Jian patted my shoulder. "Don't worry, Kola. I'm here to protect you."
Despite its warmth, I shivered beneath his touch. Something about the way he said those words was incredibly honest, like he wasn't just teasing me. He was serious. I liked that.
"Is that so?" I asked with a breathless huff. "Protect me, then."
My tone was more joking than his, but I meant it, too. To prove it, I leaned closer to him. Our shoulders brushed together.
Wow, he reallywashot. Had he always been so warm? His body radiated the cozy, comfortable heat of a furnace on a cool night. I refrained from cuddling up next to him, despite wanting to.
Jian's gaze was locked on me. He hadn't glanced at the TV since I asked him teasingly to protect me.
"I will," he murmured.
I shuddered.
Fuck. Why did I enjoy that so much?
Jian wasn't kidding around. I knew him well enough to know he meant everything he said.
My heart thumped faster and it wasn't from the horror movie.
Speaking of which, the plot was happening. We both slowly turned back to the screen. I tried paying attention but all I could think about was how close Jian was, how my skin was soaking up his body heat.
How he said he'd protect me.
Come to think of it, this wasn't the first time. He'd always been protecting me, hadn't he? Jian was an alpha. He was always bigger, stronger and cooler than me. When we were younger, he was practically my bodyguard, intimidating would-be bullies with his mere presence. I was a chubby kid, and an omega to boot. I had no doubt I would've been viciously picked on if Jian wasn't my constant shadow.
And tonight he saved my life. Literally. If he hadn't appeared out of thin air and stopped that car...
I stared at him from the corner of my eye. God, I wanted to lean closer and rest against his chest. I wanted his protective arm around me. I wanted to inhale his scent and feel the rise and fall of his muscular chest.
I licked my lips. If only I wasn't too cowardly to kiss him.
My conscience slapped me. Why was I even thinking about this? I was supposed to be innocently watching a movie with my best friend, not fantasizing about making out with him. If I pulled a move now and lost him forever, I'd never forgive myself.
Still... A guy could dream, couldn't he?
I focused on the movie. To be honest, it wasn't bad. The plot picked up and engrossed me, and I found myself cheering for the characters to live. The monster of the film hadn't shown up yet—the director was layering the suspense on thick—so I didn't know if it was a supernatural creature or just a crazy dude. By now, Ihadto know who was skewering people.
"What do you think it is?" I whispered to Jian. "The baddie, I mean."
Jian wrinkled his nose. "I can't tell. The movie's being purposely vague. I have an idea, but..."
"My money's on a man."
Our conversation was cut off by an ominous low-pitched whinny. My jaw dropped when I saw the scene on the TV.
"Seriously?" I asked, almost laughing.
The killer was a unicorn stabbing people with its horn. I couldn't make this shit up.
"That's something you don't see every day," I said. "At least it's original."
Jian scoffed. "You thought romComs were unrealistic? This is way worse."
"Well, yeah. Unicorns aren't real."
Jian didn't speak for a moment. My statement made him quiet.
