Page 11 of Graves

“Can I give you a ride home?” he asks.

I think about it for all of two seconds before I shake my head. “No need. I live just up the road.”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment before he nods.

“Would you mind if I walked you? It will give me peace of mind that the guy or his friends aren’t going to jump you for tonight.”

“Are you going to start stalking me if you find out where I live?” I laugh teasingly.

He doesn’t laugh, though. Instead, he just shakes his head seriously, causing me to swallow down my laughter as I look him over. Am I stupid for talking to this virtual stranger in a dark alley? Yes. Am I even dumber for contemplating allowing him to walk me home and discover where I live? Absolutely. So, tell me why, when I look into his eyes, all rational logic flies out the window and I nod my head yes as I begin my walk home like normal, sans headphones.

I hear his steps behind me at a close yet respectful distance. Neither of us say anything until we get just outside my building, and I can’t take the silence any longer.

“Why did you do it?” I ask as I turn to face him.

He pauses his movements as he tilts his head slightly.

“Do what?”

“Attack that guy, beat his ass, whatever you want to call it.”

One of his eyebrows lifts in what looks like curiosity.

“He touched you. You think I was going to allow that?”

“Well, why wouldn’t you? We don’t know each other. You don’t owe me anything.”

He doesn’t say anything for a few moments, like he’s choosing his words wisely.

“We don’t know each other,” he agrees. “What I did probably came across as aggressive and out of line, and perhaps it was.” He pauses again, taking a half-step closer to me, lifting his bear paw of a hand up to my face before brushing a piece of hair away from my eye. “I do know that you’re special, and you deserve to be protected.”

“I can take care of myself,” I say as his fingers tangle in my hair.

“I know, I’ve seen you hold your own just fine. It doesn’t mean you should have to.”

Something in his words stirs a feeling inside of me. One that I haven’t felt in literally decades. It shakes at the countless locks and doors I have guarding that part of me. The part I vowed to never show again. Now, I’m not dumb enough to allow my guard to drop just like that for a perfect stranger just because hefeels protective of me, but I can’t deny that his tone, his words, and the sincerity on his face are rattling the chains a bit.

Not knowing what to say, I swallow roughly at that before glancing from his lips to his eyes. The air between us is practically buzzing, my chest fluttering in anticipation of having this dark knight’s lips on mine. I flick my eyes up to see him watching me with a complicated expression. He doesn’t make a move, but he doesn’t pull away either, so I muster up all the courage I could possibly have and go for it.

Lifting up onto my tiptoes, I bring my hands up to his face, resting them on his cheeks as I drag him to me. He comes easily, but when our lips meet, he doesn’t kiss me back. A buzzing feeling practically rips through me from just a single brush of his lips to my own. It starts from my mouth and runs all the way down to my toes before settling between my thighs.

I’ve never felt such an exhilarating feeling in my life, and he’s not even kissing me back. At that thought, I go to pull away as the buzzing fades and embarrassment at literally throwing myself at this stranger takes up full residence inside me. I don’t get far though before his hand on my face wraps behind my neck and his other arm winds around my lower back, forcing my body flush against his as he deepens the kiss.

His lips smash against mine before his teeth sink into my bottom lip. I let out a soft moan as the pain quickly ebbs into pleasure. His tongue wraps around mine, like he’s trying to relish the taste of me. His hands grip me to the point of near pain, like he needs me to stay exactly where I am, right in his arms, or we will both snap in two. It’s all enough to fry mysenses completely.

When he pulls away, his chest is heaving as he rests his forehead against my own. His eyes are clenched tight, and I furrow my brows as I run my hand through his dark locks. At that, his eyes fly open, completely focused on me before he whispers roughly, “I have to go.”

Disappointment fills me, but I nod softly. He takes me by surprise as he leans in for one more chaste kiss against my lips, as if he were savoring me one more time, before he leaves.

“I don’t even know your name,” I breathe out with half a chuckle.

He gives me the start of a smile, but his eyes are anything but happy as he looks down at me. “You don’t need to.”

He straightens up and takes a step away.

“Please,” I say simply, not knowing why I need the tangibility of a name at this moment but asking all the same.

He rolls his lips together as he watches me carefully.

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