My tongue refuses to move.I manage the tiniest shake of my head.
He leans down and ghosts his lips over the area anyway.All the oxygen evacuates from the room.I can’t breathe.Dark, sensual hunger throbs deep in my core.
“Here?”
He brushes my temple.Another shake.Another barely there kiss.
“Here?”
My nose.No.His soft lips follow.
“Here?”
My chin.No.He steals a gentle nibble.A shiver runs down my spine at the delicious sensation.
“Here?”
My right cheek.Tears scratch the back of my eyes.I want his healing kiss more than I want my next breath, but I can’t bear the thought of contaminating him.No matter how much soap I used on my face, I couldn’t feel clean again.
Only Declan’s kiss can clear away the filth.
I tremble with fear, want, and anticipation as understanding tightens his features.
“Keep breathing, cupcake.I’ve got you,” he vows.
His deep, gravelly voice reaches into the very depths of my soul.I understand their meaning but can’t process the individual words as he dips his head and offers me absolution with his reverent lips.
His first kiss ghosts over my sore cheekbone.His second traces a line underneath.With meticulous care, he covers every millimeter of abused flesh even as a silent tear escapes my lashes.
His facial hair teases the corner of my mouth before his silky smooth lips brush against mine.
The taste of salt breaks me out of my trance.
I snap my mouth closed and turn my head away.My breaths saw in and out of my lungs, and my heart gallops in my chest.
I don’t know when I parted my lips in silent invitation, but I almost gave my first kiss to Declan Buchanan.
To my surprise, he rests his forehead against my temple, still gently cupping my face in his hands, and just breathes for a few moments.I match his inhales and exhales and wonder how I ever survived without him in my life.
“Leave them both.Be with me.”
Declan’s softly whispered command almost coaxes me into nodding, but a phone buzzes on the bed beside my ankle.
My phone.I don’t know how it got there, but it vibrates again.
The last few minutes flash through me, and I curse my foolish heart for giving in so easily.I don’t know what Declan’s end game is, but I do know I won’t survive another betrayal.
Leave them both.Be with me.
Even after replaying his words, my mind takes a moment to make sense of them.
He wants me to ditchBoy Toy #1andBoy Toy #2because he thinks they’re my sexual partners.
I realize my response at Eileen’s party may have made the fake monikers seem like I’m a complete whore.
My boyfriend understands my situation… as though I can’t keep my legs together for only one man.
Mortification streaks through me.No wonder he thought I would kiss him even though I clearly stated I was unavailable.