My breath gets lodged in my throat as he stands so close to me that I can feel the heat coming off his body. How the hell he’s still mildly warm is beyond me.
Slowly, as if approaching a skittish cat, he places a hand against the wall so I’m trapped between his arms. Then he looks down at me. “Is this okay?”
I nod, working to keep my breathing even.
Usually, I’m a badass in these types of situations. But I’m also usually annoyed when a guy is crowding my personal space. I’ve only kissed a few guys, and those were lame as hell, mainly because every time it happened, both me and the guy were drunk, and the kisses were sloppy at best.
He sucks in a gradual inhale through his nose, as if he’s struggling to breathe evenly, too.
We remain that way for a few minutes, and slowly, the coldness creeps away from my body.
“Feeling any better?” River asks softly.
I nod again while biting my bottom lip.
His gaze drops to my mouth.
My heart leaps in my chest.
Shut the hell up, heart.
River starts to lean in, and then our lips touch.
He groans, his hand cupping my cheek as his tongue parts my mouth?—
Honk. Honk. Honk.
We both startle. River pushes away from the wall and spins around toward the curb where a sleek red sports car with custom tires and a spoiler is parked. The passenger window rolls down, and sitting in the driver’s seat is a grinning Finn.
“Did I just ruin a moment between the gothic princess and prince?” he teases with his arm resting on the steering wheel.
My heart is beating frantically in my chest. I just kissed River. Oh my god.
“Shut up,” River hisses as he marches over to the car, his sneakers splashing in the puddles.
I inhale and exhale to steady my heart before pushing away from the wall and approaching the car.
Stay cool, Maddy. No need to flip out over a brief kiss with a guy. You’ve kissed guys before. This is no big deal.
Except River is a Royal and he’s betrothed.
Ugh, I’m so dumb.
“Okay, brother,” Finn replies with amusement ringing in his tone.
River is rippling with irritation as he yanks the passenger door open, flips the seat forward, and climbs into the back.
“I’m okay with sitting in the back,” I tell him as rain drips over me.
Shaking his head, he readjusts the passenger seat for me. “Sit in the front. It’s more comfortable.”
I want to argue that he’s bigger and the front has more room, but my clothes are already getting soaked from the rain again, so I dive in and hurriedly close the door.
Finn cranks up the heat then turns the wheel and steers onto the road. He’s wearing the same T-shirt and shorts I saw him in earlier, and the cab sort of smells like sweat, an indicator he came here straight from football practice.
I cringe as water drips off my hair and onto his nice leather seats. “I’m sorry I’m getting your seat all wet.”
“It’s fine,” Finn tells me like it’s no big deal that the water might ruin the leather. It could very well not be a big deal to him either. I still feel bad.
