crimson devotion
have le
ouch, drowned in the way she kissed me like I
ll had planted so
ub
e pulled me back into her arms, even as she
t press her
t
ext E
ft before
able, her elegant handwriti
something. Stay here
ation. No
low feeling se
for a long time bef
mething I hadn
through h
betray her trust-but b
ooks, the drawers filled with neatly folded clothes, the bottles o
perf
e of the apartment was deafening, the ab
spott
drawer in
se qui
testing the handl
s it l
t I should respect her priva
doubt wh
g my fingers along the edge
key beneath a st
ed as I fit it
click, the dr
nd several ma
a ph
he
she always h
feren
ngers shook as I pressed the power button,
running out of time. Sh
You promised me
er: If you d
left m
s this
she ly
wor
as I stared a
t of time. She ca
artbeat thundering in m
maller, the wal
n't be d
ew t
ldn't sto
een, opening the
rt. Threats. Warnings. Some w
one st
eping with her, aren't you? Does
rly slipped f
oded my
s this
id the
hought curled
really
the folders i
roat, I set the phone aside
k, packed w
embled as I f
st thin
ture
in a shar
to, taken fr
ther. An
favorite café. One of me standing in f
h twisted
she ha
watching me bef
deeper. Documents. Reports. Details about my pas
ng about me befor
ation crashed over m
wasn'
s obs
folder shut, m
ront door c
, whippi
was
way, the dim light casting a
what I was holding, h
ffection, the warmt
ts p
ng shar
ger
have done that,
was calm
crawled u
een us was d
ns
on
ep back. "W
r behind her, sl
it
the folde
met." My voice was barely above a whi
hand through her hair.
ted. "Protectin
hesitation cr
tation told m
know th
eone el
t sure if I was
pped b