Passion Unleashed

Chapter 10

I don’t need you anymore.

That’s what Serena had said to Josh after the demon left them in the catacombs, but it wasn’t true. Something was wrong with her charm, because that demon shouldn’t have been able to hurt her.

Not that it had hurt her a lot, but when he’d wrenched her arm behind her back, his nails had dug into her skin… and drawn blood. It was a minor injury, but it never should have happened, and as much as she hated to admit it, she was a little frightened.

Josh had handled himself like a pro, and as an ex-Guardian, she supposed he was. Until she figured out what was wrong with her charm, she could use his protection.

They caught a quick bite at a deli near the hotel before hurriedly—and cautiously—grabbing their remaining belongings from their rooms and catching the 17:20 train to Aswan.

They’d each purchased a large private sleeping compartment and agreed to meet up in the dining car for dinner. She had a few minutes, so she changed out of her dusty clothes, took two swigs from her flask for courage, and put her time to good use, calling Val while she still had a signal.

“Hey,” she said when he picked up.

“Serena? It’s David.”

“Oh.” She strained to hear David’s voice over the crackle of static in the cell phone and the rumble of the train on the tracks. “Is Val there?”

“Yeah, hold on. Did you get the coin?”

“It’s in my pack.”

“Good. Keep it with you,” he said, as if she was an idiot who would let it out of her sight. “Here’s Dad.”

She heard the transfer of the handset. “David said you got the artifact,” Val said by way of greeting. “Any problems?”

“Maybe. Last night a man approached me on the streets of Alexandria. He said you sent him.”

“What? Josh was supposed to meet you, but I didn’t send—”

“I know, Val. Calm down. I got rid of him.”

“Why didn’t you tell me last night?”

“I figured he was gone for good.” She took a deep breath. Val was going to hit the roof. “But today he showed up at the catacombs… and it turns out he’s a demon.”

Val inhaled sharply. “You okay?”

“You know I am.” She hesitated, considering how much she should say. If he knew Byzamoth had hurt her, he’d send every Aegis cell within a day’s travel after her. “But my secret is out.”

“What are you saying, Serena?” Val’s voice was low, controlled, and for the first time, she heard the Aegis warrior he was.

“My cloak was compromised,” she admitted. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. It’s repaired now, but it was down for a time.” Now she had to hope whatever was wrong with her charm would be as easily fixed.

“You need to come home. Forget about the Aswan artifact.”

“I’m already on the train.”

“You will get off in Cairo and catch the first flight back.”

She gazed out the window at the harsh yet beautiful landscape, a mix of golden sand and graceful trees, and shook her head. “I’m perfectly safe. And Josh is with me.”

“Josh? Why?”

“Val, come on. He was a Guardian. Who better for me to travel with?” She could practically hear the top of Val’s head blow off. Time to go. “Wow, the static is terrible. I should hang up. I’ll call you when I get the tablet.”

“Wait—”

She severed the phone link by mashing the End button with her thumb. Just to be safe, she turned off the phone completely and headed for the dining car.

Nerves, from the tense conversation with Val and from the anticipation of seeing Josh, turned her stomach into a churning cauldron. But when she saw Josh smiling at her from a table, she wondered why she’d been anxious.

Something about that devastating smile just made her go all mushy inside. She’d never been one for tattoos, but the swirling design on his face suited him, with its angular twists and whorls and dark, sharp edges. One pointed end kissed the very corner of his mouth, and she pictured herself putting her lips to his and following the tattoo until it ended at his fingertips.

He stood—awkwardly, almost as though doing so was an afterthought—and waited for her to sit before taking his own chair again. He was already halfway through a glass of whiskey, and he’d ordered her one as well. Very thoughtful.

She downed it. “I called Val.”

“Did you tell him you have demons after you and your artifact?” He took a swig of his drink, and as his throat muscles worked the liquor down, Serena realized for the first time that a man’s neck could be damned sexy. Maybe she could have one of those dreams like she’d had last night, only this time, she could be the vampire.

“Yes, I told him.” She shot him a wry look. “So your blackmail material is ruined.”

His grin made her pulse leap. “Don’t need it. Now you want to hang out with me all on your own.”

“Are you even aware of how cocky you are?”

