Page 33 of Aftershock
The possessive look he’s giving me tells me he’d like that. So I come to the only conclusion that makes sense: he hasn’t caught me stalking him, nor does he remember me.
But as relieved as I am, I can’t bring myself to close the distance between us and press my mouth to his.
Not because I don’t want to.
I’ve never been kissed. Ever.
What if I fuck it up? What if he grimaces if I use too much tongue?
I can’t do it. But I can enjoythis. That thing he’s doing with his thumb, the small circles he traces along the inside of my wrist.
They’re hypnotic, leaving me dizzy with need.
My thighs clench, and I shudder.
In the cafeteria.
When Delany could walk back in at any second after picking up her kids from school.
I can also hear Hope greeting a customer, asking, “Hi, what can I get you today?”
And Alaric’s colleagues, they’re right behind me.
All of it lands on me at once, sobering me right the fuck up.
Either I pull away and get back to work, which I don’t want to do at all, or I give Alaric what he’s asking for. My secret.
Except…there might be door number three.
“Could I get you a coffee?” I ask, steering the conversation into safer territory. “A cupcake? My treat?”
Instead of going along with it, he sticks to his silence.
Stubborn man.
“Okay, okay. I’ll tell you one thing about me, if…” My eyes dart to his backpack, then back to him.
“If?” His gaze, though dark and wanting, is harsh.
It’s obvious that if he doesn’t like my offer, he might reject it.
Hmm. Maybe instead of saying what I want, I can use seduction to tilt the odds in my favor.
Remembering how he zeroed in on my mouth before, I part my lips slightly, then look at him from beneath my lashes.
“If you tell me what you wrote on that napkin.”
Though he’s as quiet as before, there’s a crack in his control now. His eyes glide lower, latching onto my mouth again.
The force of his reaction moves through me like private praise meant just for me.
“Lilith.”
It’s a warning. The least threatening, and somehow the hottest I’ve ever heard.
Except then, instead of following through on it, he lets go of my wrist.
Confused, I watch as he turns, pulls his hoodie from his backpack, and shoves his stethoscope inside.
