Faye's POV
"I need you to walk away," his voice dropped to something rougher, strained like he was fighting every word. "Get as far from me as you can manage, Faye."
"And I already told you no," I fired back, planting my feet firmly on the ground.
My pulse thundered so hard I could feel it in my throat, but I refused to break eye contact.
His jaw worked, those dark eyes growing even darker. "Do you have any idea what you're playing with?"
I squared my shoulders. "Maybe I don't. Maybe I'm too stupid to figure any of this out."
His breathing stuttered. Those burning eyes locked onto mine, and suddenly the space between us felt too thin, too fragile to hold us both. My gaze dropped without permission, just a flash, to his mouth. He caught it immediately. His chest expanded sharply, fingers curling into fists at his sides.
"You're staring down a monster," he said, voice barely above a whisper.
"I know," I breathed. The words tumbled out before I could catch them. "My monster."