“Do I really need to answer that?” He stroked his long fingers up and down the glass, and she suddenly wanted him to do the same to her. After a moment, he pushed the whiskey at her. “I think you need this more than I do. What did Val say?”

“He wants me to come home.”

“Are you going to go?”

“Heck no. Val’s paranoid.”

“Maybe he’s smart.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not you, too.”

He leaned back in his chair, his sinfully toned body sprawled out as though he didn’t have a care in the world, but the way his alert gaze kept checking out their surroundings said otherwise. She got the impression that a gnat entering the dining car wouldn’t escape his notice.

“So… what’s his story? Why does he act more like a father than a boss?”

She watched the liquor in the glass slosh around from the motion of the train. “He was a friend of my mom’s. After she died, he kept in contact with me, encouraged my love of archaeology. He’s an archaeologist,” she explained. “I went to Yale, where he taught, but college turned out not to be my thing. I was getting sick of school, ready to drop out, and he hired me for his private archaeology foundation. He offered me a place to stay at his mansion, and I would have been stupid to turn it down.”

Josh’s eyes narrowed into slits. “What’s the catch?”

“Catch?”

She could have sworn she heard a low snarl come from his side of the table before he spoke.

“No man offers a tight young bod like yours a place to stay without wanting something in return.”

Tight bod? She laughed. “Trust me, he has no interest in me. Not like that. You said it yourself: He’s like a father.”

“Why?” he repeated.

She shrugged. “I think it’s partly because we have a lot in common.” Namely, she was the only person working for him who knew the truth about his and David’s Aegis connections, and he was one of only a handful of people who knew the truth about her. “And partly, it’s because he’s kind of felt obligated to watch out for me.”

“What does your real dad have to say about that?”

“I never knew him.”

“Was he a tomcat who ran around impregnating every female he saw, and your mother was unlucky enough to get taken in by him?”

“Do I sense some paternal issues?”

“Nope.”

His overly laid-back tone gave him away—he was lying, but Serena didn’t push. “Well, no issues here, either. My mom couldn’t conceive naturally, so Pops was a sperm donor—literally.” She pushed the glass of whiskey back at him, because it was obvious that now he needed it more than she did. “I miss my mom, though. What about you? Do you have any family?”

“Two brothers. Both older. Three baby nephews.”

“Three? Wow. I’ll bet they’re adorable.”

He downed the liquor. “I wouldn’t know.”

“Do they live far away?”

“Not really.”

“So… do you want children of your own?” When he peered into his empty glass and didn’t answer, she murmured, “I’m sorry. That’s too personal.”

“S’okay.” The train had slowed to a crawl, and he looked out the window at a shepherd with a herd of goats. “I’m not capable of raising a kid.”

“Of course you are. Kids don’t come with instructions—everyone learns as they go.”

“Trust me, I have no business being in a child’s life.”

His earlier comment came back to her. “Does this have something to do with your father?”

“Didn’t have one.”

“What about your mother?”

His bitter laughter rang out. “She wasn’t exactly a shining example of parenthood.”

Serena took his hand in hers. “A lot of mothers aren’t what they should be.”

He pulled his hand away as though he suddenly couldn’t bear to be touched. “Do a lot of mothers keep their children in cages and torture them?”

Serena stopped breathing. “Tell me that cage is metaphorical.”

“It was a cage in the basement.” His voice dropped to a low, tense growl. “And if you can conceive of the torture, she did it. Fun was had by all.”

Serena had no idea what to say. Didn’t want to imagine it or believe that things like that truly happened. Her life had been blessed… with the exception of her mother’s death.

“That’s… horrible,” she finally managed.

“Fuck.” Josh scrubbed a hand over his face. “Let’s just trash all that, ’kay?”

Except there was no putting that particular cat back in the bag. How could a mother do that to a child, and how could a child come out of an experience like that and still be whole?

“What about your brothers?”

“Why?”

She blinked. “Why what?”

“Why do you want to know about them? About me?”

“Because I like you.”

Surprise and another emotion she couldn’t name flitted across his face before he closed his eyes, as though he couldn’t decide if he wanted her to like him or not. “Different mothers,” he said, his voice so gravelly she barely understood. “We had different mothers.”

“And where the hell was your father?”

A young couple walked past the table, and he waited for them to take seats on the far side of the car before saying, very quietly, “He’s the one who drove her to it. But her cla—ah, family, hunted him down and killed him a few months after I was born.”

