Read Sun Poisoned (The Sunshine Series) for Free Online Page B

all start competing for the most attention. Part of me wants this to go on forever, the other one —the one that usually wins and gets freaked out—pulls away.
    Myles’ hand doesn’t leave my face. “You want to stop,” he says quietly. He already knows.
    “ I’m sorry.” I don’t open my eyes, but I untangle myself from him.
    He kisses my forehead and hugs me. “I wish you would stop doing that,” he whispers in my ear.
    I clear my throat. “What?”
    Myles pulls away, still holding onto my hand, and I open my eyes to look at them both entwined around each other.
    “Apologizing,” he says it like it’s obvious, and it probably should be at this point.
    Not that Myles and I do this every day, but every time we have, I’m always the one who stops it. No matter if I’m uneasy or not, my body gets stiff, my heart pounds in my throat, and I end it.
    “ You know I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Myles continues. “I want you to tell me when I am.”
    My eyes fix to the middle of the coffee table in front of us. “It’s not you. I’m just dumb.”
    Now his arm is around my shoulder. “No you’re not, Sophie. I understand.”
    If anyone could, it would be him. The guy who saw exactly what was done to me by Jack through Jack’s eyes. I cringe just thinking about it.
    He hugs me again. “I love you, Sophie.” His voice is soft. “Nothing else matters to me.”
    I change the subject. “Are you busy tonight?”
    “ I’m yours.” He leans back on the couch and I follow, settling my head under his chin and closing my eyes. I start to feel warm again. My eyelids start to get heavy. And a blink turns into a jolt into another nightmare. This time, it’s one of my very own memories that come up from the darkness to bite me.
    ***
    “Please stop,” I said.
    We were in the van. The rusty bottom was digging into my back and arms. He taped my wrists together. “Why?” he asked.
    I saw the glint of the knife.
    My pulse, loud and desperate in my chest and throat and head.
    “ I know you don’t like me or whatever, but you don’t have to do this.”
    ThudThudThud.
    His laugh, a feral fox choking on a bone. “It is not a question of whether I like you or not,” he said. “You simply cannot be a part of this.”
    A flash, then the backs of my eyes were on fire in the backseat of my car.
    I was screaming for it to stop over and over again.
    I can hear him but I can’t see anything.
    You are going to die. It could have been easy, but now I will make you suffer.
    ***
    “Sophie, Sophie.” I hear it, but I can’t find where it’s coming from. Everything is so dark.
    Arms around my wrists, holding me in place. No, wait. I’m on my side. The hands are around my own, held against my chest.
    My eyes open but everything is fuzzy. “It’s not real,” the voice says.
    I’m awake, but I still have to fight to keep things in focus, like at any moment I’ll be sucked back into the nightmare.
    “I’m okay,” finally leaves my mouth.
    Myles lets go of my arms and a light flips on. I’m in my room, in my bed. He’s sitting on the edge, like he put me here when I fell asleep and came back when I started flipping out. I lean back on my elbows, sitting myself against the headboard. Myles is staring at me.
    “I’m fine.” I try to sound sure of that fact. I swipe a few sweaty strands of hair back and I smile weakly at his worried expression.
    “ Sophie,” he starts, but then he closes his mouth.
    I reach for his hand on top of my comforter and after a few seconds, he grasps it.
    “I don’t think you understand how helpless this makes me feel.” Myles looks at me now, waiting for some type of a response.
    “ I just don’t want you to think that you have to fix all my problems.” I shrug. “You don’t have to be responsible for what goes on in here.” I gesture with my free hand to my head. “It’s a mess in there. It was like that before, and it’s getting better because of you. I mean