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For one perfect moment, the world faded away, leaving only us.
And then, as though breaking us out of a dream, the lights snapped back on.
We jerked apart, the brightness startling us back to reality. Elara's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, her emerald eyes wide with surprise and embarrassment. I stumbled backward, feeling almost drunk because of what had just happened.
"Fuck," I said. "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen."
"No. It's okay. You don't need to be sorry." She smoothed her rumpled tank top with shaky hands. "It's the light's fault." A weak smile.
"Right. I should fix it. Check the circuit."
She swallowed hard. "I should go."
"Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Probably for the best."
"Goodnight, Cole," she whispered, barely audible as she slipped out the door and vanished into the twilight.
My heart raced as I slumped against the wall, thoughts spinning out of control. What the hell had just happened?
I couldn't deny the chemistry that we had, but the thought of anything happening with Elara left me feeling torn. I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Her passion, her drive, and her intelligence all stirred something inside me that I hadn't felt in years. But there was no way that this was smart.
"She’s ten years younger than you, Cole. About to leave town. Destined for bigger and brighter things than you could ever offer."
I had to put this behind me. Lock it up in the little box inside me where I kept all the things I wanted but could never have.
Then throw away the key.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Elara
Turns out I've been delusional for years.
I thought my first kiss was with Tyler Brooks, the varsity soccer captain, under the bleachers during a frenzied Friday night game. I'd been fifteen, he'd been overeager, and our teeth had touched in a way that wasn't exactly pleasant.
But I was wrong.
That wasn’t my first kiss.
Only now, years later, as I lay in bed hugging a pillow between my thighs, staring up at the vibrant morning sky through my window, did I realize that no one had truly kissed me until Cole McCoy pushed his lips against mine.
Those other kisses? They barely even registered.
It had seemed like fate last night. Like Cupid had been standing by the fuse, waiting to kill the lights at the precise instant Cole and I were closest in that cramped kitchen. One minute, I'd been innocently reaching for the milk. The next, everything went dark, and I knew with absolute certainty that something monumental was about to happen.
And then it did.
It wasn't just the raw passion of it, the way he wedged his thigh between my legs, making me tremble with desire as he plundered my mouth. It wasn't even the guttural moan he'd released when I'd pressed my palm up against that solid lump of lust at his groin.
No.
The most incredible thing was the change in him. He transformed from an uptight, measured, grown-up, to a spontaneous, hungry, teenager. I felt his need for me and it was . . . really fricking hot.
I squirmed, clutching the pillow tighter, grinding against it.
Why did the damn power have to come back on? It was so unfair. Who knew how far we would've gone if the lights had stayed off, if we'd shut out the world?
But the world had come crashing back into focus. And Cole had jumped away from me like I was a hot stove.
