Page 84 of The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object 1, The Music Box

“Harrison.” He cups my jaw with one hand.

“Don’t do that.” I frown. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m not telling you this because I want pity. I just—I want you to understand why I’m the way I am, and you giving me a nickname and teasing me is probably the closest I’ve ever come to being normal. I like it.”

“Thank you for telling me, for trusting me,” he mutters, his thumb lazily stroking my cheek.

“I don’t know what it is about you, Sam, but you’re not like everyone else.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“I don’t know. Both?” I exhale. “I can’t read you.”

“At all?” His brows rise in surprise.

I shake my head. “You’re like a blank space.”

He chuckles. “I’m trying really hard not to take that the wrong way, Prickles.”

“It’s soothing,” I elaborate. “It’s like, when you touch me or stand close, it quiets all the noise in my head.”

He smiles at me slowly.

“I really like you, Sam,” I admit. “And I don’t know what to do with that.”

“What would you like to do?” His dark gaze dips to my lips.

“I…” I draw in a slow breath. “I really want you to kiss me.”

He pushes himself up from the swing. I look up as he steps in front of me and offers his hand. Setting my water bottle on the ground, I take his hand and stand up. There are butterflies in my stomach as he slides his free hand around the back of my neck, which sends shivers down my spine.

He leans in, his gaze locked on mine, and I don’t realise I’m holding my breath until he pauses, his lips hovering above mine.

“Breathe,” he whispers. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes.” I close the gap between us, pressing my mouth to his. His lips are soft and a little dry, but it feels nice.

My first kiss.

For a second, we stay there, lips pressed together, and don’t move, just absorbing the moment, the change in our dynamic, the unspoken agreement that there is something between us. Something worth exploring.

Squeezing the back of my neck with a gentle pulse, he tilts my head and his lips slide gloriously over mine. We kiss as if we have all the time in the world, and it feels like we do, like time has stopped. He presses soft kisses to my mouth as we learn the shape of each other’s lips. Then he teases along the seam, and I open up to let him slide his tongue in.

I feel like I’m burning up from the inside out, my skin all hot and flushed. I lift my hands to cup his face and his hands find my waist, pulling me in close so our bodies are aligned, and I feel the firm strength of him.

A groan escapes as I kiss him back, my tongue chasing his hesitantly at first, then with more confidence as my need builds. I had no idea just kissing could feel this good, this intimate. For once I’m not being crowded by someone else’s emotions, it’s just me.

My want. My desire.

He tastes so good—a hint of the beer he’d obviously drunk earlier and something else, something uniquely him. My whole body is filled with heat and light, my skin tingling and my head buzzing.

Fuck, it’s like I’m drunk from the taste and feel of him. He expertly devours my mouth, and my mind can’t help but wonder what else he’s good at. I can feel his cock hard against me, my own responding as we press against each other, and a little thrill runs through me.

I don’t know how long we kiss for. But as I pull back, I’m breathless and my eyes must mirror the shock my soul feels.

Kissing Sam felt a little too right, but this is all happening a bit fast. I just need to stop and recalibrate.

Torn between the desire to run away and simultaneously cling on, to pull him close and maul him with my mouth, I swallow hard and take a step back. His hands fall away from my waist.

“I’m going to catch the train home.”