Fangs, Fate & Other Bad Decisions novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

I slowly wake to movement and warmth cradling me. There is a faint shift of air as a door opens and closes.

It takes me a second to realize I’m not in the car anymore. I’m in Thane’s arms. And he’s carrying me like I weigh no more than a feathered cushion

My cheek is pressed to his warm chest, and his heart is beating strong and steady beneath his shirt. His grip around me is secure–one arm under my knees, the other curled protectively around my back. The collar of his jacket, which Mike has most likely draped over my shoulders, brushes against my jaw.

For a second, I let myself pretend I’m in a normal, everyday situation. That being carried home like this–gently and reverently–is a regular part of my Sunday evenings..

But the lie only holds for a few steps, because I feel his body’s tension as we near my front door. I can feel the reluctance in his every stride, the way his fingers tighten against my skin ever so slightly, like maybe if he holds me tighter, time will slow down.

Mike steps ahead of us to unlock the front door with practiced ease, but he doesn’t say a word as he goes. He just opens the door and gives Thane a slight nod before disappearing down the pathway toward the SUV

The living room is dimly lit by only the table lamp burning on the side table next to my recliner. It’s quiet and familiar and should bring me comfort, but it doesn’t anymore.

Thane bends to lay me down on the couch. It’s supposed to be a simple, effortless motion, but the second my body separates from his, something inside me aches. Like a string that’s been pulled too tight has just snapped.

I open my eyes completely as he lingers above me, his hands resting on the couch’s arm next to my head. His face is half–shadowed, and his jaw is clenched like he’s fighting himself about something.

“You could’ve just shaken me awake,” I whisper as I peer up at him.

His eyes meet mine before he says matter of factly, “Didn’t want to.”

My breath catches at his simple admission. The space between us is small, too small, and feels like it’s growing even smaller by the second.

“Tomorrow’s Monday,” I murmur, not even sure why I say it. Maybe as a reminder to both of us? Or maybe as a warning?

His throat bobs up and down several times, as if his following words taste like regret, “I know”

That’s all we say to each other for a long time. The room’s silence presses in on us, thick with everything we’re unwilling to admit. Like the fact that we don’t want to let this night end. Or that we don’t know what comes next. Or that whatever this thing is between us, is already too deeply embedded into our souls for us to dig it out cleanly without bleeding out.

He starts straightening and stepping back, but I instinctively catch his wrist before he can go too far.

“Thane…” I start on a breath that burns as it escapes my throat.

He stills, and his gaze drops to where my fingers are wrapped lightly, tentatively, barely there, around him.

And then he leans back down slowly, not all the way, but just enough that I can see the war in his eyes, the torment, and the hunger.

gravel and heat, but with no real conviction.

“I should go,” he says, his voice g

“Then go,” I say, even though we both know I don’t mean it.

He doesn’t move, which makes me sit–up slightly to close the space between us further. My breath brushes his cheek when I whisper against his ehr. “Unless you’d rather stay and make a bad decision with me.”

He gently pulls his hand from my grasp and reaches for my face. His fingers ghost over my jaw like he’s memorizing it, and then his thumb rests beneath my lower lip, which is still parted from the dare I just threw out there.

“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted something I shouldn’t have…this much,” he says softly as he searches my eyes.

like a confession, a warning, and a promise all wrapped up into a sinful gift.

It’s nothing like the heat–soaked press of our lips in the SUV last night. And nothing like a kiss laced with teasing flirtation or temporary Indulgence.

no tomorrow and no world outside of this room. His hand tangles in my

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