I follow as he walks toward the dark, gloomy rock. Goose bumps break out over my flesh just as we near it. It feels haunted, as dark shadows are dancing around in the silence.
“Did you hear that?” I whisper to him harshly.
“What?” He grins over his shoulder. “Naw, babe. Come on.” Pulling me into his warmth, he throws his arm over my shoulders as we walk into the entrance. I hold my breath, ignoring how the damp, congested smell of lake water engulfs my senses.
“Won’t there be like, bats in here or something?” I whisper.
“Probably.”
“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” I call him on it because he’s way too calm.
“Meh.” He shrugs. “Once or twice.”
The dusted rocks and loose gravel crunch under my feet as we get deeper and deeper into the cave. The oxygen thickens, making it harder for me to breathe the farther we go in. “Bishop, it’s fucking with my breathing.”
He pulls me under his arm. “Woulda never pegged you as a chicken shit, Montgomery.”
I shove him playfully and then we stop, looking toward a large opening. There’s a massive hole above us where the moonlight shines directly in and onto a stage-like platform. “Creepy,” I whisper, rubbing my hands over my arms. Tilting my head, I look at all the dark stains that spill over the rock. “Really fucking creepy.” He steps up onto it, the light from the full moon lighting up his body, shadowing his face. “Is this the part where you tell me to ask you what you eat?”
He chuckles. “No. This is the part where I tell you my dad is a dangerous man. My family are dangerous people, regardless of what you hear or see in the media. All of that is just shadowed by my mom because of who she is. It’s why my dad married her probably, to keep the spotlight off what he does.” Bishop pauses and tilts his head at me.
“Sounds like you’ve thought long and hard about this.”
Bishop laughs, jumping off the stage and stepping toward me. “I know a lot of things that would shock you, kitty.” His hand comes up as he runs the back of his knuckles over my cheek. “I do a lot of things that would undoubtedly repulse you.” He takes a short breath. I hold mine, trying not to think too much into what he’s saying or what he’s implying, because truthfully, a big part of me wants to know more about Bishop. Why he does what he does, why he’s so mysterious, why he and Khales broke up. Where is she, and why do people think she just went missing off the face of the earth?
But I know Bishop enough to know he doesn’t just give straight answers. He’s too smart for that, too many steps ahead of everyone to make an amateur move like say something he shouldn’t. Sometimes I wonder just how old he is, because he’s so smart. Not book smart, but street smart, and that’s not something you see in people our age.
He continues, breaking my train of thought. “I can’t let you know.” His fingers wrap around the back of my neck possessively. “I can’t take the risk.” His thumb spreads over my bottom lip. “I can’t lose you to this.”
“You won’t lose me, Bishop.” I take his hand in mine and search his eyes. Eyes that have seared through mine with so much hate it could light up the gates of hell. But right now? Right now, they’re mixed with something else. Confusion, lust, want?
He shakes his head, the corner of his mouth hinting at a smirk. “Yeah, I will, kitty. When all is said and done? I will.”
SCRUBBING THE LOOSE DIRT OFF my skin, I let the hot congestion of the shower engulf me, embracing just how amazing it is to be back in my room. In my shower, about to get back into my bed. Smiling, I turn the faucet off and step out of the shower, moving the glass door out of my way.
“Oh my fucking God!” I scream out, reaching for my towel and wrapping it around my body quickly. “Nate!” I hiss. “You cannot just come up in here and scare me like that. Fuck!”
His hand is rubbing over his sharp, pretty jaw, his perfect eyebrows pulled in. He’s thinking—hard, and not the least bit concerned over the fact I just gave him a full frontal view of my lady fucking bits.
Lady bits? FML.
“Question,” he starts, bringing his eyes to mine slowly, still serious, and again, not one bit bothered about what I’m wearing—or not wearing.
“Always, Nate, but for fuck’s sake, stop coming in here when I’m taking a shower.” I shove him out of the way, squeezing the towel around me more and reaching for my toothbrush.
“Do you love me?”