Page 26 of Reckless Liar

I tried to pull my hand away, but he held on tighter. “You know I mean that, right?”

“Mean what?” I asked, matching his whisper.

“I’d do anything for you...”

Suddenly, he seemed too close to me. His hand was too warm against mine and I could feel my heart beating hard in my chest. My ribs felt too tight, and I struggled to take in a deep breath. In the dark, I could feel Xander’s eyes on me. What did he mean by that? Was I looking too deeply into his words?

“Did you hear me, Ana?” he asked, his voice louder this time.

I didn’t like this feeling rushing over me. Anger bloomed in my stomach. Why was he making me feel this way? Why was I having such a visceral reaction to him? It wasn’t right. I didn’t want to want this. Clambering up, I retreated to the kitchen, where I filled a glass with water from the tap. Xander leaned against the wall of the archway between the kitchen and the hall. The only exit.

“I should go to bed.” Walking to him, I waited for him to move out of my way. Instead, his arm slid up the wall, creating a space for me to duck under. When I was under his arm, his body turned to face me. Stopping, I looked up at him. My back against the wall, I opened my mouth, trying to find words I wasn’t sure I had.

Slowly, his hand slid down the wall to rest above my shoulder. If I turned away, I knew Xander wouldn’t stop me. But my feet were stuck to the spot. His eyes flickered to my lips for a moment before he took a step closer to me. My body felt warm, my skin tingling where his shirt brushed against my arm. He placed his foot between mine, his legs on either side of my knee. He was so close I could feel his breath on my face. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine softly. I could taste the whiskey and mint gum on his breath. He pulled away slowly, testing my reaction.

At first, I was too surprised to form a coherent reaction. When I didn’t respond, he leaned down again. I was rooted there between his body and the wall. My mind was a rebellion of urges. I should kiss him harder. I should stop him. His lips felt soft against mine; warmth flooded through me. He deepened the kiss, and I brought my hand up, squeezing his arm. His hand came up to thread through my hair, pulling my face into his. My skin was on fire, my insides molten under his embrace.

My hand came up to tangle in his hair. In all the time I’d known Xander, I’d never really touched his hair. It was softer than I expected. The curls wrapped around my fingers as I moved my head to kiss him harder. His body was so warm against me. His hands wandered down my body to rest on my hip, pulling me closer to his body. I moaned at the contact, and his fingers dug into the bare skin of my lower back. Every glancing touch fanned a fever inside me. I hadn’t felt this way since...

Oh God, what am I doing...

Oh no, no, no...

I pulled away, stepping into the living room. Frantically, I wiped my hand against my mouth, trying to wash away what I’d done.

“What the fuck, Xander? What was that?”

He blinked at me several times; the spell he was under was broken.

“I kissed you.”

“Why? Why would you do that?”

He leaned against the door and stared at me; his hazel eyes boring into mine. “You know why.”

“Obviously not, or I wouldn’t have asked.”

He scrubbed a hand against his face. “Please, don’t do this to me, Ana.”

“Don’t do what?” I snapped.

“Act like you don’t already know. Make me spell it out.”

“Spell what out? I’m not following.”

“Yes, you are. You know how I feel about you.” His eyes entreated me to understand something.

“No, obviously I don’t,” I said, my voice wavering, breaking ondon’t.

He sighed loudly and threw his head back, hitting it against the wood with a low thud. “You’re going to make me say it?”

“I guess I am,” I said.

He stared up at the ceiling. An arduous minute passed as I waited. Every second felt heavier between us. Slowly, he lowered his head to meet my eyes. Something passed between us in that moment. My chest twinged, resounding with each breath.

“I’m going to go to bed,” he said, brushing past me, heading for his room.

I grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “Hey, come back here! You can’t kiss me like that and then walk away. Don’t start this conversation and not finish it.”

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