Page 87 of Ransom

I blink in surprise. Blair's first kiss? I'd assumed... well, I don't know what I'd assumed.

Before I can think too much about it, Blair steps closer. She reaches up, tugging my head down to her level, and presses her lips to mine. This time, she's in control.

The kiss is slow and sweet, a little clumsy as Blair figures out what she's doing. But to me, it's perfect. My hands find her waist, holding her gently as I freak the fuck out. This is actually happening.

When we finally break apart, I'm breathless. I've kissed a few girls in town, gone on some dates, but none of them affected me like Blair. It's like a bomb went off in my chest, scattering all my thoughts and leaving nothing but the feel of her lips on mine.

Blair's cheeks are flushed a pretty pink. I've never seen her looking like that, and I love knowing I put that color there. "That was... interesting," she murmurs, her eyes meeting mine.

"Just interesting?"

She shrugs, but I catch the hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "It wasn't terrible."

Coming from Blair, that's high praise. I laugh, feeling like everything in my world is clicking into place. "We'll have to practice then," I tease. "Get it from 'not terrible' to 'pretty good.'"

Blair rolls her eyes, but she doesn't let go of my hand as we start walking again. "Don't push your luck, Kyle."

We walk in comfortable silence for a while, our joined hands swinging between us. I can't stop smiling; I can't believe this is really happening.

"Your dad's gonna kill me," I say suddenly, the thought hitting me like a bucket of cold water.

Blair snorts. "Dad loves you. You're the son he never had."

She's not wrong. Robert loves Blair fiercely; they're attached at the hip. But he treats me like I'm his, too. "Yeah, but I don't think he wants me kissing his daughter."

She shrugs. "We don't have to tell him right away. Let's... let's just see where this goes for now, okay?"

I nod, relief washing over me. "Okay. Yeah, that sounds good."

As we approach the edge of town, Blair slows her steps. "We should probably..." she trails off, glancing at our joined hands.

"Yeah," I agree reluctantly, letting go of her hand. Already, I miss the warmth of her touch.

Blair turns to face me, her expression serious. "This doesn't change anything at home, got it? We're still... us. Just with some extra stuff now."

I nod, understanding what she means. We can't let this affect our family dynamic; can't risk messing up the good thing we've all got going.

"Got it," I promise.

She studies my face for a moment, then nods, satisfied. "Good. Now let's go home before Dad sends out a search party."

As we walk the last few blocks home, I can't help but steal glances at Blair. Something has shifted between us tonight, and I have no idea where it's going to lead. But for the first time in a long time, I'm excited about the future.

29

RANSOM

"It was real, wasn't it?" she asks, fingers tracing over the emblem on the steering wheel.

The realest thing I've ever known. "The last time I was in this truck, your dad was driving me out of town."

She scowls, gaze full of questions finally landing on me. It's time to give her all of it. It's the only way I can answer her question. "We had a plan, that I would meet up with him after, and he'd drive me out to meet my social worker. That's how I left town."

Her hands fall to her lap, eyes troubled. "I don't understand."

"That night, the night he caught us in your room? Do you remember the look on his face?"

Her brow furrows. "Not really. I was embarrassed, but also really annoyed that he was acting like we were committing some crime. We were just making out."

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