Confined (A Tethered Novel, Book 3) (6 page)

We waited for nearly ten minutes before finally getting our
own bucket. Once we were high in the air, Kace wasted no time checking out the
lights or the dark water of the ocean below. Instead, he cupped my face and
smothered my lips with his. His tongue slid in to brush against mine, and I
opened my mouth a little more. Warmth splashed across my face where his hands
touched me, and traveled down my neck. It was dull in comparison to what I’d
felt from Theo’s kiss earlier.

I didn’t know where the thought came from; all I knew was
that it was entirely true and I hated it.

Reaching up, I ran my hands along the fine hairs of Kace’s
forearms, and deepened our kiss. Guilt chewed at my insides for even having
thought of Theo at a time like this. What was wrong with me? If I went on like
this much longer, I’d drive myself crazy.

I pulled away to look at Kace, but he continued in his
mission to kiss me the entire length of time we were on the ride. This didn’t
feel right. My mind focused again on the kiss I’d shared with Theo earlier, and
my palms began to sweat. At the feeling of my pulse rising to my throat, I
intertwined my fingers through Kace’s hair. I didn’t want to lose him. I didn’t
want him to be angry with me either. I wanted him to understand, but
unfortunately, I’d surpassed the time frame I had to tell him about the tether
and about Theo long ago.

So, instead of telling him about either of those things, I
blurted out the only other thing I could. The only other secret that had been
eating away at me. In theory, I was confessing one secret, while trying to bury
the guilt of another. Not the best way to do things, but still, it was
something.

“I wanna do it,” I said in a whisper. My hands moved to grip
his forearms.

“Me too, but we can’t do it here.” He chuckled against my
skin as his lips trailed down the side of my throat, pausing just above my
collarbone.

I shook my head. “No. That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Then what
are
you talking about?” he asked. His
hands left my warm cheeks to slide down to my shoulders.

“The initiation…I want to go through with it.”

It didn’t feel nearly as good to say the words aloud to him
as I thought it would. In fact, saying the words made my pulse race and my
stomach roll with nausea.

Kace pulled away. His eyes glimmered in the bizarre carnival
lights the closer we came to the bottom of the wheel again. I held my breath
while I waited for him to speak. From the blank expression on his face, I
couldn’t be sure if he was thrilled, like I thought he would be, or if he was
just in utter shock from yet another revelation being dumped on him tonight.

“You’re serious?” he asked, his hands coming back up to cup
the sides of my face. I nodded, unable to speak. The reveal of my decision to
become initiated had not lessened the guilt chewing at my insides over kissing
Theo as I’d expected. “Holy shit, this calls for a celebration!”

His lips crushed against mine, and I tried to kiss him back
with as much vigor as he was kissing me, but I wasn’t feeling it. My stomach
tightened. He’d reacted exactly like I’d pictured he would, and I knew he was
going to be pissed once he realized I wasn’t agreeing to go through with it for
the reasons he thought.

I swallowed hard. That would be something I’d deal with another
day.

The Ferris wheel came to a stop, and we searched until we
found Callie and Adam walking around. Callie was still panda bear free, but she
did have a bag of pink and blue cotton candy.

“You guys ready?” Adam asked. “This place sucks.”

“Why, because you couldn’t hit enough balloons to win a
panda bear?” I smirked, enjoying his moment of self-loathing probably more than
I should.

He shifted to glare at me. “Exactly.”

“At least he bought me some cotton candy. Want some?” Callie
asked as she held the bag out to me.

“Sure,” I said. I reached in and pulled out a puff of pink.

Cotton candy was a guilty pleasure of mine. It was pure
sugary, melty goodness.

“I’m ready to go too,” Kace said. He wrapped his arms around
me from behind, and placed his chin against my shoulder. “We have something to
celebrate.”

My stomach flipped at his announcement. I knew he was going
to tell everyone; I just hadn’t expected him to tell everyone so soon.

Callie tugged another little piece of cotton candy free from
her bag, and eyed both Kace and me suspiciously. “And just what are we
celebrating?”

“Something we’ve all been waiting to celebrate for a long
time now.” Kace informed her rather cryptically if you ask me, but her eyes lit
up with understanding. “Something that has to do with tomorrow night.”

