Page 54 of Keeping My Girl

It feels like I can suddenly breathe again, and I blow out a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” I tell her.

“May I ask why you painted so many portraits of me?”

I hesitate before answering. “It’s because I missed you so much, Lina. And I…I didn’t want to ever forget you.” My mom only managed to take a few photos of Selina while she lived here, but the photos weren’t enough. I needed more. And painting her made her seem more real. Sometimes it felt like she was only a dream while she was here.

She turns to me as I walk over to her. I stare down at her beautiful face. “When you disappeared, I wanted your memory to live on, not only with me but with everyone who saw my art. I never wanted the world to forget how wonderful you were and how special you were to me.”

Tears fill her pretty eyes as she stares up at me. Before I can stop myself, I cup her soft cheek with the palm of my hand. My thumb slowly caresses her bottom lip. It’s so soft and delicate. Fuck, I want to kiss her. I’m so fucking desperate to kiss her, to touch her. But I need her permission first. I don’t want to ever just take anything from her. And even more than that, I want her to trust me enough to give me her consent.

It feels like a strong magnetic pull unlike anything I’ve ever felt before bringing us closer as she rises up on her tiptoes, her mouth so close to mine that I can feel her breath on my lips. Just as her mouth gently brushes against mine, my phone rings, ruining the moment. And as if we were both caught in some sort of trance, which suddenly broke, she goes back down on her heels and takes a step back, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Sorry,” I mutter quickly. Cursing, I pull my phone out of my pocket and answer it. I listen to my father on the other end of the call.

“Nico, meet us in the basement. We found the man responsible for the bomb last night.”

“I’ll be right there,” I tell him before ending the call. Turning to Selina, I frown. She looks so damn beautiful it physically hurts. “I have to go.”

“It’s okay,” she tells me with a forced smile. I can tell she was just as affected by our intimate contact as I was. “Is it all right if I stay here a little while longer?” she asks, surprising me.

“Sure. You can stay as long as you’d like.” With one last look at her, I turn and leave. I hate to leave her alone right now after the moment we just shared, but a more pressing matter is present now. All of the pent-up anger I’ve been having as of late is about to be released…and I can’t wait to get my revenge.

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