Page 56 of Caught in the Axe
Wild, messy, and desperate, we kissed and touched and explored, as I lost my mind completely.
And then she was pushing me away. I eased her to her feet and took a step back, out of breath and desperate with need.
“Shit. Shit.” She hung her head, refusing to look at me. “I’m so sorry.”
Those three words were like a punch to the solar plexus. All the air escaped me as I searched her expression. My heart was racing and my cock was hard as steel, causing a lack of blood flow to my brain. I heaved in one breath after another, unable to interpret her words or her expression.
“Don’t apologize,” I said, working my way closer to coherent thought.
An apology meant she regretted it. And how could anyone regret what we had just shared?
My heart pounded out an erratic rhythm as I took one step closer and used two fingers to tip her face up to meet mine. “Lila, look at me.”
When she focused on me, her eyes were filled with a fierce, raw vulnerability that made me want to hug her until she never doubted herself again.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
She put her face in her hands. “I mauled you, Owen.” Her groan was muffled. “I pounced on you like a jungle cat.”
I huffed a breath. Did she think I wasn’t into that? If that was the case, then it was time to correct that misconception. “First of all, what you just did was hot. Don’t think for one second I didn’t enjoy the hell out of it. Second, you’re welcome to do that whenever you want.”
She slumped and hit me with an exasperated scowl. It was the cutest expression I’d ever seen.
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and cupped her jaw. “Good-girl Lila always plays by the rules. She never takes what she wants and worries too much about what people think. But this version of you—the ass-kicking gradstudent who goes after what she wants—is irresistible and powerful and incredible.”
She inhaled sharply and took a step back, and my heart sank to my feet, taking my stomach right along with it.
“I can’t do this right now,” she said, ducking her head and sidestepping me. “I need to go tell my mom the good news. And call Willa and Mags. Is it okay if I head out early?”
I swallowed past the boulder that had lodged itself in my throat, mentally kicking myself for coming on too strong and scaring her off. “Of course.”
She gathered her stuff and headed out without looking back, leaving me breathless and confused.
My head was spinning and my heart was bruised. Lila had kissed me. And it had completely rocked my world. And then she’d walked away.
Maybe I should be thankful she had. She was headed to New York, and I was headed back to Boston.
Her life was just starting and I was settled. And then there was Cole. As much as I resented his part in all of this, he was the elephant in the room. They’d been together for eight years, and he was still wreaking havoc, if only indirectly.
I had no loyalty to him, especially after what he’d done a few days ago. But if it made Lila uncomfortable, then I’d have to step back and keep things the way they had been.
Logically, I had plenty of legitimate reasons to stay away.
But then I touched my lips. That kiss had rearranged my brain cells, and despite my better judgment, all I could think about was doing it again.
I’d had plenty of first kisses in mylife. Some were awkward, others passionate. But this one had been filled with pure joy. And it was Lila. Sunshine in human form, a woman who was free to do what she wanted, when she wanted it.
And just knowing that she had wanted me, if only for a moment, made my heart crack wide open. Maybe there were other possibilities for me too.
Chapter 19
Lila
“I’m so proud of you!”
“You’re amazing!”
News of my acceptances called for an impromptu Zoom happy hour, so we’d all gathered provisions and logged on.
