THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS - BWS

twenty-two

"Why are you still scared of me?"

It took me a second to realize what he'd asked me, surprised by the emotions I could read in his eyes. He looked curious and also surprised, and although it was gone in a flash, I could have sworn I saw pain as well.

"I'm not scared of you," I asserted. And it was true. I wasn't scared of him. Not anymore at least. What I was scared of on the other hand was my body's reaction to him. The pull to him that seemed impossible to resist, the heat, the tingles, the jolts— everything that my body did when he was near me. What I truly was scared of was my own ability to resist my body's calls for him.

William smiled.

"You're a terrible liar," he said as he shook his head slightly.

"I'm not ly—" I began but he grabbed my arm and twirled me around until my back came crashing against his chest, one hand still holding my forearm while his other arm snaked around my throat. I gasped. Not because I was scared like he seemed to believe, but because of how my body responded to his. I felt on fire, my heart beating unreasonably fast. The sensation of his skin on mine, of my body against his was like nothing I experienced before. But despite the confusion and alarm, I didn't want to move away. His head lowered down my neck, his lips brushing against my ear, covering my skin with tiny pimples. I stopped breathing.

"You were saying?" he teased, perfectly aware of my body's reaction to his. The fog that blurried my thoughts suddenly cleared up.

"I am not afraid of you," I repeated more assertively. If he wanted proof, I would give it to him. Without thinking twice, I bent my free arm and elbowed him in the ribs with a strength I didn't know I had in me. He released a hush sound, his torso bending over at the sudden hit, and I took advantage of it to get free from his grasp. I turned around to face him once more, ready to kick him again to prove my point. His face showed no pain at all, only surprise and amusement. A soft laugh escaped his lips.

"What was that for?"

"To make you believe me. Should I demonstrate one more time?"

He shook his head at my comment, a grin hanging at his lips.

"Your heartbeat doesn't lie," he said, still not believing me. For someone who could read my thoughts, he was awfully hard to persuade.

"That's not because of fear," I said, suddenly realizing what I was admitting, heat creeping up my cheeks. His head tilted with interest, his grin growing larger. "It's because I'm angry–" I quickly corrected myself. "You make me mad, that's it."

"Is that so?" he teased, clearly not believing me again. And why would he? If my thoughts didn't betray me, the redness of my cheeks would. "You're not very convincing, you know."

Oh he didn't just say that. He wanted convincing? I would give him convincing.

"Let me demonstrate again then."

I didn't give him time to think before I lunged at him. My plan was simple: distract him by making him believe I was going to punch him, when all the action actually happened with my legs. I just wanted to knock him off his feet. That should be enough to prove my point. I was a trained hunter, I could do it.

While his eyes were on my raised fist, I built momentum with my leg and went for a sidekick, aiming for his knees. The diversion didn't work as well as I expected, and while he easily dodged my fake attempts at a punch, he also as easily took hold of my leg, right before it made contact with his. I was lying on the cold hardwood floor before I even realized what happened, William hovering above me, holding his weight up on his hands pressed on either side of my head, a satisfied smile on his lips. I suddenly realized he directed my fall so that I wouldn't hit the floor too hard.