Page 39 of Forever Mine
“Hey back.”
Trying to think of a way to ease into telling him about what happened, I ask, “Have you eaten?”
Food and confession. It’s worth a try.
Elijah rests his shoulder to the jamb, arms crossed over his chest. “Had some pizza earlier, but I could eat.”
An opening.
“Grilled cheese?”
His arms uncross. “Sounds perfect.”
I stand up and traverse that invisible ocean, my desperate need to connect with him overriding any sense of caution. I wrap my arms around him, holding on as if he might disappear at any moment.
Empathetic as always, he picks up on my troubled emotions.
“Something happened.”
Not a question.
Tears gather and spill over. “Yeah.”
His arms come around me, warm and perfect and comforting. “Tell me.”
I press my face to his neck, taking in his familiar scent and drawing courage from it.
“Liz asked if she could kiss me,” I profess, my voice breaking.
He tenses but doesn’t say anything, so I continue.
“She said she trusted me to test something out because I looked like Jay. She kept rambling about ‘the pull,’ whatever that means.”
I didn’t understand half of what she said, but I think I got the general gist. I don’t think Jay is ever going to get her back, and I’m terrified of what that will do to him.
“Show me,” Elijah suddenly demands.
I jerk back, confusion etched all over my face. “Show you?”
His eyes eclipse, intense and fierce. “Show me,” he repeats.
I want to dismiss it as a joke, but he’s dead serious.
“What?” I rasp.
He fists the hair at my crown and pulls. Something hard and possessive flashes behind his eyes. “Show me how she kissed you.”
My stomach ties itself into knots at the thought of recreating that moment with Liz.
“Do it,” he says, brokering no argument.
Instantly nauseous and with my heart trying to pound its way out of my chest, I lean in and kiss him the way Liz kissed me. When our lips briefly meet in a quick, dry peck that lasts less than half a second, it feels more like an open wound in my soul than an act of love.
Elijah’s mouth downturns. “That’s it?”
“Yes,” I croak.
A wicked smirk forms. “That’s not a kiss.Thisis a kiss.”
