Page 34 of Haunt Me, Maybe

“Then we figure out a way to do it without losing you,” I said.

She turned to face me, wary and guarded in a way that hurt more now that I knew how she kissed. I saw it in her eyes—she wanted to know why I suddenly cared. But I didn’t have an explanation simple enough to give her.

“Aven.” I took a single step, and she stilled. “You’re shaking.”

“I’m fine.”

I crossed the room before she could retreat and placed my hand over hers where it gripped the desk, her knuckles bleached white. I pried her fingers loose and weaved mine between them, shuddering at the pulse of her magic that crashed into me as I did.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, just say so,” I murmured. “But don’t lie.”

Her breath caught as she looked down at our hands. Could she see the wild struggle taking place beneath her skin? I gently squeezed my hand, letting her know that I could, and I wasn’t running from it. Something broke open within her. The tension drained out like water finding a crack in concrete, and her impenetrable walls softened. I felt it then. Her magic riled beneath the surface but didn’t fight me or recoil. It listened.

It backed off the edge, and the look of relief on her face was mixed with confusion.

“That shouldn’t be possible,” she whispered.

But I wasn’t done. I needed to test my theory a bit more. Concentrating, I reached out, actively poking that untamed part of her…it remained calm. Contained. Obedient in a way her magic usually wasn’t.

“What’s happening?”

“I’m helping,” I said, eyes still shut in concentration. “I think.”

When I opened them again, hope glistened in her gaze before it was buried under fresh terror. Not at me…I didn’t think. She still held my hand, clutching it tightly.

“This isn’t good.” She panicked. “Don’t you understand what this means?”

I eased another step closer. I didn’t want to crowd her, but I had the strangest feeling she was about to bolt.

“I understand exactly what it means. It means you don’t have to do this alone anymore. You don’t have to run.”

“How did you know I was—” She shook her head as if I was somehow hiding between her thoughts, and the action would knock me loose. “I can’t put you in danger.”

“You don’t get to decide that for me.” Her breath faltered, and I gentled my tone. “I was an ass before. I know. But now I can’t imagine this town—this attic—without you in it.”

Her wide eyes grew impossibly larger, and her mouth opened, but no words made their way out. She was right on the edge. Torn between what she wanted and what she was terrified of ruining.

I leaned in, my voice low to hide the plea in it. “Say yes.”

“Nothing could convince me.”

Now was a horrible time for her stubbornness to turn me on, but dammit, I couldn’t help it. It was adorable how she thought I couldn’t see right through it. She probably didn’t realize, but her declaration wasn’t a no. It was open-ended and ready for someone to step up and prove it wrong.

My smile was slow. “Is that a challenge?”

I glanced around; no Fenn. The room felt smaller without the familiar’s presence, but the privacy was in our favor. I closed the space between us. It spooked Aven enough that her back hit the desk, and I halted my advance, but remained close enough that our knees knocked as she shifted on her feet.

“Can I prove you wrong?”

The pulse in her neck jumped, catching my attention and making my mouth water. I didn’t rush her answer, wanting the decision to be solely hers. Things would end right here and now if she wanted them, too. I swore it. There were other ways I could help her if my touch wasn’t the route she chose.

She dipped her chin and then lifted it to meet my gaze head-on. Not defiant, but brave. Almost daring, really. Her eyes were bright with resolve and desire, tangled together so tightly I couldn’t tell where one ended, and the other began. There was a flicker in there too—want and hope that she didn’t quite trust herself with.

I moved then, giving her time to pull away. When she didn’t, I brought one hand up and stopped short of her cheek. My palm hovered there like it was asking permission all over again.

She leaned into it, and I went lightheaded at her acceptance. The moment my fingers brushed her skin, I knew I would have to tighten my control. I had to be on my best behavior. Aven was innocent and new to this; she wasn’t ready for all the things I wanted to show her.

I cupped her jaw gently, my thumb warm against her cheekbone. My other hand was on the move, discovering her in a slow, maddening way I didn’t know I was capable of. I wanted to memorize the way she reacted to my touch—every shiver and muscle twitch. I started at her waist and rose higher, skimming under her sweater and tugging until the oversized neckline hung off one shoulder.