“She’s not the reason I’m here.” His words made me freeze midstep.
I whipped back around. “Why are you here?”
“Really?” He let out a soft chuckle. “That’s how you wanna play it?”
I crossed my arms, examined him, and told the thing inside my chest to chill out. He still hadn’t walked inside, which was hilarious since nothing had ever stopped him before.
“Are you a vampire?” I asked. “You need permission to walk inside all of a sudden?”
He bit his lip as he walked inside and shut the door behind him.
“No apology flowers?” I asked when he faced me again.
“I would have brought some if I didn’t think you’d toss them.”
I loved flowers. They were one of the few things that still brought me genuine happiness. I shrugged. “Flowers die anyway.”
One side of his mouth hitched, but he said nothing as he closed the distance between us. I tilted my head up. My black heart turned red and pumped harder when he looked at me like that — like I was the only person he wanted to look at in this universe. I’d lost count of the times I was sure he’d kiss me. Honestly, I'd either jump him or kick him out if he didn’t do it soon.
“Are you going to kiss me now?” I whispered.
His eyes darkened. “I’ve beendyingto fucking kiss you.”
“Then do it.” I grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him to me.
His lips crashed against mine with a groan that vibrated through my body. Time vanished as he lifted me off the ground. A bomb went off inside me. Everything outside of him became nonexistent. Kissing a new person usually took adjustment, but not him. He invaded my mouth like he owned it. He kissed me with possession and abandon, holding me tightly against him as if to make sure I wouldn’t go anywhere. He devoured my mouth as if it were our last kiss, and he needed to make sure he got it right in case I didn’t let him do it again. The intensity of it flayed me, traveled deep inside me, and formed a crevice I knew no one else would fill. It was exhilarating and utterly terrifying. And it was just a freaking kiss.
“Holy shit.” That was Marissa.
It was a whisper, or maybe that was what it sounded like through the pounding in my ears. Her voice made me break the kiss and pull away. My eyes remained locked on his as my feet found the ground beneath me.What the fuck was that?Was this how he kissed everyone? Was this how everyone felt when they kissed him? Jesus. I hated that idea. I took a breath and a step back, finally facing Marissa, who was full-on grinning. I couldn’t even find my voice to say something snarky. I couldn’t find any of my senses. He’d taken everything in that kiss.
“I thought you didn’t kiss? ‘Ever.’” Marissa arched a brow at him. I lowered my gaze and focused on his chest. I really didn’t want to hear this conversation right now.
“I don’t.”
My head shot up. He was still looking at me. My heart dipped again. Fuck, this was a terrible idea. I turned to Marissa, who looked stunned to silence. As she started walking away, she looked at me pointedly as if to say “Let yourself have this.” I wished I could scream and ask her to please stop me before this developed into something more, but I remained silent because I wanted it. I wanted him. And I could no longer fool myself. This was already more than I’d bargained for.
“Don’t wait up for me, kids,” she called over her shoulder as she shut the door behind her.
My lips were still tingling from the kiss, but I wanted more. I faced him. We remained silent as his eyes searched mine. I wanted to ask him if he felt this crazy energy shift between us, but I couldn’t make myself do that. For two years, I’d counted the days so I could leave this godforsaken place, and then he came into my life. I still wanted to leave, of course. I just wished we had more time together. I snapped that thought away.More time for what? To sneak around, as Marissa suggested?It was the only way we might be able to do this, and I doubted he would want that. His eyes were still burning into mine.
My heart pounded hard in my chest and ears. I wasn’t sure who moved first, but before I knew it, we were kissing again, my hands buried in his hair, his large hands holding me tighter each time I tugged. Kissing him woke up every nerve ending in my body, sending waves through my veins — reminders that I was still here. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted me with one arm. My legs locked around his waist, my hands moving to the back of his neck. I didn’t want to exist outside the confines of his arms. He kissed me slowly this time, savoring me in a way that made me rock against him, searching for more. He groaned deeply again. We broke the kiss to come up for air, both panting.
“God damn, Lyla James.” He set his forehead against mine and tightened his grip on my thighs. “God damn.”
CHAPTER12
LACHLAN
I was stillsore from weight training earlier, so my arms started to burn from carrying her for so long, but I couldn’t stop kissing her. Nothing had ever felt this good, this right. When she tried unwrapping her legs from my waist, I gripped her thighs harder, and took her mouth one more time, in case she was about to try to shut me out completely. The next time she pulled away, I reluctantly set her down. Neither of us spoke as she reached for my hand and pulled me toward her room. Or when she shut the door behind us and guided me to the bed. I kicked off my shoes and socks, not because I was expecting anything to happen — I wasn't — but because lying in bed with socks on made me overheat. I found myself on my back, with Lyla’s lips pressed against mine again. I didn’t want it to end. It was like I was making up for the ten years I’d avoided kissing. When she pulled away, she nestled against my chest and let out a breath, one that sounded content.
I’d stopped trying to make sense of all of this when I saw her with Mason. I’d never fought anyone over a woman, but when I saw him. . .Fuck. When I saw him about tokissher, a beast unleashed inside me. And then, when we argued, she said I wasn’t hers, and I wanted to tell her to take the fucking words back. I’d never been anyone’s, but belonging to her didn’t sound so bad.What the hell was wrong with me?No one came up to us after the argument — not to flirt with either of us, anyway. Lyla scared away all of the women just by existing, and I scared away all the men by not letting go of her for a second. Even then, I’d caught a few looking at her like they were picturing her naked, and I had to check myself. I’d managed to remain somewhat calm. I’d remember their faces, though.
After the party, I’d brought her and Marissa home, walked them to the door, and managed to leave. I went straight home to take care of the situation in my pants. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d gone home to jerk off. I was certain that Lyla James was just as affected by me as I was by her. After last night, no amount of scowling or glares from her would convince me otherwise, not after tonight. We lay silent for a while, and I took a moment to look around her room.
“This isn’t what I expected,” I said against her hair.
She smelled like gardenias. I’d always associated the scent with the flowers my father sent my mother on her birthday each year. Now, it would forever remind me of Lyla.
