Page 41 of Toxic Temptation
His hands ghost up my ribs, then back down over the curve of my hips.
I try to push him away, but my body betrays me. Every nerve ending lights up under his touch. It’s been so long since anyone touched me that even this feels electric. My nipples arepuckering up into hardened points no matter how many times I tell them to stand down.
“Now, you’re just messing with me,” I breathe.
“Just being thorough.” His hands move lower, and I bite back a sound that will humiliate me in my nightmares for the rest of my life.
But when his hand ventures toward my belt buckle, I wrench away, turning to face him. “We’re done here.”
He catches my arm and pulls me against his chest. This close, I can see gold flecks in his green eyes, can smell his cologne. My brain short-circuits.
“I’ll decide when we’re done,” he murmurs, his hand trailing down my spine.
For a moment, neither of us moves. The air between us crackles with something dangerous and heated and inevitable.
Then he steps back. The spell breaks. The loss of contact is so jarring it hurts.
“There. All clear.” He pats my shoulder like I’m a good dog.
“If this is how you treat women,” I snap, “it’s no wonder you’re single.”
His grin is sharp. “Don’t look so excited at the job opportunity.”
“In your dreams.” I turn toward the entrance so he can’t see my cheeks flush red. “Let’s go. Luka’s waiting.”
The museum feels different in the dark. Empty and vast, our footsteps echoing off the walls. Even the massive t-rex skeleton in the lobby pales in comparison to the man walking beside me.
Luka bounces over to us. “Can we go to the planetarium?”
“Let’s start with the aquarium,” Kovan suggests, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Save the planetarium for the finale.”
“I haven’t been here in years,” I offer. “Maybe you can show me around?”
That brightens Luka’s face. He takes my hand. “I’ll introduce you to Goliath!”
He leads us through the museum, chattering about exhibits. Being here at night feels otherworldly. The long halls amplify every sound, every breath. It’s beautiful and eerie, something I’ll never forget.
“There he is!” Luka points to the enormous blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling.
“Wow.” The word comes out breathless. I’ve seen this exhibit before, but never like this. Never in the hushed darkness with only our voices echoing in the endlessness.
“He’s eighty-seven feet long,” Luka says proudly. “I want to be as big as Goliath someday. Then no one could ever hurt me.”
The casual way he says it stops my heart. I look down and notice the bruise on his arm, the angry red scar beneath it.
“Where did you get that scar, Luka?”
His entire body goes rigid. His eyes dart to Kovan.
“It’s okay,” Kovan says quietly. “You can trust her.”
“I was in the way,” he mumbles, eyes downcast. “My stepfather got mad. He made the scar.” He says it like he’s discussing the weather. Like having scars carved into your skin by adults is normal. Another day in the life.
“How did he do it?”
Luka shrugs off my hand on his shoulder. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He runs to the far end of the aquarium, leaving Kovan and me alone with the weight of his words.
