❝ You make this messed-up world look so much more beautiful. ❞ Gathering me in his arms, he pulled me close -- his lips seeking mine hungrily.
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The only thing Summer Hale has ever wanted was to live peacefully away from her secrets...
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I let it burn You're no longer my concern Faces from my past return Another lesson yet to learn — No Time To Die by Billie Eilish
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Blood rushed to my heart with a thud as I stared at the building in front of me. It seemed ominous as it loomed under the darkness of the night sky and the horrors that awaited me. Gray placed a hand on the small of my back, and I raised my chin to look at him. His brows were furrowed, his eyes disturbed.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, my voice small with a sliver of rising anxiety.
The possibility that the Marchioness might've called him nagged at the back of my head. I was prepared to argue, to stop him from doing anything that could put him in harm's way. He would do the same if he found out about what I was going to do.
"My father called," he sighed, raking a hand through his hair.
I breathed out in relief. "Is everything alright?"
"I need to go home. He said there's someone important waiting for me."
I pressed my lips together, the comprehension of the situation knotting my brows. This was her doing, I was certain. She knew it would be impossible for me to answer her next call without Gray finding out and even more impossible to leave if he were within proximity. Moreover, Gray's house was more than an hour away from Brickfields. This was obviously a distraction to keep him far away from me so I could fulfill her sick game.
As much as it terrified me, I wouldn't have chosen another way.
Forcing out a smile, I wrapped my arms around Gray and buried my face on his chest. His arms circled my waist, and he kissed the top of my head. We spent the entire day in bed laughing, talking, and making love. I inhaled his scent, the turmoil brewing inside me settling into a dull ache. This was my mother's mission — to catch the Marchioness — and I was going to finish it for her.
I pulled away from Gray's embrace and pressed a hand above his heart. Knowing he was going to be safe was enough for me.
"Please wait for me," he murmured, pressing his forehead against mine. "I'll be back before you even get to say I miss you."