She’d never been speechless before. Ever.

“Look,” he said. “I don’t usually—” He clutched his belly. “I… oh, damn.”

“Josh? What’s wrong?”

“Must be… something I ate.” He lurched to his feet, and she came to hers. “Need to get to my room.”

“Let me help you.”

“No,” he moaned. “I can do it.”

“You can barely stand. Now shut up and let me help.”

One corner of his mouth tipped up in the tiniest of smiles before he sucked in a pained breath and nearly fell over. “Shutting up, ma’am.”

“That must be a first for you.”

“Funny,” he gasped.

The rocking of the train didn’t help his balance as she guided him to the sleeping car. She nearly buckled under his weight a couple of times, and he would mutter, “Sorry,” and try to stand upright, which would send him careening into a wall.

“You’re not looking good, Josh. Maybe there’s a doctor on board.”

“No.” His voice was practically a shout, and when she flinched in surprise, he lowered his voice. “No. This has… happened before.”

She wanted to argue, but he seemed adamant, and besides, they’d arrived at his room. His hand was shaking so badly he couldn’t get his fingers into the handle slot in the door. When he cursed softly and gave up, just resting his head against the door, her heart nearly broke. He was powerful enough to break the thing down, but opening it normally was beyond his ability.

Wordlessly, she opened the door and helped him inside the tiny compartment.

The seats had been made into a bed already, and he collapsed onto it with a thud. A shudder wracked his body, followed by violent shivers. “C-cold.”

She palmed his forehead, which was on fire. How had he gone from merely warm to inferno in a matter of seconds? Something was seriously wrong. Quickly, she grabbed a blanket from the top bunk and covered him.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to my room to get another blanket.”

He didn’t seem to hear her, but the sound of his teeth chattering followed her all the way down the hall.

Wraith waited until Serena closed the door behind her to roll ungracefully off the bed and drag his duffel from beneath it. His stomach heaved and his muscles had locked up so hard he could barely move. Motherfucking poison was kicking his ass

It took forever to open his bag and find the medic kit. He spilled half of his pills but didn’t care. He finally swallowed the three he needed—one painkiller, one antibiotic, and one anti-seizure capsule. The painkiller wouldn’t actually work for the pain—for vampires, oral painkillers needed to be filtered through human blood and ingested to work—but it would reduce his fever.

There was a way to treat the pain—UG’s one human nurse had volunteered to take a high dose of Vicodin, and once it took effect, Shade had drawn as much blood as the human could stand losing. He’d then sealed the blood in small packets for Wraith to drink as needed.

Right now he needed—boy-howdy, he needed—but the effort involved in opening the insulated bag that held the medicated blood and the half-dozen units of food blood E’d packed was beyond his abilities. Instead, he shoved his duffel away and wondered how he was going to climb back onto the mattress.

The door opened, and he groaned as warm arms came around him. He felt himself being lifted, but Serena couldn’t get him onto the bed by herself, so he mustered the last of his strength to drag his sorry, freezing ass up. It was humiliating the way he couldn’t stop shivering, even after she covered him with three blankets.

Agony wracked his insides, and shooting pains stabbed his brain. The poison was eating away at him, killing his insides, just like E said it would. He heard Serena talking, but his hearing had dimmed, so he couldn’t understand. Her tone was enough to soothe him, though, and he just let himself listen to the gentle drone of her voice.

“Wraith?” His name floated down to him. Wraith? No, wishful thinking. She’d called him Josh. But what he wouldn’t give to hear his name on her lips.

Gods, if he wasn’t in so much pain he’d laugh. Clearly, he was delirious. Which was why, when he felt the bed sink and her warm body stretch out next to him, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. She was fire against his ice, a delicate furnace that eased his shivers almost immediately.

She stroked from his shoulder down to his hand and back up, lulling him, easing the chill and the pain. He didn’t know how long she petted him like that, but three hours later he woke up with her still curled against him, her light, delicate snores as comforting as anything.

She’d stayed with him. She barely knew him, and yet she’d taken care of him, held him, and was now sleeping next to him as if she belonged there.

He almost started shaking again. This time, though, he couldn’t blame the poison. With the exception of his brothers, no one had ever cared for him like that. And even with them, most of the time he suspected they cared more out of obligation than out of affection.

