Page 84 of Liars

My hand lifted of its own accord, hovering near his face, the urge to trace the line of his scar startling me. My fingers trembled slightly as I stopped myself, realizing just how foolish it was.

Shit, I wanted to kiss him.

And that was all the red flags I needed.

Warning. Warning. Warning. Kaylor’s about to do something stupid, reckless, and dumb.

I needed to leave. Having Kreed catch me watching him sleep was not on my list of shit I wanted to experience. Letting out a quiet sigh, I stood, but the second I turned, fingers wrapped around my wrist.

I stilled, my heart lurching in my chest. Slowly, I glanced back to see Kreed’s eyes open, watching me intently and capturing me with those starlit eyes I couldn’t seem to forget…no matter how much I tried.

His grip was firm but not rough.

“Kreed, I—” The words died in my throat as he tugged gently on my wrist, and suddenly, I was falling. I landed on top of him, my hands bracing on either side of his chest, and my breath caught as his other arm curled around my waist, holding me there. His gaze was steady and unflinching, and the crackling of the fireplace filled the silence between us.

My pulse hammered as our eyes locked, the book trapped between us.

“Am I dreaming?” His voice was low, sleep-rough in a way that made my stomach flip.

“Yes,” I whispered. “Close your eyes and go back to sleep.”

“Why?” His lips quirked up into a faint, tired smirk. “You’re there, too. You’re everywhere, little raven.”

Oh, hell. That fucking smile.

It was going to kill me. He couldn’t say things like that. He just couldn’t. I didn’t know what to make of his words…of him. But my body? My body loved everything about this situation.

“What are you doing?” he finally asked roughly, and far too knowing.

“I…couldn’t sleep,” I admitted.

His gaze held mine, impossible to read.

I opened my mouth to respond, but the intensity of his gaze left me speechless. My cheeks burned, my pulse pounding in my ears as I realized just how close we were.

His smirk widened slightly. “You’re staring.”

“You’re holding me,” I shot back, trying to regain some composure.

His grip didn’t loosen. If anything, his fingers tightened slightly against my waist, his gaze flicking to my lips just for a second. “Maybe I don’t mind,” he murmured. “Besides, if I’m dreaming…”

My breath hitched, and for a moment, the world seemed to tilt. Every rational thought screamed at me to pull away, but I couldn’t move, trapped by the weight of his presence and the warmth of his body beneath mine.

His presence was magnetic, pulling me in like a star collapsing in on itself.

The idea Kreed dreamed about me…

The room felt impossibly still, the only movement the soft flicker of the firelight casting shadows on the walls. And yet, my heart thundered like I was standing on the edge of something vast and unknown.

His eyes flared right before he kissed me.

The second his lips met mine, I knew I wasn’t leaving this room anytime soon, not as long as he kept kissing me—touching me—possessing me—devouring me. Not because he held me prisoner, but because I didn’t want to be anywhere other than on top of him with his lips moving over mine, demanding me to respond.

Yes. My entire body sighed. This was what I wanted. The first time he kissed me, I’d been unprepared. It happened so quickly that it almost didn’t feel real. And I hadn’t been sure at the time why he kissed me. But now, this didn’t feel like a lesson or a punishment.

It was everything a kiss should be. Raw. Passionate. Unsettling. Wild. Dangerous. Perhaps even forbidden, only magnifying the magnitude.

My lips parted for him, and my tongue darted between my teeth to taste him, and damn, if he didn’t taste like everything I loved but shouldn’t want. He groaned, slipping his tongue against mine. His fingers tunneled into my hair, curling into the strands and trapping my mouth against his.

---