Page 89 of Bourbon Truths
“If I’m Kronk, then you’re most definitely Yzma.”
“Fine, you can be the quiet hero, Pacho.”
A quiet hero was most definitely not me. Maybe I was actually the male version of Yzma, with evil running through my blood.
“Hey,” Lyla said. “Where did you go?”
“Nowhere,” I lied.
Lyla eyed me suspiciously. “So, be honest. What did you think?”
“Beauty and the Beastis better.” I smiled.
“Horse shit!” Lyla said while slapping the couch. “That is complete horseshit.The Emperor’s New Grooveis by far superior.”
“Clearly you lack good taste in movies,” I joked.
“Wow, way to nail a girl where it hurts,” she teased.
“Believe me, you would know if I nailed you.”
Lyla put her arm across the back of the couch, scooting even closer to me. “Is that right?”
Her voice was seductive, practically whispering in my ear, enticing me to lean in to her.
“It is,” I responded, not really sure why I wasn’t pulling away.
She stroked my forearm. I looked down at her fingers running across my tan arms, wondering where she planned on taking it, praying she would move her fingers across my entire body.
“There is something about you, Kace, something different, something dark that kind of scares me but also intrigues me. You’re not like any other man I’ve come across.”
“That’s because most of the men you come across are foaming at the mouth, just waiting for you to strip naked,” I replied, referring to her job at Kitten’s Castle, Goldie’s old workplace.
“That’s not it. You’re honest, you speak your mind, and you know how far you can go, how far you want to go.”
“You act like you know me,” I stated, needing to feed off her energy.
“I don’t.” She shook her head. “But I want to get to know you. You fascinate me.”
The comfort she was giving me was overwhelming. I wanted to confide in her. I wanted to fucking rip my heart out, lay it on a platter, and let her watch it bleed. I wanted her to know all my sins, but the thought of her not understanding me, not getting my situation, was too overpowering. This afternoon had been one of the best I’d had in a really long time, and if I ever let her in, if I ever let her see my bleeding heart and she didn’t accept me, she would wreck me. There would be no recovering from that.
So instead of sticking around, I said, “I should probably get going.”
The hurt look on her face let me know I’d insulted her after her confession. Guilt washed through me but it was better this way, better to cut her loose before anything serious happened between us, before she could reject me.
“Thanks for the movie,” I said awkwardly as I got up.
As I moved toward the door, I heard Lyla’s feet pad across the uneven hardwood floors. Her heat pulled at me, practically tore me in the other direction, but I denied myself the pleasure of turning around. I couldn’t. I couldn’t see her hurt eyes again.
“Wait,” Lyla said, grabbing my hand. She pulled me around and shoved me up against the door. She stood on her toes and leaned into me, still holding my hand around her hips. “I don’t get you, Kace. I don’t understand what has happened to you in the past that has made you so quiet, so reserved, but I like you. I want to see where this goes, and I know you feel the same way. I can see it in your eyes.”
Closing my eyes tightly, I placed my head against the door and tried to gain the courage to say goodbye, to put distance between us, but I found nothing. I was gutless.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Lyla coaxed. “Just know that when you’re ready, I’m here.” She caressed my jaw and pulled my chin down, where her lips pressed against mine.
My entire fucking body melted into her and I held tightly onto her hips, pulling her closer so I could feel every curve of her body. Her soft lips glided across mine until I opened my mouth and licked across the seam of her lips, begging for admittance.
She obliged with a moan and opened her mouth. I rolled her so she was against the door instead of me. With my hips pressed against hers, I pinned her against the door and ran my hands up her ribcage, dancing terribly close with her breasts. Her hands found the belt loops of my jeans and pulled me in closer.