Carefully, so as not to wake her, he rolled over in the narrow bunk to face her. The darkness didn’t hinder his ability to admire the way her hair fanned out over the pillow, a silky curtain of gold. She was so peaceful in her sleep, her breathing soft and steady, her nose scrunching up every once in a while as though she were smelling something delicious in a dream.

He could get into her dreams and find out what she was thinking, like he had last night, but doing so now seemed wrong. An invasion of unforgivable proportions.

What. The. Hell.

He’d never given a shit about “wrong” before. Human morals did not apply to him. But suddenly, he was feeling squeamish about doing what he’d been born to do—get inside a female’s head and seduce the hell out of her.

Idiot.

He should get inside her right now. Get her so hot that when she woke up, she’d still be in a partial dream state, would willingly give herself to him. He was, after all, a predator, and it was time to take down his prey.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated, punched through the barrier between the conscious mind and the subconscious one.

He found her in a bedroom, and he got the impression it was hers, at Val’s guest house. Val. There might not be anything between Serena and the old guy, but he still wanted to rip the dude’s limbs off and beat him with them. Serena was hot, and no way was Val not noticing that.

“Josh?”

Wraith started. He hadn’t inserted himself into her dream yet, but she was asking for him? She was kneeling on the bed, naked except for a pair of fuck-me-baby high heels. A door near the foot of the bed opened, and… he walked out. Not his true self, but a dream Wraith she’d conjured.

Holy shit, she was dreaming about him. All on her own.

As Wraith watched, mouth open, his naked dream-self stalked across the room, fangs bared, body hard and primed for sex. And that naughty girl, she’d endowed him nicely.

Which, of course, was accurate.

Serena met him at the end of the bed, thighs spread, head thrown back, and the dream Wraith didn’t wait. He sank his teeth into her throat as he sank into her body.

The sex was raw and rough and when it was over, Serena held him.

And he held her.

Wraith’s gut wrenched. This was what she wanted. What she dreamed of on her own. What he could never give her.

Oh, he could give her the orgasms of her life, but the warm touchy-feely cuddles afterward? No, all he had for her was death’s cold embrace.

Guilt pricked at him like a needle, and shame tightened like a band around his chest. He pulled out of the dream and came back into the train compartment.

Fuck. Maybe the toxin was affecting more than just his body. Maybe it was fucking with his mind, too. And wouldn’t that just figure. Roag’s perfect revenge didn’t stop at killing him slowly. Oh, no. He had to saddle him with a conscience as well.

Serena stirred, gave a little yawn. She was so small against him, but she was strong. He could feel it in the taut firmness of her muscles, the hard lines of her body, all the way to the force of her will. And yet, there was a vulnerability to her that brought out a protective side he hadn’t known he possessed.

He ran his hand over her smooth cheek, tracing her jaw with his thumb, feathering a light touch down her long, graceful neck. Her pulse pounded beneath his fingers, and his own veins ran hot with lust. His fangs began to stretch in anticipation, but he couldn’t bite her, and he willed himself to calm down. She might have a vampire fetish, but he seriously doubted she would react well to the real thing.

Still, he couldn’t resist putting his lips to her throat. A sigh escaped her, and she arched into him, her breasts rubbing against his chest. Gods, she felt good against him. This was so wrong. So right.

She dragged her hands up his back to knead the muscles that had begun to knot at his line of thinking. The intimacy of the innocent act was shocking; females touched him to get sex, not for the simple pleasure of comfort. The sensation ripped through him, leaving him stunned and warm… and really goddamned annoyed.

Enough of the touchy-feely crap. They needed to get down and dirty. Especially after the true-confessions session in the dining car, when he’d rattled on about his childhood trauma like a dumbass.

He dropped his hand to her ass and tugged her hard into his erection. Then he spread her thighs with one of his and curled his fingers into the seam between her butt cheeks. She stiffened, but she didn’t resist when he rocked his leg upward and began a slow, circular grind.

“Oh, God,” she breathed. “This is… you know I can’t—”

“Shh.” He captured her mouth with his and kissed her hungrily, careful, as always, to be the aggressor so her tongue didn’t catch on the sharp tips of his fangs. “Let me make you feel good.”

She arched beneath him. “Good… yes.”

