Page 30 of Defeated

They chased me through town on the day Colton fought to save me.

I freeze.

The dark-haired one finishes his conversation, tucks his cell phone away, and swivels his head my way. At the same time, a man steps in front of me, sliding an arm around my waist as he shields me with his body.

Chris.

His head descends and his lips collide with mine.

10

CHRIS

“Shit. I’m sorry.” I break the kiss, backing up a step as my arms fall away from Zoe’s back and hips.

With the recent memory of her soft lips still fresh in my mind, I’m not nearly as sorry as I should be. Zoe is skittish enough that she doesn’t need a guy grabbing her and kissing her with no warning.

Zoe is staring up at me. Her lips, moist. Eyes, stunned.

She’s not running.

As I stare down at her, I cannot believe I would do something like that. I’m lucky she didn’t knee me in the balls for it.

Her slightly red eyes confirm I was right to think she left the kitchen in such a hurry because she was crying.

I don’t know what happened between her offering to make the toast and a postman delivering some mail for Colton, but it upset her.

Badly.

“You kissed me,” she murmurs, the tip of her tongue darting out to touch her lip.

My stomach clenches, my pants get tight, and I stifle the urge to kiss her again.

Before I’m tempted to, I glance over her shoulder. The two men—the two shifters—must have decided a couple kissing in the street wasn’t worth their time to investigate. I don’t know if they tracked Zoe’s scent and lost it there, but they’ve gone.

For now.

My gaze returns to Zoe. “I did.”

She has a mate. She specifically told me she has a mate. Yet why do I want to kiss her again?

I force myself to take a step back. And then another, even as my eyes dip to Zoe’s rosebud lips. It takes more effort than it should to drag my eyes back up to her face.

She is not free, and she is not yours.

Her breathing is unsteady, her lips still moist and parted slightly. Now she’s looking at my mouth. Not like she wants to drive her fist into it for vastly overstepping her boundaries.

As if she’s still thinking of that kiss.

As if she wants me to kiss her again.

I’m taking a step toward her when I remember another reason I shouldn’t have kissed Zoe. A reason that should have been the first.

Gracie.

Six years ago, I lost the woman I loved.

It still hurts when I think of her.

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