Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 279

The moment Willa was placed gently onto the bed, her dizziness surged.

She couldn't open her eyes. A fiery heat coursed through her veins like a wildfire, ruthlessly burning her from the inside out. Her throat was agonizingly parched, and every inch of her luminous skin screamed with an unbearable, restless craving.

She gripped the bedsheets beneath her with all her might, unable to stop a few soft, breathless whimpers from slipping past her lips.

Footsteps drew nearer. A slightly trembling voice murmured near her ear. "Willa, just hold on a little longer. I've already called a doctor. They'll be here soon."

She struggled to turn her head, fighting to lift her heavy eyelids. Operating entirely on raw instinct, she reached out, clutching the fabric of his shirt tightly in her palm, her voice fragile and helpless. "Don't go."

Randal froze instantly. With agonizing care, he reached out and pried her fingers open one by one, slipping his shirt free from her grasp.

From start to finish, he didn't dare look her in the eye, terrified that a single second more would permanently snap the fragile thread of his self-control.

"Be good. Wait for the doctor."

Willa abruptly sat up. Her head spun violently, stars exploding in her vision as the room twisted and turned around her. The only steady thing was the tall, broad silhouette frozen in place with his back to her.

The fire inside her burned hotter, spreading from her core into every nerve and fiber, the torment leaving her trembling violently.

Gripping the edge of the mattress to steady herself, she drew a jagged breath and forced out a raspy command. "Randal, stop right there."

The figure stood as if bolted to the floor, his body rigid as he poured every ounce of his remaining strength into maintaining a shred of decency and logic.

"I'll go see where the doctor is... I'll be right back..."

"I don't want a doctor!" Willa yelled, her voice breaking in a wild, unhinged shout.

The searing heat of the drug had entirely consumed her sanity.

She arched her spine uncontrollably, throwing her slender neck back in a fragile, alluring curve. Her voice broke with a tearful, desperate ache.

"I feel... so awful right now..."

Randal's body jolted violently the instant those words hit the air.

He lunged forward, capturing her in his arms, his hands gripping her shoulders with such bruising force she cried out in pain.

"Willa, don't force me!"

Willa forced her eyes open, desperately trying to focus her blurry vision.

Randal's eyes perfectly mirrored her desperate, intoxicating state, yet beneath that fire lay absolute terror and vulnerability.

His voice softened entirely. "Choose me. Don't go to anyone else. I won't hurt you."

He was terrified she would actually seek out another man, stripping him of even this pathetic, opportunistic right to touch her.

He would rather bear her lifelong disgust than endure the agony of watching her fall into another man's arms.

The drug finally drowned out her last shred of clarity. The familiar scent of his cologne brought her an odd sense of security, instantly pushing the craving in her body to its absolute peak.

She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him fiercely toward her, lifting her chin to crash her lips directly against his.