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He wiggled his hand free from hers and ran a finger down her neck. “I might.”
She grabbed his shirt with both fists and pulled him to her, pressing her lips to his in a heated kiss. Fire raced through his veins. This was not the lazy kiss from the beach. This was explosive, and it made his head spin.
She pulled back, a satisfied smirk on her face. “You deserved that.”
He sat back in his seat, his heart racing. “What can I do to deserve more of that?”
Laughter bubbled up from her. He loved seeing her let go a little. It was fun to see her hidden personality shine through. “Eat your popcorn.”
People began filing into the theater after that, and Jalen decided he’d better behave, or he’d get them into trouble. But he had to admit, he was quickly falling for the woman sitting next to him. The only problem was the mask he wore.
But how would she feel if he revealed the truth to her?
Chapter 15
The movie was full of action and intrigue, but Riley found it hard to concentrate. She couldn’t settle her heart or her racing mind. Instead of allowing herself to get lost in the moment, sitting next to Shadow, she couldn’t stop her brain from obsessing.
Shadow’s secret identity wasn’t famous. He was a regular guy. And he was afraid that if he took off his mask she would be disappointed. But why? Just because he was an unknown person? Why would she be disappointed by that?
He did say he’d tried to get into the music business without a mask and had no luck. But that still didn’t give her any clues. What was he hiding from the world?
He was charismatic, that was one thing she knew for sure. He was driving her crazy. She couldn’t believe she’d lost her head and completely abandoned her persona. And he picked up on it right away. She needed to be careful.
But she couldn’t help it. She was drawn to him. And the chemistry they had was unquestionable. Kissing him was like lighting a match and tossing it on a pile of explosives. One more kiss, and her world could implode.
Shadow’s hand sought out hers in the darkness, and he threaded his fingers through hers. Her heart couldn’t take much more of this. Yet she wanted so much more.
He leaned over and whispered, “Do you want to go?”
She realized the credits were rolling, and the theater was once again empty except for the two of them. “Oh,” she said, standing. “Sure.”
“You seemed a million miles away.”
Very true. The building could have burned down, and she might not have noticed. “Yeah, I guess I was.”
“Mind if I ask what you were thinking about?” They threw away their trash and stepped out into the night. His security slipped into step behind them. She’d actually forgotten he had been in the theater with them. The temperature had chilled, and she rubbed her arms. Shadow put his arm around her.
She had no idea what to say. She couldn’t really tell him she’d been thinking about him, pondering who he was and how she would feel about having to tell the world his secret. She sighed. “Just thinking about my dad.” The lie didn’t sit well, but it was all she could do.
“How is he doing?” He paused before adding. “I get the feeling he’s not doing as well as you put on.”
She let out a breath. How did he do that? It was like he could read her mind, which was so not true, because if he could, he would run from her. But she pushed that thought out of her head. “He’s on the waiting list for a heart transplant.”
Shadow sucked in a breath. “It’s that bad?”
A sick feeling entering her gut, and she nodded. She didn’t like to think about how sick her father really was. It was too hard. Too painful. She couldn’t lose her father. He was the only one that held her together.
The night was clear, and a million stars dotted the blackness over them. Shadow walked with her, their steps falling into an easy cadence. “How long does he have if he doesn’t get the transplant?”
She didn’t want to answer him. She didn’t want to acknowledge it. If it wasn’t said out loud, it wasn’t as real. But she couldn’t tell him to mind his own business. Things had gone too far for that.
“They said he had a year, but that was two months ago.” The ticking clock was the worst thing in the world, and Riley blinked as tears pricked at her eyes.
Shadow squeezed her shoulder. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.”
It was easy to say those words, but he had no way to know. No one did. Her father could die in his sleep tonight. The thought made her steel herself against his kind words. “People say that when they don’t know what else to say.”
He took in her statement for a moment. “You’re probably right.”
