Page 54 of A Taste Of Darkness

He stayed quiet, and perhaps the alcohol in my body was a bit more prominent than I initially thought because his silence made me laugh so hard that Milo had to remove my precious lollipop from my mouth so I wouldn’t choke on it.

Since he was too busy being all annoyed with himself for getting called out by a drunk girl—that’s what the worry lines on his forehead told me—Milo didn’t react much when my hands were back on his jaw.

Or when I pulled his face closer.

Or when I laid my lips on his and kissed him.

29

ATTEMPTED MURDER

Milo Marucci

I was freaking out.

As much as I’d been fantasizing about kissing Sterlie at least once in my life for the past eleven years, every single muscle in my body knew this was wrong.

She was drunk, dammit. Sterlie could barely control her thoughts.

Still, I thought, one more second wouldn’t hurt.

One more second of the softest lips I’d ever felt against mine couldn’t possibly hurt.

Sterlie tasted nothing like liquor as the taste of the strawberry-lemon lollipop was way too overpowering. However, she was wrong when she said that I’d like it because I loved the taste.

I didn’t care about the stupid lollipop taste as the only taste I’d ever wanted to try was hers. Her lips and the saltiness of her skin as I kissed every inch of her.

I never wanted to leave her lips ever again; could picture kissing just her for the remainder of my life. Whether it was two years or a hundred. I’d never tire of her.

But as Sterlie pushed her body against mine, my brain snapped back into place, and I gently pushed her off me.

“Sterlie,” I said, my voice sounding harsher than usual. “You can’t just do that.”

She dropped down on the bed like a sack of potatoes, looking up at me with tears in her eyes before her face drooped and she averted her eyes to the floor.

My heart pinched, and if I didn’t know that this was the result of making her cry, I would’ve thought I was about to have a heart attack. I certainly would’ve deserved one.

“I thought…” Sterlie sucked in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.”

My eyes closed and my head tilted back, facing the ceiling. Oxygen filled my lungs, but it didn’t feel nearly enough.

After taking a couple of unsatisfying breaths, I knelt before her to look into her eyes. I didn’t touch her, even though my hands were begging me to.

I handed her back her lollipop and was about to speak when she cut me off.

“Can you just go?” Sterlie asked, her voice small and filled with something painful.

“Sterlie—”

“I think I’ve humiliated myself enough as is. Please, Milo, just leave.” A tear rolled down her beautiful face. “I’m sorry, really, I am. So please, if you find it in your heart to forgive me for being so stupid, I’d really appreciate it. But I need you to leave anyway.”

As I stood back up, her eyes stayed on the floor. She didn’t even watch me walk toward the bedroom door or said good night.

I wanted to close her door, but something inside of me told me that I couldn’t just leave her feeling like she’d done something awfully wrong. I couldn’t leave her there, thinking I didn’t want that kiss.

So, before I could find reasons why I shouldn’t have opened my mouth, I said, “I may not be the best guy to ever exist, but I’m far more than a drunk hookup, cuore mio. I would never take advantage of you, or anyone in a vulnerable state. It’s easy to mistake kindness for attraction, especially under the influence of alcohol. Should you still feel like wanting to kiss me tomorrow after you wake up, I wouldn’t mind giving it another try.”

“No, I’m telling you, Flora, your sister wanted to kill me!” I raked a hand through my hair, very visibly distressed, yet my best friend thought laughing was the best reaction.

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