“And if I miss?” His voice was gruff, as if he’d never spoken a day in his life.
“You won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because your sister’s life depends on it.” She released her grip on his hand. He pulled back immediately, and the dagger clattered to the floor. Carolina bent to retrieve it at the same time the carriage hit a dip in the road. She landed against him, her palms splayed over his chest.
His lips were so close to hers. Her gaze flicked to Lalo’s mouth then back to his eyes, which were wide and panicked.
She frowned. “Why do you look so terrified?”
“Because…” He gulped. “Because I desperately wish to kissyou.”
Carolina’s heart plunged to her belly.
“Why don’t you?” she said breathlessly.
“I’m afraid,” he said. “I’ve never…I haven’t…” He shook his head. “I want to kiss you, Carolina. But I fear that if I do, I might never stop.”
Dammit.Why was this boy so…perfect?
“Kiss me anyway,” she said. And she meant it.
“Do you feel something between us, truly? No pretenses?” he asked, all the hope in the world pooling within his gaze.
“Kiss me, Lalo Montéz, and I will show you.”
He grimaced. “My real name is actually Lalo Villalobos.”
Carolina snickered. Rafa was right. “I want Lalo Villalobos to kiss me too, then.”
His hands wrapped around her back, and he drew her in. He hesitated. “What if I lose control?”
She grinned. “I have daggers strapped to both thighs.”
Carolina’s fingers moved from his chest to the collar of his shirt. She gripped the fabric tight and eased herself close to him until their lips were nearly touching. Lalo closed his eyes, waiting. Carolina smiled at his innocence. Then she closed her eyes too.
Pure energy sizzled through her body when their lips met. The feeling was as if the world inside Carolina exploded into starlight. She jolted back—her lips, her body, her everything tingled.
“Wow,” Lalo whispered.
She had been thinking the same thing.
And now she yearned for more.
Carolina kissed him again, but it wasn’t enough. She crawled onto his lap. She wanted to feel every part of him against her. And when he pulled her closer to him, the world fizzled away. There was only the caress of his soft lips, his lithe form. The taste of him. The quiet moans he made when their tongues touched.
She dug her fingers into his hair. Pulled his head back so she might kiss the sensitive skin on his neck. Lalo groaned, gripping at her layers of skirts.
The cochero called out to the horses, and the carriage came to a sudden stop. Lalo flung Carolina to the other side of the seat. His face was flushed. His lips were pink. His eyes were wild and glossy.
“I…I’m sorry,” Lalo rasped. And when he spoke, Carolina saw the tips of his fangs. He clamped a hand to his mouth. “I shouldn’t have…,” he mumbled. “We shouldn’t have…”
Hurt flared within her, then anger. She crossed her arms. “No one should look so horrified after a kiss like that.”
Lalo’s eyes bulged. “That kiss was a mistake.”
The door opened and—Carolina’s jaw dropped. Nena poked her head in. “Hello, lovebirds,” she said merrily.
