Page 139 of Hard to Resist

I lift my head and peer up at him. “Imani. She’s one of my co-workers. She works on a different team than me but is my closest friend at Delute.”

“Ah. Well, if she’s your friend, it should be fine.”

“I hope so.”

Paranoia starts to creep up my spine. It is easy to forget in a city as big and busy as this that you can run into people so easily. I’ve built up a false sense of comfort, assuming that the likelihood was close to zero percent.

Now, I can’t help but wonder how close we’ve come before. Does anyone else live near Cullen and did they see me leaving his place the other week? What about the time we got donuts from his sister? There are all these different scenarios spinning around my mind.

Even the prospect of jumping on the train right now is giving me a small shot of anxiety. Everyone rides the subway. Maybe not Celine, but my co-workers for sure.

How did none of this occur to me before? How could I have been so oblivious?

“Hey, what’s going on?” Cullen grips my shoulders, running his thumbs along my collarbones.

“I’m worried someone else is going to catch us.”

“I get that, but I promise, what just happened was a fluke.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“Why not?”

“Because. You’re not some all-seeing, all-powerful being. You can’t possibly predict where people are going to be.”

“No, but as someone who grew up here, I’m telling you that something like that happening is a rare occurrence.”

“You’re telling me you don’t run into people you know on a daily basis?”

“No. Not unless I’m in their area. Then it’s fair game.” He shrugs. “Think, how often do you go to the very same places?”

I chew on my bottom lip. He has a point. There are probably three neighborhoods in the city I frequent weekly; the rest are rare occurrences. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve run into someone I know in the last twelve months while justout in the city. Maybe I am overthinking it a little, but to be fair, the stakes are a lot higher now. There might only be a few people who know Celine was married once, but it would only take them seeing us together one time for everything to come crumbling down. And while I’ve made peace with the fact that dating Cullen is a risk, it doesn’t mean I am any less nervous about getting caught.

My mind halts its spiral as Cullen’s lips land on mine. All the noise that had been buzzing around my head, causing it to go haywire, suddenly quiets. I melt into his touch, sighing into his taste. His soft lips contrast with the light stubble on his jaw. I loop my arms around his neck as his hands hug my back.

I don’t even remember what I was worried about.

With a single kiss, everything washes away.

It is an odd realization, to acknowledge how this man has such a profound effect on me. I’ve always been a worrier, an overthinker, but Cullen is a calm breeze soothing my nerves. He makes me feel safe in a way no one has before.

He pulls back, and I instantly mourn the loss of his touch.

“What were you saying?”

“I have no idea.”

He plants another quick kiss on my lips and then threads his hand through mine, tugging me alongside him.

“Feel better?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He squeezes my hand. “I know you’re putting a lot on the line to be with me.”

I’m quiet for a beat before I let out a small confession. “You’re worth it.”

“No, Verity,we’reworth it. The two of us together. We’re a team, angel, and I’ll always be fighting in your corner.”

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