Page 148 of Crew
"I'm sure they made something up," I protested. "It's day two, and I'll be out of here."
"Come on, Bren." Cross' hand came to my back again, slipping under my shirt.
Warmth spread under his touch, and my body started to buzz. My eyelids grew heavy as I looked at him. I knew what he was doing. Even just the slight reminder of his touch had my need for him growing. After the last three nights, I was almost feverish just being near him.
"You're not making me want to go to the office."
He laughed softly, but moved away. "Let's just see what they want. If you're in trouble, you know I'm walking with you."
I gave in, going with him, but the teacher's words haunted me.
Cross, you have so much potential... You can't follow her to the grave.
She'd touched on what I'd always thought about Cross.
Why was he crew?
Why was he friends with us?
Why was he friends with me?
Why was he with me?
I snuck a look at him. The teacher was right. He could do better than us. He had a future. He could have a future now. He had the smarts, the looks, and he could do bigger and better things than all of us here.
He shouldn't be with you, a voice whispered to me from the back of my mind. It didn't speak up often, but it was saying something now.
I looked at him more fully.
He ignored my perusal, probably knowing what was going on in my head. But I realized that voice was right.
The firefly was coming back. I felt the beat of its wings, the steady growing of its dangerous warmth. It'd been so long since it kept me company, and I felt its impending arrival.
I was bringing him down. I was holding him back.
I was spiraling.
Cursing, Cross reached in front of me to open a closet door, and he pushed me inside. It was dark, and he didn't bother turning the light on.
This was perfect. The darkness. His mouth was on mine two seconds after he pushed me up against the door.
Oomph!
I had one second of notice, and then I was slammed with lust. It scorched me, doubling what it'd been moments ago. I felt like I was going to explode as I kissed him back.
"Cross," I moaned.
He only kissed me. He didn't stop, and I couldn't do anything except go along for the ride.
It felt so good, all of it. The way he held the side of my face. The way his lips pressed against mine, his chest against mine. How I felt his strength, his power, his determination as he drew in a breath. His lips never left mine.
"Whatever you're thinking--" He ripped his mouth away, but only to take a ragged breath before he moved back for more. "Stop. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to feel the ramifications, but I know you're slipping away."
I closed my eyes, though it didn't matter. There was darkness all around.
He was talking to that voice inside of me, and he was right. She was there. She reared her head again. She was the firefly coming to me in the dark. She beckoned, wanting me to follow her, and that was a different seduction altogether.
I could stop it. I could stop her, but sometimes it was hard. Sometimes she was the only one with me over the years, she'd been all I had at times.
