

"Pssh. Yeah right. Like I’m telling you that."

"Riley, are you scared of me?" I ask, taking another step forward.

"What? No." She rolls her eyes, and I swear it makes my cock go ridged.

"Good." I suddenly loop an arm around her waist and pull her hard against me. She goes stiff, but she doesn’t resist. "You’re not moving. I’ll leave if I have to, but you are not going anywhere." I quickly turn and her shoulders fall back against the brick beside her door.

Her arms remain at her sides as she stands silently against me. She may not be afraid of me, but she definitely isn’t lighting up under my touch like she did in the past. Shit. I prop myself on a hand next to her head.

"Beautiful, you’re not moving. I have other places I can go—other places I can live—but nowhere I want to be as much as here."

She slowly lifts her head to look at me, and no matter how much I want this moment with Riley, I am not ready for the level of pain on her face.

"Slate," she says softly. It’s only a single word, but it wrecks me. I’m done with the bullshit. I’ve played her games for six months; it’s my turn now.

"I lied. I absolutely came back for you. It’s stupid, but, Riley, I can’t think of anything but you."

"Slate," she whispers again.

"Shut up." I gently grab her ass, forcing her against me. "Riley. I don’t even know you, but I spent a week with you, and if that was any sort of preview of who you really are, I want it all."

"You need to forget about me," she says, but every muscle of her body tells otherwise.

"Not happening. Try again."

"Forget. Me."

"I’d love to. But you see, we have a little problem, Riley. Not a single night has gone by where I didn’t lie in bed and envision your blue eyes. You have haunted my dreams. For six f*cking months, I’ve worried about you. Every time I heard even a car door shut outside my apartment, I would fly out of bed, frantic because I knew the noise would have scared you." I drag my nose up her neck and smile to myself when her breath catches. "Do you know how f*cked up that is, beautiful? You never even spent the night with me, yet I wake up in a cold sweat, worried about you. It’s f*cking ridiculous! But as the days passed, it was the memory of your smile that gutted me. So don’t tell me to forget about you, because trust me, I’ve f*cking tried."

"I can’t be with you. You don’t understand." She tries to walk away, but I refuse to release her.

"Then explain it to me!" I yell beyond all frustration. I’m only inches away from her face, and she immediately shuts down. "I’m sorry," I begin to apologize when she explodes.

"Don’t you dare yell at me! I want to be with you, but I can’t. It’s just not possible, and it’s not f*cking fair for you to try to make something happen. Walk away. Leave me alone, and stop sending me gifts so I can go one damn week without having you consume my every thought." She throws her arms up, batting my hands away.

"Damn it. Stop," I say just as she cracks open the door. "I’ll make it possible, Riley. Just give it a chance. I will make you safe."

"I’m not some damsel in distress you can just swoop off her feet and save, Prince Charming. I’m lost in a world so dark you wouldn’t be able to find the light of day again. But make no mistake, you’re the poisonous apple in this fairytale, Slate."

"Fuck your fairytale. I just want you. I’ll make my own God damn happily ever after. But you’re the one who is mistaken. You’ll be at the end of that story, beautiful. You either come willingly or you force me into the dark after you. It doesn’t matter to me, because either way, I’ll find you." I turn to walk away, and as I near my door, I decide to take a risk. It’s a gamble that could leave me looking like an arrogant prick, but I’ve been called worse. "Get your head together, because this is happening. My door’s open. I’ll be waiting for you."

She doesn’t try to stop me, but I don’t need her to. One thing has been constant since I met Riley. She’s always knocking at my door. Even unconsciously, since the very first time I laid eyes on her, she hasn’t been able to stay away from me either.

I cross my arms over my chest and stand inside my apartment, watching the door and willing her to bust through it. But as the minutes pass, that wish goes unanswered. Finally, I drag a chair over to face the door. She’ll come. I know she will. But when the clock hits the one-hour mark, I begin to lose my confidence. I lean forward, placing my elbows to my knees, and cup my hands over my mouth.