He let his fingers stray lower, so they brushed her cleft through the thin fabric of her skirt. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman. I swear to you, nothing but my hands and mouth will touch you.” He reared back to peg her with another promise that came out in a low, harsh growl. “I also swear that there will be nothing gentlemanly about what I do with my hands and mouth.”

Her sharp intake of breath accompanied a blast of lust that made his head swim.

“Well,” she said, in a deep, seductive drawl, “I should hope not.” And then she kissed him.

Serena felt Josh’s surprise in the tautness of his body, but when she flicked her tongue over his bottom lip, he relaxed and drew her even harder against him

He made an erotic noise of approval when she tugged her skirt up so she could hook her leg over his, putting her core in contact with the large bulge behind the fly of his jeans. Her senses flamed, and she shivered with pleasure.

She’d made out with men before, experimenting, testing her will, each time going a little further. But she wanted so much more than she could have, and heavy petting only frustrated her.

This could end in orgasms for them both, but ultimately, she knew it wouldn’t be enough. It could never be enough with a man like Josh. With him, she knew she’d want it all.

As good as it felt to have Josh’s hand stroking her between her legs like this, so deftly that she was nearly panting, this was a dangerous game. One she couldn’t play.

“No,” she croaked. “No!” She shoved hard at his chest and scrambled away. Too close to the edge of the mattress, she fell over the side and dropped heavily to the floor. Panic weighed her down and she couldn’t get to her feet, so she crawled in a mad bid to get to the door, her skirt tangling in her legs.

“Serena.” Josh’s hand closed on her ankle, and she cried out in surprise and panic and fear. Not of him, but of what she might do with him.

“Leave me alone!” She kicked, clipped him in the chin with her heel. Her fingers brushed the door—

Josh’s heavy body came down on top of hers, pinning her to the floor. She forced herself to breathe at the realization that her charm hadn’t protected her from being caught… and it wasn’t because her charm had failed. She’d wanted to get caught.

She was in a lot of trouble.

“Serena,” he repeated, his voice a sensual purr that rumbled through the weakest parts of her. The parts that were aching for his touch. “You don’t need to fear me.”

She swallowed, going lax in his arms as he rolled so they were both on their sides, his chest to her back, his arms caging her sweetly against him. “It’s not you I’m afraid of.”

His lips skimmed her cheek, his hot breath leaving a pleasant tingle on her skin as he spoke. “Then what?” He slid one hand to her belly to twine his fingers with hers. “Tell me.”

Wetness stung her eyes. “I’m afraid of what I want.”

“And what do you want?” When she said nothing, because her throat had closed up, he squeezed her hand. “What do you want, Serena? Show me.”

Desire swirled, collided with caution and consumed it. Fighting against the force of Josh’s sensuality and her own hunger was a losing effort, and for now, just this once, she’d cede the battle. Slowly, she dragged his hand down. When she reached the juncture between her legs, she arched, involuntarily, into his palm.

“Good girl,” he whispered, and kissed her cheek even as he fisted her skirt and dragged it up her legs. His other arm was pinned beneath her ribs, but his hand was free enough to slip beneath her gauzy blouse. His fingertips tickled her skin as they pushed aside her bra. When he cupped her breast and circled her nipple with his thumb, she heaved a breath she hadn’t known she’d held.

“Oh, yeah.” His other thumb stroked the silk fabric covering her core. “I want to do this with my tongue. I will do that with my tongue. Later.”

There wouldn’t be a later. This had to be a one-time deal.

The sensation of his warm breath on the cool skin of her neck drew her out of the depressing thoughts and back to where her body tingled and her lungs pushed and pulled air that had grown thick with the desire arcing between them. His fingers found the lacy edge of her underwear, and behind her, prodding her rear, was his erection, a massive, brutal presence. Even as he tunneled his hand beneath the fabric of her panties, he ground that male organ against her. Would he come like that? Maybe she should take him in her hand and give him some relief.… She tried to roll over but he restrained her with his strong arms.

“Stop,” he murmured, going up on his elbow to lean over her and kiss her lips. “Just relax and let me pleasure you.”

Her head fell back, her lips parting, and Josh took advantage, sinking his tongue into her mouth with a thrust while at the same time penetrating her with his finger.

