In Control (The City Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

at the top of his head, willing him to look back up at me. I wanted so badly to focus on his eyes, have our desire for one another come to life, and somehow let that solve everything.
    “Come in,” I said, waving my hand sideways.
    Wren took a step forward, our noses nearly touching. Having him that close and not being able to wrap my arms around him felt like a needle in my spine. I took a deep breath, hoping that oxygen could repair the ache, maybe numb the pain in the pit of my stomach.
    He bent down, kissing the side of my cheek so tenderly it felt like his lips were the very thing that could keep my tortured soul alive. His arms wrapped around my frame, pulling me into his chest. All of a sudden, I was back in his bed, wrapped in the aroma of his sheets.
    “Stop,” I said, pushing him away. “You came here to talk to me, so talk.” I sat down on the couch and crossed my legs.
    “Okay.” He joined me on the couch, making sure to keep a slight distance between us. “So, maybe I don’t understand why the idea of going away has you in such a frenzied state, but I can’t understand it because you don’t explain things to me. Kingsley, I wouldn’t even have known where you grew up if it wasn’t for the night you got wasted and told me to take you to Barlow Drive. The only way to get to know you is to get you drunk, and I don’t think pouring alcohol down your throat should be the answer to our problems.”
    “I’ve told you lots of things. What more do you want to know? Do you care to know what my grades were like in high school? What size shoe I wore in the seventh grade? What the hell do you want from me?” I shouted. I felt like I’d already opened myself up. I’d already crossed the line. I’d given Wren more of myself than I have to anyone else.
    Except Porter.
    “Are you fucking kidding me?” Wren shot up from his seat and paced the living room. “I know nothing about you!” He kneeled in front of me, his hands on each side of my body. “I asked you to come to the Hamptons with me so it would give us a chance to get to know each other better. I know all about your body, but I want to know you , Kingsley.” He pointed straight at myheart. “Everything. I want to know what your favorite song was growing up. Who your first kiss was. I don’t care if it seems insignificant to you, because to me, the insignificant details make up the person I’ve been falling for.”
    “Maybe I should have been more vocal about this. That secret key you’re trying so hard to find—it doesn’t exist. My childhood was boring, my teen years were uneventful. I don’t know what else to say,” I lied. There was lots to say. There was a key that unlocked everything, but no one, not even myself, knew where it was.
    “Then why are you so afraid of going away with me?” Wren whispered, his eyes focusing on my fidgety hands.
    I’d never gone on a proper vacation. Trish had taken me to London once before, but that was all business. Her parents wanted to meet the child she adopted. We spent one week in Croydon, sitting at a dinner table with questions thrown at me constantly. I’d never given myself the opportunity to go anywhere with a man outside of his bedroom.
    “It’s not that I’m afraid. You’re looking for a way to get inside, but you’ve already been inside. Deep inside,” I joked.
    Wren’s bleak expression stayed the same. He made no movement in his face, yet his eyes said it all. He was angry with me. On the verge of giving up. “You think this is all a joke, Kingsley. You think feeling something is abnormal. Maybe I was wrong about you.” Wren stood up. His arms swayed as his stilt-like legs carried him into the tiled kitchen. He leaned against the island, folding his arms across his chest, and focused his attention on the ground.
    I followed and stood in front of him. My hands cradled his cheeks, my eyes searching for some acknowledgement. Anything to fill the painful gap in my stomach. Wren