Page 27 of Broken Bonds

“Um…Aleixo,” he finally mutters.

I squeeze my eye shut and groan in embarrassment. Could I make this situation any more awkward?

“Samantha, open the door please,” he says in a heavy voice. “We need to talk about this.”

I press my hands flat against the door and hang my head between my arms. He’s right. He’s so right, but I’m a coward and would much rather pretend none of this was happening. He knocks on the door again, and I know he’s not going to let me off the hook. Releasing a heavy, defeated sigh, I drop my hands so I can open the door. Aleixo is standing there with his arms crossed and his mouth turned down into a frown. At the sight of him, whatever resolve I had to be a grown up in this situation immediately evaporates.

“What’s up?” I ask in a cheery voice, deciding to play dumb.

“You and I really need to figure out what to do about this,” he tells me.

“About what?”

His frown turns into a scowl. “Don’t do that, Samantha. You know what I’m talking about.”

I shrug. “Can’t say that I do.”

He takes a menacing step toward me and it’s everything I can do not to shrink away from him. Not out of any kind of fear that he might hurt me. No…it’s just the opposite.

“Samantha, you’re smarter than this and we both know it,” he growls. “You can pretend all you want that nothing is going on between us, but until we figure out how to deal with it, it’s not going away.”

Why does he have to be so straightforward and blunt about everything? It makes it almost impossible to continue acting as if I’ve no idea what he’s talking about.

I release a frustrated snort. “Fine, yes, there’s clearly something between us. I admit it. Happy now?”

He moves a step away from me, putting some much-needed distance between us.

Nodding, he says, “Happy to have you admit it, not so happy to have this problem in the first place.”

I almost flinch when he calls our attraction to each other a problem. I get that it’s not ideal, but is it really that bad of a thing?

Forcing those thoughts aside, I lift my chin and meet his gaze. “Okay, now that it’s out there, what are we supposed to do about it?”

He looks less sure of himself now, scratching the back of his head and letting out a baffled sigh.

“Honestly? I’m not sure. I know that acting on whatever it is that’s between us is a bad idea, though.”

I nod. “Agreed. A very bad idea. I’m only staying here a few more months.”

“And I’m not even technically human.”

“There’s that too,” I murmur.

“So we both agree, it would be a very bad idea to do anything to act on this attraction,” he states.

Gulping, I reply, “Yes, absolutely. An awful idea.”

We fall silent and stare at each other. It feels awkward again, but it’s not as bad as before, and I’m also feeling like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. As long as we’re both on the same page and both aware of the fact that we don’t want to be together in anyway other than friendship, I think we’ll be able to keep a lid on the boiling pot that is our desire.

I stick my hand out for him to shake, as if we’re making some sort of deal. I don’t realize exactly what I’m doing until he grasps it and neither does he. We both recognize our mistake in the same instant as our eyes meet. That heat explodes through me again, stealing my breath and making my stomach twist. It rushes through me and settles between my legs until I’m pulsing with a desire so strong, it’s all-consuming. Aleixo’s grip on my hand tightens and I continue to stare back at him, his gaze smoldering. His jaw is clenched and he’s staring at me like he wants to devour me whole.

“Aleixo…” I breath.

His nostrils flare and a snarl rips from his throat. The next thing I know, he’s yanking me forward and into his arms. I slam against his chest, and before I can regain my bearings, his mouth descends on mine in a searing kiss. My lips part on a gasp and he sweeps his tongue into claim mine.

This kiss is different from the last one. Our first kiss was desperate and greedy, almost animalistic. We were following our instincts more than anything. This time, there’s intentionality behind what he’s doing and how he uses his mouth, tongue, and teeth. He wants to drive me crazy, and dear God, he’s succeeding. I press myself closer to him, eager for more, all thoughts of why this isn’t a good idea flying from my head.

When I’m breathless and quivering with need, he pulls back just enough to whisper against my lips, “Tell me to stop, and I will. I’ll walk out this door and this will never happen again.”

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