Chapter 104
Ellie POV
I wake to the ache first. My back, my legs, the dull soreness that reminds me I slept on dirt and roots instead of a bed.
Then my ankle snaps me awake, it’s throb slowly growing like my consciousness. The morning light was beaming down the pit, and my arm covered my face.
Too bright.
But warm.
I stiffen.
Dominic.
I’m in his chest, his armlooped around my waist, hand pressed flat against my back like he anchored me there in his sleep. My cheek is tucked against his chest, his heartbeat slow and steady beneath my ear. He exhales, breath warm against my hair, and murmurs something half-coherent.
My head titls up, glancing up at his sleeping face.
Gods, he’s so…handsome. Without trying. Why did the gods always give men the most beautiful lashes and hair. So no fair.
“It’s still early,” he says quietly, suddenly, voice rough with sleep.
I flinch, nearly pushing off him, but his arm tightens without asking. “Rescue will come soon. Better to stay close. Conserve heat.”
My chest twists. I can’t manage to put my head back down, but I don’t pull away.
Last night… felt fragile now. Like frost on glass. Beautiful, dangerous, already cracking.
I shift, just a little. Enough to pull air into my lungs. Enough to remind myself where I am.
I can’t believe…what I did last night. I’m not sure if it was guilt or regret that I felt but my stomach was tight. Nervous.
“Dom,” I say slow. “I think… I want to sit up.”
His head lifts, scratching his head with a yawn. “Ah, sure.” His voice was graveled, tired. “One sec.”
His eyes blink open, bleary but alert in seconds. Always alert. Then, when seeing me, a smile crossed his face, hand moving to my face. “Hey beautiful,” he murmured, pulling me for a kiss.
His lips met mine and I hated how my body melted into it. For a minute, I kiss him back. He smiles against my lips, but then I feel that same twist.
I slide my hand between us and push back gently.
“Dominic,” I said, gaze to the gravel. “We can’t.”
His head tilts, sitting up, elbows to the dirt. “Can’t what? We already did? Well not did but-”
“I know,” I said. “I just-“I had no idea how to explain this. “I-” My voice catches. I clear my throat. “I need a moment”
He frowns. “A moment?”
“To think,” I say. “Just-space. Please.”
The word please lands wrong. Like I can’t stand him, or he was in trouble. That wasn’t my intention.
Dominic just stares. For awhile. Face unreadable.
Eventually, he drags a hand through his hair, jaw tightening. “Okay, think about what?”
I stare at the dirt wall of the pit, at the roots clawing through the soil like veins. Anything but him.
“Last night.”
His silence is heavy. Then, “What about it?”
The edge in his voice is subtle, but it’s there. I swallow.
“I just… need to breathe for a second without you watching me,” I say. “I didn’t mean for last night to”
His head shakes a bit, like he can’t believe what I’m saying.. “I’m not watching you?”
“You are.”
“We’re in a pit,” He delivers flat. “What do you want me to do? Walk four steps away?”
“Maybe,” I snap, “I just! Gods why can’t you just help me off you!” Then I wince. I hadn’t meant for it to come out sharp.
Dominic exhales through his nose, slow and controlled. “Fine.”
The patience he’s forcing cracks, just slightly.
His hand slip under my pits and lift, plopping me on my bum as he stands. Literally walks five steps and sits. Cross legged. Crossed arms. Facing the wall.
I think if we were in anyother scenario, I would have giggled at the sight.
“Dom,” I try soft. “I’m sorry-”
He sighs loud, “Ellie, I thought you wanted space. Like you always do.”
His voice was tensing, like he already knows where this is going and hates it.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap. But I knew what he meant.
“Why do you always do this?” he snaps low. “Every time we get close, you pull away like I did something wrong.
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