Page 76 of Cruel Games

“Ditto,” I replied.

“You’re as gorgeous as you are exciting.”

“Thanks.” I slid my hand into his and squeezed.

Kendrick’s gray eyes dilated, and he leaned in for another kiss. This time, he didn’t draw back. His lips were a balm on my frazzled nerves, soft and comforting at first. But as he threaded his hands through my hair, he slipped his tongue between my lips and explored my mouth in gentle caresses that made my toes curl.

With a groan, I kissed back, tangling my tongue with his, needing to devour Kendrick as much as he devoured me.

His kiss melted away time, dissolved reason, evaporated every reservation I had about Kendrick. I lost myself in his kiss and no longer felt like I was in the back of an Uber racing through the highway. We had escaped Sammy and Billy Hancock’s men, and right now, all I cared about was that hard body against mine, and the soft lips driving me to distraction.

I placed a palm over Kendrick’s chest and felt the frantic beat of his heart. While my pulse pounded in sync with his, our tongues danced and stroked and caressed.

This kiss was everything. My salvation, my reward, and a sign that I’d found someone willing to accept me, knowing my shitty background.

The drive back to the academy was faster than usual. At this time of the evening, there was no traffic, and it felt like we were going a hundred miles an hour. Part of me wanted the car to slow down, so the kiss would never end.

My core throbbed, hungry for Kendrick’s touch, but I pushed those feelings away to focus on the kiss. There wasn’t much we could do on a cramped back seat with the driver probably staring at us in the rear-view mirror. I shut off those thoughts and swirled my tongue around Kendrick’s.

“Here we are,” said an amused voice. “Templar Academy.”

The car stopped outside the main doors, and my heart sank. It was as though the driver had broken the spell, and we were now back to reality—even if it was a fairytale castle, and I had been kissing a handsome prince.

“Thank you,” Kendrick said with a note of dismissal in his voice.

Tendrils of worry wound around my heart. I wasn’t sure if he was talking to the driver or me. After our hair-raising adventure, I wasn’t sure if he would want to associate with a girl who had gangsters traveling over four-hundred miles to wring her neck.

“Anytime!” the driver responded with a chuckle.

We stepped out into the night, and a cold December wind swirled around our faces, bringing me to my senses.

The night sky was black with a smattering of stars, and the moon’s silvery light brought out the mahogany highlights on the ends of his hair.

The car drove off, and I cupped his cheek. “Thank you.”

Kendrick’s eyes bore into mine in a way that said he wasn’t finished with me. Not by a long shot. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “It was the least I could do. But now that they know where you are—”

“I don’t want to think about it.”

“Alright.” He pulled me into his chest. “Let me walk you to your room.”

I inhaled his warm, masculine scent and let out a long breath. Elizabeth had stooped to a new low. It was bad enough that she had dredged up my past, but inviting it to ambush me in Glasgow was unforgivable.

If I wasn’t so wrapped up in Kendrick’s embrace, I’d be making plans to strip her of everything she thought made her better than others. The clock tower struck nine times, reminding me that the porter would soon lock the double doors for curfew.

Kendrick drew back, withdrawing his warmth and comfort. “I’ll never forget tonight.”

“Me neither,” I replied, although I couldn’t tell if he had found the experience of being chased through Glasgow exhilarating or harrowing. Right now, I was too chickenshit to ask.

Taking hold of my hand, he walked me up the entrance steps. I glanced up into his handsome face, trying to decipher his neutral expression and not quite believing the events of the last few hours.

“Who do you think told them we were at the kitchens’ exit?” I asked as we walked through the double doors.

The porter descended the half-staircase, doffing his cap and jangling the large ring of keys he kept on his hip.

As we walked up, Kendrick said, “Someone Elizabeth installed to follow you through the building. It might have been a student, one of the City Chambers employees or Elizabeth herself.”

My mind conjured up an image of her sneaking about the hallways in that elaborate wedding dress. “She wouldn’t get her hands dirty.”