Page 61 of Birdy

Shoving the key into the lock, he glances down both ends of the hall to ensure the coast is clear, and then he’s storming his way inside, yanking me in right behind him and quietly shutting the door. I don’t get to so much as blink before I find myself pushed up against it, the click of the lock briefly disrupting the silence of the small space. It’s an old janitorial closet from a quick scan ‘cause that’s all I get.

The look in his eyes right now… It’s that look—the one that sears me in entirety and jacks up my heart rate to a dangerous level.

Better known as trouble.

“Finally.” His hands fall flat to the dingy blue wall on either side of me, head dipping low to level with my stare. “I couldn’t wait anymore, not when I realized you were right. The time is never going to be right. I just need to do it, need to take what I want. One minute to taste those lips, that’s it. You still down with that?”

Why is this even a question?“A minute goes by pretty quick.”

Nodding, he scoops my face in his hands, licking his lips as he eyes my own. “Should I get on with it then?”

“Please,” I whisper, trying—and miserably failing—to brace myself for impact.

Butnothingcould have prepared me. Absolutely nothing.

There’s a tenderness to his kiss. It’s in the way he moves, how he touches me, but it’s so damned heated, brimming with deprivation and want so fierce, I feel its warmth scorch me to my core. My entire body comes to life, stomach flipping wildly at the feel of his lips on mine. I latch onto his wrists and just...melt into him, relishing the feeling of being kissed again.

So good. It feels so good.

I’ve missed this. To be wanted like this, needed like this.

The softest moan reverberates from deep within my throat, spurring Andrés to go harder, to take it up a notch. His tongue comes out to play, licking sensuously into my mouth as his palms fly to my hips, luring me closer to his hard body.

“Why do you have to be in here?” he asks between kisses.

“Because I was stupid”—kiss—“Don’t be like me, okay?”

“I justwantyou, that’s all, and I can’t fucking have you.” He says it like somewhere deep down inside of him it hurts.

And that’s the thing—it does. Because I can’t have him, either.

“You have me right now, don’t you?”

Another kiss, another lick into my mouth as he lifts me off my feet and digs me into the tiles, shaking his head. “Not enough. It’s not enough, Benni. I want you all the time.”

“I can’t give you that.”Not for a long time.“I wish I could.”

And that’s when it hits me,hard.

Just like Ángel was toxic for me,I’mtoxic for Andrés. He shouldn’t want anything with me. At the end of the day, heisa good guy, and what am I?

A criminal—someone who’s made awful choices and only cared about the consequences when it was too late. Do I plan to come back to prison once I’ve served my time? Fuck no. I’ll be doing everything in my power to complete the reform and stay out of trouble. I can't come back here again. I’ll lose it entirely.

But even with the reform, I still won’t be what he deserves.

“Be glad it’s this way,” I add, putting everything I’ve got into this kiss to soften the sudden blow. “You’re too good for me, Andrés. You deserve someone so much better.”

“Fuck all that, Benni.” He’s not relenting, meeting every swipe of my lips tit for tat, lifting me off my feet. “I don’t feel this with anyone else. Only you. There’s no one like you.”

God, those words... I have to squeeze my eyes shut and shake away the emotional tidal wave they threaten to bring on as my body locks in his grip. The memory gets me, though, sucking me back into the past for a brief moment...

“Muévelo, Enrique.” I flip the phone around to provide him a view of the screen, my fingers strategically placed over the active call symbol. “Time is ticking.”

He must’ve thought I was joking about the timer because that gets him moving, shuffling through his home with rushed, heavy steps. I’m listening in great amusement as he speeds from room to room when my phone buzzes.

Papi:My dick is hard af listening to you right now…

Eyes rolling playfully, the very corners of my lips quiver. “Two minutes!” I yell to Enrique, pulling Ángel’s message down for a quick reply.

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