Chapter 84 Bound
876words
"No," he said. "I can't block you as much as I want to. You are blocking me." His brows furrowed. "I don't know how you're doing it, but you are."
I shook my head. "I'm not doing anything."
"But you are," he insisted. "The point is, since the day you stepped on our porch, I knew I was screwed."
I blinked slowly. "Right. You treated me like trash."
"I wish I didn't."
"A little too late for that, don't you think?" I said. "Besides, bond thing, remember? It's messing with your head. I'm pretty certain if it weren't for that, you wouldn't be saying this right now."
"I have a good hunch I would have."
"Kayn," I sighed. "This won't work. We can't stand each other."
"The old man told me what Graves showed you," he continued. "You do realize that no one can manipulate abilities like that. It always shows the truth."
I sputtered a laugh, my cheeks growing hot. "I so do not like you."
"I think...no, I know you're lying." His eyes narrowed toward my lips.
I shifted between his arms, trying to look anywhere but him. It was an impossible feat, considering he was so close to me and the sheer size of him took in so much space. "Well, good luck then proving otherwise. I stand by what I—"
In one swift motion, he ducked his head, his arms folded around my back, and he yanked me flush against him.
A gasp escaped me with the sudden movement and I had no time to react, or, to protest.
The instant his lips collided with mine, there was a burst of butterflies inside my belly and a surging tide of warmth spread throughout my body. I didn't hesitate to return the kiss as if it was something I've done a hundred times over—even if this was my first kiss.
The world felt light and free of problems, bottled of sweetness, smiles, and love.
And I wanted more of it.
A breathy sound escaped him, and he broke the kiss, his lips brushing mine as he spoke. "Told you so."
He dipped in for another kiss, this time deeper, hungrier. His hands trailed down my back, lower and lower until he reached my hips.
I managed to tear my lips from his. "You are wrong."
"Really?" he sounded amused. He pressed his lips back onto mine and lifted me up, planting me on to the counter. "You have a funny way of showing it."
I didn't fight him when he parted my knees and stood in between them. I knew I should, but it's as if my body went limp alongside my brain.
He threw his arms around me and curved into me, and murmured against my lips, "I'm not going anywhere."
His hands found the back of my head, buried in my hair as we got lost in another flurry of hungry kisses.
I didn't want this to end.
However, the red light that went out inside my mind the moment Kayn kissed me, flicked back on, and a horrible sensation crept up in my chest.
"No, don't think about it," he spoke hoarsely.
"Kayn…" I tried to pull away, but he kept me in place. I sharply turned my head instead, flinching when my hair got caught in his fingers.
"Carly, don't do this." He untangled his fingers with my hair, and gently brushed it down with his hand.
"This isn't real."
"Yes, it is," he protested. "Everything about it is very real."
"No, Kayn, it isn't. It's just this stupid bond thing making us think we feel things that we don't." I turned to look at him. "I want something that is real, not a fabrication by some freak-of-nature connection thing."
He frowned. "The what?"
"You know what I mean!"
He sighed, stepping back. The space he left behind felt horribly cold. "It's not—"
"I. Don't. Care." I bit out. "Besides that, this could risk a lot of people's lives. You want that, Kayn?"
"No, but we can work around that. We can make it work."
I sputtered a laugh. "You know just as well as I do that's some pie in the sky picture you're painting right there."
"So we're doing this the hard way?" his brows shot up.
"There's only one way, and that's the go away way."
"Carly—"
"I said no!"
He remained silent for a long moment, searching my eyes for some kind of reprieve we both know wasn't in there.
He knew he was defeated. I could feel it. Until...
"Fine, challenge accepted," the corners of his lips tilted up.
"This isn't a challenge, Kayn!"
"It's so on."
"I told you this is not going to work." I tried to sound threatening, but I was a fish on dry land, huffing and puffing. "You need to stay away from me. All of you."
Kayn reached for the caravan door and unlocked it. He didn't speak again until he stepped out of the caravan, and glanced up at me with a coy smile and a single word on his lips. "No."
