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I studied her as she put a few items in the refrigerator. Yet again, I recalled what she’d said to her mother. That detail had elicited a fierce sense of protectiveness inside. I knew her stepfather was gone because I’d heard that too. I knew he couldn’t hurt her again. Maybe I personally hadn’t experienced anything like that, but I knew what it was like to have someone hurt you. I also knew the scars would always be there, even if something was over.
Farrah turned to look at me, smoothing a hand over her mussed hair. This was the first time I’d seen her with her hair down. It fell in tousled waves around her shoulders. It was thick and luxurious. I wanted to step closer, slide my hands into it, and kiss her.
She blinked up at me when she stopped in front of me. “How are you?”
Her question was perfectly normal, but it felt like everything with Farrah was weighted with a charge. My body was primed, and need was cracking its whip through the air and snapping into the electricity shimmering around us.
I cleared my throat. “Fine. You?”
She cocked her head to the side, a slow smile unfurling and drawing my eyes down to her mouth. Fuck me. Her lips were so perfectly kissable. Her bottom lip was a little plumper than the top one. I only now noticed that she had a tiny, barely-there dimple that peeked out on one side when she smiled.
I dragged my eyes back up to hers as she replied, “Fine. Are we in the ‘fine’ stage of friendship?” she asked lightly.
“What’s the ‘fine’ stage of friendship?” I quipped.
The motion of her fingertip tracing along the edge of the counter caught my eye. I sensed she was a little nervous.
She took a quick breath, shrugging. “I’m not sure.”
“I’m not either, but you took care of my cat, and I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.” What slipped out next startled me. “And I’d like to throat-punch your stepfather.”
Farrah’s eyes widened, a flash of pain entering her gaze before it disappeared quickly. She looked down and then back up. “I thought maybe you guys heard that.” Her soft voice was threaded with discomfort.
“I didn’t mean to hear it.”
Her mouth twisted to the side. “It’s okay. It’s kind of hard not to overhear people there, and I think I might’ve been a little loud.”
“I’m sorry. Really.”
I wanted to fold her into my arms and hold her close and slay every dragon she’d ever faced. All for her.
Her eyes searched mine for a moment, and I wasn’t sure how to interpret the look held there. “I’m sorry too. We can’t change the past. Maybe you didn’t hear all of it, but he’s dead. I feel like an asshole because I don’t miss him, and I’m mad that my mother even does.”
“No one deserves a stepfather like that.”
She nodded in agreement. After a moment of quiet began to stretch, she added, “Well then, that was freaking awkward.”
When she rolled her eyes, I nodded, still caught in a riptide of protectiveness for her. “Yeah.”
“Maybe we should talk about our kiss,” she teased. “That’s awkward too, but it’s not awful.” Her lips curled with a sly smile, and I sensed shereallydidn’t want to dwell on her stepfather.
She bit her bottom lip as she looked up at me. And, holy hell, the sight of her teeth catching the corner and denting the plush, pink surface sent a fiery sizzle down my spine.
“Is that all? It just wasn’t awful? Because if that’s the case, I need to try again,” I teased.
We stared at each other. It felt as if a storm was rushing into the air with lightning sizzling, thunder rolling, and a burgeoning sense of pressure building between us.
“Oh, it was far from awful.” Her husky response sent heat blazing through me.
She took a step toward me, and I met her halfway. “Oh, well, good to know,” I murmured.
Her cheeks were tinged pink. All we were doing was standing there, inches away from each other, and it felt like foreplay. I could feel the swell of my cock and the way my balls tightened. My heart kicked harder and faster inside my chest.
“I think we should try again. Just to check,” she whispered.
Her tongue darted out, sliding across her bottom lip. I took another half step. Our bodies were touching now. It felt as if a force field surrounded us. Her jacket was unzipped, and she wore a thin blouse underneath. I could feel the tight peaks of her nipples against my chest. Her lips parted as she looked up at me, and I could barely think above my roar of desire.
ChapterEleven
