When his tongue swiped for entrance my knees nearly fell from under me. I clutched at his shoulders for support. The softness of his lips was a delicious contrast to the firmness of his muscles.
He wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me closer, shifting until our hips fit neatly together. I melted against him, giving in, opening up, allowing his desire to consume me.
"Been thinking of kissing you for-fucking-ever," he murmured into my mouth.
In response, I fisted a handful of his hair and crushed my lips to his.
He tried to take control of the kiss, cupping the back of my head, tilting my face to the side for a better angle. Our lips worked together, dancing and battling, our breaths combining with pants and gasps. For all that I had been trying to keep away from Liam, I was now just as eager to have him as he was to have me. The entire world fell away until it was only the two of us, lips pressed to lips, chest pressed to chest.
The slam of a door interrupted our dream-like state. My hands stilled from where they were buried in his hair. His arm around my waist jolted in surprise. We were frozen together, tensed and ready to jump apart. When nothing further happened, we slowly relaxed.
But reality had already started settling back in. The moment was over.
I hurriedly put space between us.
Liam cursed quietly under his breath.
I ran my hands over my face.
He rubbed his stubbled jaw.
We shared a regretful sigh as Liam regarded me intently. Those green eyes of his made it hard to think.
"You're right," I agreed, still slightly breathless. "We are both stars. And maybe we would burn brighter together."
We could both hear voices coming from down the hall. The sound of my brother's laughter was like a foghorn blasting through my still dazed and fogged over mind.
"Or maybe," I continued, "we'd only end up burning ourselves out."
He opened his mouth, maybe to argue or cajole. I held up my hand to stop him.
"No," I said. "I'm sorry, but no."
"Cerise…" His tone was overlaid with disappointment and frustration and heartache. I hated that I'd made him feel that way. But I knew giving in could never lead to anything good.
"You know what sometimes happens after a star burns out?" I asked.
He frowned. "No. What?"
I gave him a sad smile.
"It collapses into a black hole, consuming everything in its path."
