Page 67 of Second Quarter Comeback
“Can I cross over to your side?” He nods toward the small divider separating our balconies. “Unless you’d rather I try to impress you by climbing over that wall, which, for the record, I can do. But I feel like that’s not the move that wins me points right now.”
I roll my eyes but can’t help the tiny smile tugging at my lips. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“Completely. But I’m also asking nicely.”
I hesitate, my fingers tightening around my wine glass. The rational part of me screams no, but the part of me that’s tired of pretending I don’t care nods, almost imperceptibly.
Killion takes that as his answer, stepping over the low divider with infuriating ease. Soon enough he’s beside me, his presence suddenly overwhelming. I want him closer and yet I want to run away, fearing that I’ll do something stupid. Like beg him to fuck me against the glass wall—again.
“So, this is what it looks like from your perspective,” he murmurs, glancing around before his eyes settle on me. “I like it.”
I cross my arms, trying to ignore how close he’s standing. “You’ve been here before, but was there a reason you wanted to come over, or are you just here to invade my personal space?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he closes the distance between us, his expression turning serious in a way that makes my pulse stumble. “There is a reason,” he says, his voice quiet but deliberate. He takes away the glass of wine from my hand. “I’ve wanted to do this since I saw you ten minutes ago, Camille. But I’m asking first. Can I kiss you?”
My heart stutters, and for a moment, all I can hear is the rush of blood in my ears. He’s looking at me like I’m the only thing in the world that matters, and it’s undoing me.
I nod, barely trusting my voice. “Yes.”
The word is barely out before his lips are on mine, and everything else falls away.
His kiss isn’t tentative. It’s bold, deliberate, like he’s trying to himself into this one moment. His handsframe my face, steady and reverent, as his lips move against mine with a determination that leaves me breathless.
I grip his hoodie to ground myself. But grounding myself is impossible because this kiss—it doesn’t just touch my lips. It seeps into me, passes through every inch of my soul like a wildfire, burning away every doubt I’ve held onto for so long.
His kiss speaks of apologies he’s too afraid to say out loud, of promises he’s desperate to keep, of a love that has stubbornly refused to fade no matter how much time has passed. It’s overwhelming, consuming, and exactly what I didn’t know I needed.
When he finally pulls back, we’re both breathing hard, his forehead resting lightly against mine. His thumb brushes my cheek, the gentleness of the gesture a stark contrast to the intensity of the kiss.
“I’m going to prove it to you,” he whispers, his voice low and rough. “Every single day. I’ll show you that you can trust me again. That you can trust us.”
I can’t find the words to respond, my thoughts still spinning, so I just nod.
Killion smiles faintly, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead before stepping back. “Goodnight, Camille.”
He turns and steps back over the divider with maddening calmness, leaving me standing there, my lips tingling and my heart racing.
I glance down at my empty hands, then back at hisbalcony where he’s already heading inside. Satiated and frustrated, I exhale sharply, muttering to myself, “That man is going to be the death of me.”
Ben jumps onto the table, giving me a disapproving look before curling up like none of this ever happened. At least one of us is unfazed.
Chapter Forty
Camille
Reviewing the Rules of Restraint
Camille: You just left.
Killion: Is there a problem?
Camille: After thatkiss you left.
Killion: I had to, baby. I’m not touching you until things between us are settled.
Camille: But that kiss.
Killion: What about it?
