“How did you know that I would like this?” I clarify.
“Like what?”
“You being mean to me.”
He ruffles my hair and gives me a lazy smile. “Was I mean? I seem to remember you coming all over my hand.”
“Yes.” I giggle. “You were very cruel.”
He laughs. “You haven’t exactly been secretive about wanting me to be in control. You said it yourself when I was coming to meet you at Clifford’s Tower yesterday.”
“I was joking.”
“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.” He rests his forehead against mine. “We’re a good match.”
We’re a perfect match.It’s so similar to what Bones said to me before the hunt.
He’d scared me with that intense declaration, and a shadow of that fear flits across my mind now.
How can I let Rand into my heart?
Not safe.
If I let myself care about him, something bad will happen.
It always does.
He touches two fingers beneath my chin. “What are you thinking?”
I shake my head, mulling over my tangled feelings.
It’s dangerous to want him.
And not just because he’s my professor.
“I don’t know what to do,” I confess on a ragged whisper.
His brow furrows. “About what?”
“This.” I press my hand to his chest, feeling our undeniable connection. “What’s happening between us.”
He cocks his head at me. “It scares you.”
I suppress a shiver. He reads me so easily.
“I don’t want you to be scared of me,” he murmurs. “That’s the last thing I want. How can I make you more comfortable?”
“I…” I swallow hard. “I think I need some space.”
His arms flex around me, pulling me closer. He takes a breath and forces himself to relax.
I slip out of his embrace and get to my feet. My knees shake, and he holds my hips to steady me.
When I’m confident I won’t fall on my butt, I step back.
His eyes are tight with anguish. “Don’t say you regret it.”
Drawn to comfort him, I trace the taut line of his square jaw. “I don’t regret it. I just need space.”