Gia moves in closer beside me as she approaches, slipping her hand into mine. Blair’s espresso eyes flit down to our joined hands, and I swear I see a flicker of gold in them when they lift to meet my own, narrowing as she asks, “What’s up?”
“I was just trying to talk Matty into blowing off the rest of his work and coming out to the bar instead,” Gia chirps, winking at Blair conspiratorially. “Whaddya say, you wanna come out with us?”
Blair chews on the inside of her cheek, gaze bouncing between me and Gia while I tug my hand free of hers to run it through my hair instead.
Real smooth.
“I already told her that I’m not coming out,” I mumble to Blair, shifting my weight uncomfortably. “We still have that last task to finish up.”
This time, there’s no mistaking the gold in her irises. Those dark eyes ignite, blazing with a stunning metallic sparkle that I can’t look away from. She holds me captive in her gaze as she swallows thickly, tension crackling between us like a live wire.
“I’m good, but you two have fun,” Blair mutters, her voice hollow. “I’m tired anyways.”
“See!” Gia exclaims, slapping my bicep with the back of a hand.
Blair and I haven’t broken eye contact, still trapped in a staring contest that feels more like a crossroads. I furrow my brow, tilting my head in question, but I can’t read the expression painting her features. Then she whips around and bolts for the exit, and before I even realize it, my feet are carrying me out the door after her.
“Blair, wait!” I call as I emerge into the hallway.
“What?” she snaps, spinning around to face me and punching a fist against her hip.
I jog a few steps to catch up, shaking my head. “It’s not like that with her.”
“Likewhat?”
“Likethis.”
“And what do you thinkthisis?” she scoffs, gesturing between us.
I capture her wrist and step in closer, reaching up with the other hand to cup her cheek. “You know,” I rasp, staring into her eyes intently as I draw her face toward mine.
She doesn’t resist. Her breath stutters, lips parting, then she bridges that last fraction of distance between our mouths, kissing me hard. I kiss her back even harder, searing my intention against her lips as a little whimper slips from her throat. Her body melts against mine as she gives into the moment, then her palms suddenly flatten against my chest, pushing me back.
I release her lips with a loud pop, stumbling back a step and shaking my head as she blinks at me breathlessly.
“I’m not sorry.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
the snap
BLAIR
Can you still call it a mistake if you willingly make it twice? Or do two wrongs somehow make a right?
I might have some prayer of answering that if I wasn’t being held captive in Matty’s blue-eyed stare. The taste of his kiss lingers on my lips, my frantic heartbeat pounding against my ribs, in my ears, between my thighs…
As if I didn’t just spend the whole day drowning in regret over kissing him last night, here I am doubling down on my sins. There’s no question whether I’m on the highway to hell now.
I’m not sorry.
That’s what he just declared, and now he’s looking at me with both apprehension and blazing intensity, like he’s simultaneously bracing himself for my refusal and determined to change my mind. I no longer see the polite, bashful guy who works at the desk across from mine every day– the man standing before me knows exactly what he wants and isn’t shy about going for it.
That sexy confidence is my undoing.
“Me neither,” I breathe, the words leaving my lips unbidden. I’m sure I’ll be sorry later, but right now I’m not. I’m runningpurely on wild adrenaline and instinct, my mind too clouded with lust to process rational thought.
It must be temporary insanity that has me reaching for his hand, just like Gia did after calling me over. That’s when it all changed. Something shifted in me when her delicate fingers slipped between his, triggering a sense of possessiveness over Matty I have no business feeling. Her perfectly manicured fingernails were painted baby pink, while mine are bitten down to the quick, the black polish chipped.
