Page 9 of Shiny Things

“Not here.”

“It’s quiet. Tell Gia you’re taking a break.”

“Oh, you’ve already seen to that, haven’t you?”

He grimaced. I think he was finally catching on to the fact that I was pissed.

I headed back into the kitchen. He left his things on the table and followed me. This was Ravenden. There was no danger of anyone messing with it.

“Taking a break,” I told Gia and David as I walked by them.

“Good,” she muttered.

I didn’t say another word until we were outside and walking away from the diner towards my house.

“I’m sorry about last night,” he finally said. “It meant nothing. I didn’t even notice her because I was too busy looking at you. Gia had to explain to me why you were even upset with me. And I shouldn’t have just closed your section like that today,but I was getting desperate. You wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. What was I supposed to do?”

“I was at work, Elias. You can’t just barge in there and expect me to drop everything for you. I live on those tips, and you’re costing me customers right now.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, but please, just talk to me.”

I stomped up the stairs of my house and he followed. The last thing we needed was some nosey bird flying by and seeing us fighting out in the open.

But when I turned to face him, ready to give him the business, he was surprisingly closer than I thought. I walked right into his solid chest.

His arms flew around my shoulders to steady me. I gulped hard at the thrill of being in his arms and so close to him.

Alarms were going off in my head, but I ignored them as he pulled me even closer to him.

My body was buzzing, and I couldn’t think straight as his head started lowering towards mine.

I sighed as my eyes started to drift shut and his lips lightly brushed mine, and then I froze.

My eyes flew back open, and I pushed him away from me.

“No,” I yelled. “We can’t. This is a terrible idea. I told you, Elias, we cannot cross that friendship line.”

“We aren’t just friends, Kim. You’re lying to yourself and to me by denying there isn’t something more here between us.”

“It doesn’t matter. They’re just feelings. It’s all chemistry. It’ll pass.”

But that was the problem. It wasn’t just going away, no matter how much I lied to myself and said I wished it would.

The truth was, I was in love with Elias. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything in my entire life. But I couldn’thave him, or at least that was what I kept trying to remind myself.

At times like this, when he was so close and willing, it took every ounce of restraint within me to walk away.

“I think you need to leave. This was a bad idea.”

“No, it wasn’t,” he said, closing the gap between us once more.

This time he didn’t hesitate as he pulled me into his arms and kissed me. His lips were soft but also demanding and unrelenting, like they were begging and pleading for me to kiss him back. I threw caution to the wind and did just that.

Just this once.

What could one little kiss hurt?

Maybe, just maybe, this would finally get him out of my system once and for all.

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