Trying not to feel.
Trying not to replay every second of that kiss in my head.
It didn’t work.
Not even a little.
A few seconds later, Swift walked out of the back, and if I hadn’t known better, if I hadn’t just been in his arms, I would’ve thought nothing had happened at all.
He looked exactly the same.
Calm.
Controlled.
Like that kiss hadn’t rocked his world the way it had mine.
I swallowed and focused on the bar in front of me.On the rag in my hand.On anything that wasn’t the man ten feet away from me.
Because I had no idea what he was thinking.
Maybe I should have been terrified of the change.
Chapter Sixteen
Swift
The city didn’t sleep.
Not really.
From the window, I watched the bar crowd stumble their way down State Street, laughing too loud, leaning too heavily on each other, chasing a night that was just starting.
I took a drag off my cigarette, letting the smoke roll out slowly through the crack in the window.
It should’ve been just another night.
Watching.Waiting.Keeping her safe, but nothing about tonight felt normal.
Because all I could think about was her.That kiss.
Jesus.
I dragged a hand down my jaw, staring out at the street but not seeing a damn thing.I’d kissed women before, plenty of them, but nothing,nothing, had ever felt like that.
It hadn’t just been physical.
It had been… everything.
Like something in me had snapped into place the second her lips touched mine.
Like I’d been running on half a tank my whole life and didn’t even realize it until her.
And now?
Now I couldn’t imagine going back.
I exhaled slowly, watching the smoke disappear into the night.