Adam let out a sigh of relief. “Holy shit! I thought you
were gonna say you’d knocked her up or something.”

Callie squealed, ignoring Adam like the rest of us. “No way!
You’re seriously agreeing to it?”

“Yep, Addison is ready to go through with the initiation,”
Kace said, squeezing me in his arms a little tighter.

“Ha! Told you that you were addicted to the idea,” Adam said
with a shit-eating grin. “I knew you’d come around. I just didn’t know when.”
He winked.

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes and smiled, but it was forced.
I prayed none of them could tell.

I was really stacking up, not only secrets, but also the
letdowns that would come with them when they all crumbled to the ground.

Sitting in my living room, practically in Kace’s lap, with a
nearly finished glass of wine in one hand, I listened to the others gush about
how excited they were to become initiated, while I pondered what I should be
celebrating, because that certainly was not it.

The breaking of my tether with Theo.

This was what I was celebrating. Well that, and the simple
fact I was now down one secret I’d been harboring for two weeks. Bonus, I’d
also lose the tether secret, and no one would ever have to know about it. My
chest felt lighter already. Thank goodness for mental checklists.

However, I’d also gained a secret—the kiss—my conscience
reminded me harshly.

I tipped back my wineglass, and in one large swig, emptied
the remaining bit. Kace leaned forward, reached for the open bottle on the
coffee table in front of us, and motioned for my glass.

“Another?” he asked.

I willingly handed it to him. “Yes, please.”

“So, what made you decide to agree all of a sudden?” Callie
asked.

I glanced at her, but didn’t answer right away. I waited
until my wineglass was back in my hand. It was acting as a security blanket,
calming my frayed nerves. “Honestly, I’m just now really starting to enjoy my
life here.”

I wasn’t sure where the words had come from, but there was a
level of truth in them that I couldn’t deny. I’d found my biological
father—even if he was sketchy and weird at best. I’d made some great friends,
fallen in love with the beautiful beach scenery, and begun a relationship with
a great guy. When I threw it all out there like that, life seemed good, and the
decision to stay seemed like it should be an easy one.

It was when I added in everything else—the magick, the
tether, Theo,
especially Theo
—that things became complicated.

“I like to think I’m part of the reason for that,” Kace said
with a knee-weakening smile directed at me.

I winked at him and returned his smile. “Of course you are.”

My throat grew tight with my partial lie. Jesus, I needed to
get this tether broken. Stat.

Kace’s hand found my knee again. The pad of his thumb swept
across my skin, and made warmth spark and flare beneath his touch.

“We need music or something,” Callie said. She stood and
walked over to where I’d last left my iPod, sitting on its docking station.

“That’s my girl,” Adam called to her. “Let’s liven this
place up some.”

Some rap song I’d never heard before pumped through the tiny
speakers of my radio thanks to Pandora, and Callie began to sway her hips to
the beat. I took another swig of my wine before setting the glass on the table
and jumping up to dance with her. Adam cranked the volume up a little more, and
Binks ran from the room, frightened by the horrible popping noise coming from
the speakers.

“Adam, if you blow my awesome sound system, you’re buying me
a new one!” I shouted, faking an ill temper.

He smirked at me. “Fine. How much did it cost you…five
bucks? That thing is a piece of junk. We need a real system and some more
alcohol. Wanna head to the apartment?”

“I’m down for whatever, but it’s up to my new roomie.
Addison?” Callie asked. Her cheeks were pink from the alcohol and the permanent
grin plastered on her face stretching them.

After her rough day, it was nice to see her smile again and
have a little fun.

I flicked my eyes to Kace; he’d remained quiet since we’d
left the carnival, and I found him staring at me intently.

“If you want to,” he said, shrugging a shoulder with a lazy
grin.

“Do you have food?” I asked, my stomach grumbling to
intensify my question further.

Kace’s lips twisted into a wider smile, and he let out a
chuckle. “Of course.”

I walked over and turned off my iPod. “Then it’s settled;
we’re going to your apartment.”

Wine and cotton candy on an empty stomach were not good
together, especially when you mixed it with stress and nerves. I needed
something with some substance.