Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Fire?
I expected as soon as he realized how close he was, that he would leap off me and pretend it never happened.
But… he didn’t.
The smoldering heat in his eyes grew until his pupils were so wide I felt as if I stared into total darkness. I swallowed, barely able to breathe, as strong hands clasped my wrists and pressed them into the snow.
"You thought you could get away with it," he said in a husky voice, making my body do all sorts of things I was unfamiliar with.
Things I craved.
Things I fantasized about.
"I did, though, didn’t I?” I said, in a little voice.
"Do you think this is getting away with it?" He gave a boyish, lopsided grin that made my heart do a somersault in my chest.
He was so close to me he could kiss me.
If he wanted to…
Did he want to?
We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Neither one of us was breathing, the air between us still and clear of any wisps of steam.
“Your eyes aren’t blue,” he finally said, perplexed.
I blinked. “What?”
“Is it witchcraft? Your eyes aren’t just blue at all, they’re bluish gray.”
I was pinned under Timeo, far away from anyone that would ever tell us this was inappropriate, half in love with him. And we were talking about the color of my eyes?
“Yeah. They, like, change and stuff. Depends on what I’m wearing, depends what the weather is like, depends on…” I swallowed hard. “Who’s looking at me.”
The slightest press of his hands on my wrists pinned me to the snow as he held my gaze.
“Starla, you’re beautiful. Don’t you ever forget that.”
I half expected him to want to take it back, to realize that he crossed a line he shouldn’t have.
I almost wanted to shake him and tell him he couldn’t stop being my friend. I wouldn’t let him. He was the best friend I ever had.
When I relived this memory a thousand times in the future, I will do so many things differently. I will say something witty and cute. I’ll return his gaze and let him know it’s fine to kiss me. I will thank him for calling me beautiful.
But there, in the moment it actually happened, I was as frozen as the snow on the ground around me.
My whole body was on fire. And I didn't know what to do with that. I had no experience, no reference point, except full condemnation of any attraction growing between a man and a woman who weren't married… Or even worse, not approved by an elder. I knew enough to reject this, but not enough to build my own narrative.
“Oh, my God!" I yelled.
Curiosity flashed across his eyes as he looked over his shoulder. “What?”
It was going to work. I jackknifed up, completely engulfed in outerwear, but I was able to put him just enough off-kilter that I shoved him into the snow. And I took off.
“You little brat,” he growled. “You are gonna get it now.”
I had no idea what “it” was, but God, I loved it when he got all growly. I had no words to explain how it affected me, but I knew I liked the way my heart beat faster, my palms grew sweaty, and I longed to be nearer to him.
I was screaming, ducking from one clearing to the next, out of breath with laughter as he gained on me, when I stepped on a slick patch of black ice. My ankle twisted beneath me and I went sprawling, crying out when a sharp pain gripped me.
Timeo caught me in record time, tossing a full, enormous armful of snow at me. I squealed and twisted but grimaced when my ankle throbbed.
“And if you think— aw, Jesus. You hurt? Of course, you’re hurt. Just when I was gonna get my revenge.”
But I knew he was only teasing me, as he knelt beside me and cradled my twisted ankle in his still-warm hands.
“How are you so warm?” I asked, my teeth chattering together. “I’m fah-freezing.”
He didn’t answer, inspecting my ankle. “Could be a sprain, might be broken.”
He helped me to my feet, but not before he smacked me with a full pile of snow.
“Hey!” I shook the snow off.
Timeo shook his head, his dark brown eyes dancing. “You had to be punished,” he said smugly. “Before we get back to The Castle. You’re lucky I took it easy on you.”
My pulse raced.
I brushed snowflakes out of my eyes and shivered as a trickle of icy snow made its way down my neck.
“I’ll get you back,” he promised. “You’re still in trouble. But let’s see if you can stand on your own.”
I tried, but my ankle throbbed with pain, and I faltered. Timeo caught me before I lost my balance completely.
“I think it’s broken,” I said, my voice wavering. I swiped impatiently at my eyes, frustrated that a fun romp in the snow had come to this.