She moaned, rocked against his hand where his palm created a delicious pressure against her clit. He stroked her, inside and out, between her legs and in her mouth. The friction built, creating a hot burst of pleasure that streaked from her core to her breasts. Her body liquefied, the blood in her veins approaching the boiling point, and still Josh plundered her mouth and her sex, adding another finger, stretching and filling her.

Her explosion grew imminent. She perched on the edge of orgasm, a blissful, amazing place where only she and Josh existed.

He ceased the delicious thrusts and dragged his slick fingers through her slit, easing her just off the ledge. She whimpered in protest, felt his smile against her lips.

“I love the sounds you make,” he said, speeding up the long, firm strokes that only grazed the place she needed his skilled touch. “But you’re so quiet. Make some noise for me. Say my name when you come.” He skimmed his finger over her nub so lightly she nearly shattered, but the contact was fleeting, and she cried out in frustration when he denied her the release she so needed. “Say it. Say it now.”

“Yes… oh, yes… Josh… Josh!” She thought she heard him utter a raw curse, but then she went deaf and blind as the mind-blowing orgasm brought her off the floor with such force that he had to throw a leg over hers and tug her tight against him as he brought her down with the gentle strum of his fingers over her core.

When it was over, she dissolved into a quivering puddle, but behind her, Josh remained tense, his shaft throbbing against her. Wriggling around to face him, she saw that he’d closed his eyes as though in pain. She palmed him, but with a hiss, he grasped her wrist.

“No.” His jaw was a straight, grim line, and his cheek pulsed against the grind of teeth. “I can’t… can’t get off that way.”

“Ah, you mean, with a hand?”

“Yeah.” He swallowed. “Weird sexual hang-up.” He let out a long, ragged breath. “I did this for you. Not me.”

Closing her eyes, Serena rested her forehead against his chest. “Why?”

“Because you needed it.”

“I could have given myself an orgasm if I needed it that badly.”

“Not one like that,” he said, with more than a little satisfaction, and she wrenched her arm from beneath him just enough to punch him in the shoulder.

“Seriously.”

“I was serious.” When she punched him again, he heaved a sigh. “You needed the connection between two people.” He snorted out a laugh. “My brother Shade says that if you pay attention, really listen, you will know what a female needs. I always thought he was full of it.”

“Shade?”

“Nickname.”

She nuzzled his neck, taking in his musky male scent. “Like Wraith?”

“Kind of.”

She braced a palm against his breastbone and pushed back a little. “How are you feeling?”

His hand curled around hers, and he brought it up to kiss her knuckles. “Better, thanks to you.”

“You said you’d been ill like that before. What was it? Are you sick?”

“Nothing to worry about.” He pulled away, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.

“I am worried.”

“Why?” Josh sat back against the bed, feet flat on the floor and forearms braced on his spread knees. His heavy-lidded gaze was wary. “Why would you worry about a complete stranger?”

“We’re hardly strangers now.”

He stared at her. “You know what I mean.”

“No, I really don’t.” She shifted onto one hip and smoothed her skirt out, more for something to do with her hands than because she was worried about wrinkles. “We haven’t known each other long, but we’ve been through some pretty intense stuff. More than most people go through together in a lifetime. I like you, Josh. A lot more than I probably should.”

He cursed, which confused the hell out of her.

“What is wrong with liking you? Would you rather I hated you?”

“No. I need you to like me—” He cursed again. “I mean, shit. Just, shit.” He threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. “Just stop worrying about me, okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I worry about you?”

“Because it’s stupid,” he snapped. “I don’t need your concern. I get enough shit from my brothers.”

“Stupid? Shit? I’m giving you shit by taking care of you?” He didn’t answer, and anger roared through her. “I get that you had a horrific childhood, but you have people who care about you now, and you should be grateful.”

“You don’t know anything about my life, and you don’t want to.”

“How dare you?” She scrambled to her feet. “How dare you dismiss what I feel, as though it’s nothing?”

He let out a long-suffering sigh, as though this was all just so much inconvenience for him. “I didn’t ask you to feel anything for me.”

“Well, excuse me for being human.” She whipped open the door. “I’ll just go, since I’m stupid and my worry is such a bother to you.”

Josh cursed. “Serena, wait—”

But she didn’t hear the rest, partly because she’d slammed the door, and partly because her pulse was pounding so hard in her ears that it blocked out everything else.

Everything but the hurt.