Instead, I curl my fingers in the front of his cut to steady myself as he angles my face up to his.
“This okay?” he asks quietly.
I nod, because words abandoned me as soon as his thumb brushes my cheek.
He leans in and presses his mouth to mine. The kiss is unexpected, soft at first and then inexorably more. His lips part mine and his tongue touches mine, coaxing rather than demanding.
My body answers without permission. My breath hitches. My chest presses into his. My thighs tense. Heat pulses low in my belly. A whimper escapes me, humiliating in its honesty.
I have been kissed before, but it felt like a duty. This kiss feels likeworship.
When he pulls back, my world is forever altered. The crowd has faded. I hear nothing but the pound of my own heart.
His eyes are dark as storm clouds.
“Mine,” he says, as if the word is a vow.
I shiver.
Somewhere behind us, I hear Jessica sputter and curse. The sound brings me back to reality with a jolt.
My cheeks burn as he shifts me gently off his lap until I’m standing between his knees. He stays there for a beat, his hand on my waist, grounding me. Then he rises behind me, towering over both me and my sister, still holding me close as he looks straight at her.
“Get gone,” he tells her. “If I see you messing with her again, I won’t be so polite.”
Jessica’s face twists with anger and embarrassment. She opens her mouth to retort, but the weight of the stares around us finally seems to sink in.
Everyone is watching. For once, she retreats without further insult. She glares at me like this is my fault, then flips her hair and stalks away.
My knees feel weak. The man beside me still holds me like I’mpreciousandbreakable.
I realize I never thanked him.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice wobbling. “I didn’t mean to drag you into my family drama.”
He studies me like I’m a puzzle.
His eyes are gray, the color of steel. “You didn’t drag me anywhere,Sunshine,” he rumbles. “I’ve been right here since you leaned against me. And now you’remine.”
My cheeks heat again.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”
“I didn’t mind.” He shrugs. “You looked like you needed rest.”
I don’t know what to say to that. No one has ever put my comfort above their own.
I bite my lower lip, a nervous habit I’ve never been able to break.
“Thank you for… you know.”
He brushes a curl from my face.
“You’re welcome. Name’s Caleb. Club calls me Ghost because I’m quiet and because of some other things you’re better off not knowing.”
A chill runs down my spine. He says it like a warning, but it doesn’t scare me.It should.Any sane woman would step back. But all I can think is that whatever darkness he carries, he still pulled me into his lap to shield me.
And God help me, I want toknowthe things I’m better off not knowing.
