Page 48 of Supernova

His lips grazed against mine, so light I didn’t know if I was imagining them actually touching. Maybe they weren’t. But they lingered there, hovering just out of reach as his hand explored my leg. This was the most ballsy he’d gotten since our dancing at the club and I wondered what had changed. Was he just tired of waiting or was there just something about being out of the compound and in a car together at night? Maybe it was all the talk about mates and soul flames and choosing who you wanted. Either way, our relationship was changing. We were only getting closer and closer with all the proximity and time spent together. It was only a matter of time before we gave in. I tried to ignore the warm sensation that pulsed underneath his hand. His other one found its way to the base of my top, tracing the edge of the material.

The door suddenly flung open and we jumped apart.

Well, I jumped. I’m sure Griff heard them coming and would have loved the audience.

“It’s all clear,” Kitana announced, clearing her throat. She gave me a cheeky wink as she noticed our compromising position. She looked to Griff who didn’t seem shy at all. If anything, he may have been slightly annoyed that we were interrupted, giving her a playful glare that morphed into a devilish smirk which she returned with a wide grin.

“Not so sure it’s all clear in here,” Carter teased as he slid into the driver’s seat. My response was a simpering, embarrassed smile. Griff didn’t make any moves to return back to his original spot in the front, his smirk only widening at his friend’s comment, so Kit took the seat he gave up, settling in beside Carter in the front.

This was the last stop we had for the night, so with the all clear it was time to head back to the compound. Griff’s hand remained where it was on my thigh as we drove back in the early hours of the morning. And as our friends drifted off into conversation, I tried to listen and offer some input while the ridiculously sexy guy next to me continued to stroke my thigh, talking to the others as if nothing was going on while he occasionally looked my way to see the blush spread across my cheeks.

When we arrived back and headed for bed, he pulled me aside at the stairs in the Chill. Carter and Kitana continued on up. The other patrols had beat us back and would have already gone to bed. The gym we had just come through was starting to fill up with all the other warriors that were getting ready for morning training, but luckily we’d be dismissed for the rest of the day, catching up on sleep to prepare us to go out again tonight. It was a requirement that every one of us do a week of night patrol once a month. So there was a long week ahead of us. But at least I knew how it all went now.

Tucking us behind the steps so we were slightly more alone, he pulled me in close to him, still holding my wrist to keep me in place. My heart was beating a million miles per minute. His other hand found my waist. His face came down to mine and he ran his nose along my ear and down my neck. His fingers left my wrist, pushing the hair back from my face and tucking it gently behind my ear to give himself more access.

“That was fun,” he whispered seductively against the shell of my ear. “Until we were interrupted.” His soft lips brushed against my skin ever so slightly. It was driving my body insane. So much so that I momentarily lost the ability to speak, so instead I mumbled some sort of agreement.

He laughed huskily against my neck before giving it a gentle kiss. My body temperature was rapidly rising and I didn’t know what to do about it. With his lips still on my skin, he continued. The words rumbling through me caused butterflies to erupt in their wake. “My offer still stands. If you ever want to take me up on it, just say the word.”

He pulled away slightly, putting a slither of space between us so he could smile down at me. The most perfect fucking smile. I bit my lip as our gazes locked.

I was not going to have sex with him.

Who was I kidding, I was definitely having sex with him. I mean look at him. He was so gorgeous it hurt.

Before I could make a move or figure out how to speak again, he lowered his head down and gently kissed the corner of my mouth.

“Sweet dreams, Supernova,” he breathed. And then he let go of me and disappeared up the stairs, leaving me alone to catch my breath. I leaned against the wall beside the steps, using it to support my weight as I tried to decipher what had just happened and bring myself back down to reality.

When conscious thought returned back to me, I eventually lugged myself up the steps. Kit was sitting up in bed expectantly when I arrived. She looked me over with a knowing smile. I didn’t so much as glance at her, knowing I’d spill everything when what I really needed was sleep and to replay it over and over in my head—to savour the moment for myself.

“What was all that about?” I didn’t need to see her to imagine her curious but pleased expression.

“Nothing.” I bit my lip in nervous excitement, the response too fast to be anything casual.

“You good?”

“Yep. Perfectly fine,” I swiftly replied as I walked past her to my bed and got straight under my covers.

“Alrighty,” she purred.

I was anything but fine. I was falling for the guy. My head was a mess and my heart was probably in an even worse state. And by the burning in my body, that fire that Griffin ignited in me, I wondered if he could be one of my soul flames. But he had basically just told me that he thought they were too much commitment. So I guess that answered if we could ever be something more.

Either way, he was still offering part of himself to me. Now I needed to decide if I was ready and if I could handle having him casually. At this point, if I was being honest, there was no going back. I needed him and I needed more. The little tastes I’d been getting just weren’t enough. I might not get to experience that bond with him but maybe the soul flame—if that’s what those sparks were—would make it the best sex I would ever have.

CHAPTER 28

Scarily enough, I was becoming a morning person. The thought sent chills through me but it was becoming undeniable. I even woke up before the alarm rang in the Bunker some mornings. Ridiculous, I know. This morning was one of those days. It had been over a week since my first night patrol shift.

I woke up in a hot mess after a steamy dream about the irresistible male, a good hour and half before our usual wake up time. I couldn’t fall back asleep so I left my bed in frustration. I hated that he was overtaking my thoughts these days—and my dreams. Although, dreaming about him was a lot easier than facing him in reality.

After our close call alone in the car that night, and then back in the loft, I had minimised one-on-one time with Griffin, especially for the rest of our night patrols, sticking to Kitana like glue. But the boy was on my mind twenty-four-seven. We still did our private training on Tuesday and Thursday but apart from that, I tried to only hang around him in group settings where he wouldn’t be too much of a temptation. Of course, training was the biggest temptation of all. Since his hands explored my body that night, he’d been taking every opportunity to run them along my arms or waist when he was demonstrating moves to me. But he hadn’t brought up our last chat or that general line of discussion again. While I knew I could do so, and he’d probably love that, I didn’t know how to ease it into conversation like he did, and my initial reaction to his dallying was to be sarcastic or turn it down—it was almost instinct. Even though I didn’t want to turn it down anymore. Which left me in a bit of a predicament.

A part of me also didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of coming across too keen. Which was stupid—I know. I was keen. But I was also stubborn. As a result of all this, I was a nervous wreck around him, and was trying my hardest not to make it too apparent. I just didn’t know how to proceed and was not good at this. It was giving me anxiety. Which was why I was trying to minimise alone time. But I also wasn’t doing a great job at that either because I just wanted to be around him all of the time. The cycle was vicious.

I felt this pull towards him this morning and hoped I would run into him if I headed to the place I could almost always find him; the fire escape.

And if he wasn't there, I thought I could use a run to release some of the pent-up energy the dream had bestowed me with.

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