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His jaw clenches

“I can’t tell you the last time my mother told o to wish me happy birthday Only, it wasn’t my damn birthday I knoe’ve already discussed my family and how different it is from yours, so you should understand that I don’t have any kind of co with this”

“You’re telling me that you’ve never been around anyone who showed you affection?”

“Not without an ulterior orously when he takes a step toward me “No, I don’t need pity I’ that I don’t kno to be around people like that I don’t kno to trust it And it overwhelms me”

“Baby—”

“Don’t placate me”

“Okay, that’s enough” His face is mutinous now, his hands balled into fists at his sides “Don’t fucking tell ht you were having a good tihed, you talked, and you seemed comfortable”

“It’s not that I was uncomfortable”

“Then I don’t knohat to say or do to make it any better for you,” he says at last “You have a shitty family A shit mom And I knohat that’s like, so let me assure you, I didn’t trust the love that those people so freely showed me at first, either But I can tell you this They don’t want squat fro But I know you’re not, so that’s covered”

“I feel like an asshole”

“I refuse to let you run away froet hard, or heavy, or uncomfortable”

“I do things alone,” I inform him “That’s who I am”

“I don’t buy it”

“You don’t have to I’oing back to the campsite”

I turn to leave, but Seth suddenly spins me to him and pins me to the door with my face in his hands and his lips hot onme He’s intense

Being with Seth is always intense, noAs if they’ve permeated the very essence of who I am

My hands dive into his thick, dark hair, and he boosts s around his waist

“Don’t you even think of fucking leavingmy skin