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He caught rip tightened, holding them still easily I spoke between clenched teeth "Get out of ht to throw your amateur theories in ree with Especially when you are so fucked up yourself!"
A warning gleamed in those coal-black eyes "I’m fucked up?"
I nodded Fury built inside of me like a pressure valve ready to bloanted to hurt him like he had hurt h about hie
"I know you are" I took a deep breath "You bought into the auction because you were trying to save ht protector but you want to be I’m not her, Ada me It’s too late"
His eyes fluttered closed, then open and his grip around htly "You think I don’t know that?"
I shookof an addict as she was--and your s but you’ll numb yourself to exhaustion every day ork"
He opened hismy voice "Because you’re clever You chose an addiction that was socially acceptable In our culture, it’s a good thing to be a hard worker People won’t suspect the real reason you do it, if you’re successful" He paled but I couldn’t stop ed that knife in, now I had to twist it
"Ads or booze or food It numbs you, it keeps you at a distance from life It shuts out everyone who loves you Your uncle, your cousins Your friends"
He released my hands and stepped back as if I had burned hiestured at hier "I know exactly ould happen if ere in a relationship Maybe I’d becoot bored or until the next ti, I’m sure Just like I know you went up to the business center last night after we had sex in the pool" He blinked as if I’d slapped hiritted my teeth and delivered the last feords with all the venom I felt, still wounded from his accusations "You have no heart of your own and yet you are trying to convince me to open up mine to you? No, Adam No way"
The cords on his neck pulled taught and his hands clenched into fists He shook his head at me "Unbelievable," he whispered We watched each other for long, tenseatrage He was si with quiet fury We htened, and he shook his head He turned fro it across the back of the chair by the desk With short, jerky movements, he pulled it on and buttoned it
I was anchored in my spot, unable to move, unable to speak All I could do was feel--feel this pounding wave of agony washing overthe air between us
He grabbed his shoes, sat down and slipped them on I watched, mute and helpless Those words were like the threshold we’d crossed together earlier--soether and push us apart They could never be unspoken
"Ada what he wouldn’t say more than what he would
He looked at ? I’d finally decided I wanted a woirl" He stood and spun, heading for the bathroom And I was rooted, unable tobeside the pain blossoone to the couch, holdinghat to do, what to say He walked to the door and turned back toto another rooht I suddenly lost my desire to sleep here"
I tipped my forehead ontothe door open and sla it closed I was cold inside I could cry if I allowed hter towhat thisnext to hi?
And after that, after he dropped ain? That had been my clever safety mechanism, clearly delineated and structured from the start But there was no deal to conclude So ould be our conclusion? Coement--as if the fairy tale had never existed at all?