His lips are warm and firm against mine. His hand comes up to cup the side of my face, and I’m leaning on tippy toe to press more of myself against him.
My heart flutters faster inside my chest as a rush of excitement hits me. Endorphins flood my bloodstream and make me lightheaded.
It’s a simple kiss, two people drawn to each other and brushing their lips together.
But it’s also a rare moment that’s good.
Genuinelygood in a life that’s been full of misery and captivity.
It ends as abruptly as it began. I pull back first, my eyes flying open.
Killian’s as stunned as I am, giving a huff of air and scrubbing a hand over his bearded jaw.
“Fuck,” he breathes. “That was my fault. I crossed a line. You just said you were scared, and I shouldn’t’ve?—”
“We kissed each other,” I interrupt, still dazed. “It was mutual.”
He shakes his head. “I know better than to get carried away.”
“We both did. But… I don’t think it should happen again. It’s too confusing… right?”
“Right,” he answers after a half second pause. “Yeah, it’s for the best. Better to keep things uncomplicated.”
We turn away from each other and then set off down the last few blocks to Killian’s studio.
We’ve returned to our silence, though it’s spoiled by the awkward tension that remains. My head’s still reeling, full of thoughts about what happened seconds ago.
It felt good to kiss Killian; it was a brief moment where I felt like a normal woman enjoying myself with a guy I was on a date with.
But the truth is that’s never been my reality and probably won’t ever be.
Killian belongs with a normal girl. Somebody who’s not going to bring trouble to his doorstep and complicate his life in ways he can’t even understand yet.
That girl who’s not me.
ELEVEN
Killian
The punching bagjerks violently on its chain as I slam my fist into it for the hundredth time this morning.
Sweat drips down my face, soaking through my shirt and pooling in the waistband of my shorts. My knuckles ache beneath the tape, a dull throb that only pushes me to go harder.
Most would probably say I need a break. Some time to hydrate and regain some strength.
Instead, I hit the bag again and again.
I’ve disassociated, my mind elsewhere. Replaying the events of last night. Combing over every last detail about what happened between me and Jhene.
Her lips were some of the softest I’ve ever felt. They were like fucking clouds against mine. As we came together and kissed, she made a small gasping sound. Breath caught in her lungs. Yet she didn’t pull back… at least not at first.
She leaned in for more. I cupped her face and let myself indulge for a moment too.
We pressed pause long enough to forget the world.
What was only a few seconds turned into a spine-tingling,mind-bending moment that became indelible. That left us both dazed as Jhene finally pulled back and reality came crashing back in.
I could see myself in the reflection of her glasses. In her dark brown eyes as she tried to blink away her shock.
