33

“A -Aiden?” My heart lunges in my chest, beating sporadically against the hood of the car. His car. The dim light coming from around the corner doesn’t allow me much vision, but I feel him. It’s impossible not to when I smell his clean, unmistakable scent mingling with the rain. The bottom of my stomach hurts with that strange awareness I always had for him. That damn awareness is like an incurable disease refusing to leave my body. I try to lift my head and look at him, but he smashes my cheek back down against the wet hood. “What are you doing —” He grabs a fistful of my hair harshly. “Shut the fuck up, Elsa.” I whimper around the pain ripping at my skull and the uncomfortable position he’s forcing me into. The car’s cold, wet metal digs into my stomach the more I try to move. When I open my mouth to say something, he pulls me up by my hair so I’m staring at his dark eyes. His plain black T-shirt is soaked, sticking to his muscles like a second skin. The rain forms rivulets down his