Page 35 of The Cousins and the Brunette

“Like whom? Or do you mean control? Because ever since I got myself dragged into this Elite mess, I feel more like a liability than a person.”

His jaw clenched, and emotion flashed in his green stare before he took a step closer. “This isn’t about control. It’s about not wanting to lose you.”

His admission struck a chord, the raw honesty disarming me for a moment. Well, that was unexpected. For a second, I almost believed him.

Still, a tiny part of me wanted to believe that someone actually gave a damn.

“Is it?” I swallowed hard. “Or are you just too afraid to admit your own weaknesses? That behind all that anger is just misplaced fear?”

Joel’s laugh was without humor. “You think you know everything, huh? You’re so quick to push everyone away, to act tough. But maybe you’re the one who’s scared, Brynn. Scared of letting anyone close enough to see the real you.”

I lifted my chin. “At least I’m not pretending anymore. This is the real me. And anyway, why are you picking a fight with me today? What’s got you all twisted up?”

Something shifted in Joel’s expression, the hard lines of his face softening as he gazed at me with an intensity that made my knees weak. He took a step closer, the space between us crackling with an electric tension that set my nerve endings on fire. The sudden shift caught me off guard, my breath hitching when he took another step closer.

“You want to know why I’m twisted up?” His voice was low and rough. “Because I can’t stop thinking about you, Brynn. And it scares the hell out of me.”

My pulse pounded in my ears, my heart slamming against my ribs as if it wanted to break free. I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat. “Joel, I—”

But before I could finish, he closed the distance between us in one swift motion. His hands came up to cup my face, his touch searing my skin as he brought his lips crashing down on mine. The kiss was fierce and desperate, filled with all the pent-up longing and desire we’d both been trying so hard to deny. A moan escaped me as I melted into him, my arms winding around his neck to pull him closer.

When we finally broke apart, we were both gasping for air. Joel rested his forehead against mine, his warm breath fanning my face.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” he murmured.

A whirlwind of emotions swirled inside me after that kiss—desire, confusion, fear…yearning. For once, I didn’t want to overthink it. I didn’t want to push him away. Instead, I fisted my hands in his shirt and yanked him back to me, our mouths meeting again in a passionate frenzy. His hands roamed my body, setting me ablaze with every touch. I tugged impatiently at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine. We stumbled backwards until my back hit the wall, Joel’s hard body pressing into me deliciously.

“Brynn. Damn, you drive me crazy.” He groaned against the sensitive skin of my neck, his lips trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses along my collarbone.

I arched into him, my fingers threading through his hair to hold him to me. “Shut up and kiss me,” I demanded breathlessly, my voice rough with need.

He captured my lips again, kissing me with a hunger that left me weak. Our bodies moved together, passion building between us like a raging inferno. In that moment, wrapped in Joel’s arms, all my carefully constructed walls came tumbling down, leaving me vulnerable and exposed - and I didn’t even care. All that mattered was him and the way he made me feel, like I was finally alive, finally whole.

Damn, when did I become such a sap? Me, Brynn Soto, street-smart survivor, melting like a popsicle in July. But Joel’s touch... it was like striking a match to gasoline. My usual cynicism didn’t stand a chance.

Joel’s hands slid down to grip my hips, pulling me impossibly closer. His touch ignited a fire within me, consuming every rational thought. I gasped against his lips, overwhelmed by the intensity of my desire.

“Brynn,” he whispered, his husky timbre igniting a flurry of butterflies in my stomach. “You’ve turned my world upside down. Ever since the day, I…kidnapped you.”

A soft, shared laugh escaped our lips, the sound mingling in the charged space between us.

I gazed up at him from beneath my lashes, a coy smile playing at the corners of my mouth. “You mean the day, I let you kidnap me.”

Then I was hit with mild panic. I wanted to run, to protect myself from the raw vulnerability consuming me, pulsed through my veins. Yet as I lost myself in the depths of Joel’s expression, I found a mirror of my own longing, fear, and fiery desire reflected back at me.

Leaning into his touch, I allowed my fingers to trace the rugged line of his jawline, savoring the rough stubble beneath my fingertips. “I’m not good at this. Opening up, letting people in. It’s...not my jam, you know?”

Understatement. My emotional walls were usually as impenetrable as a fortress. Yet here I was cracking open like an egg. What kind of magic was Joel working on me?

Joel’s forehead came to rest against mine, his breath a tantalizing caress against my skin. “I know. But you don’t have to be afraid with me. I’m not going anywhere.”

My heart thumped wildly in my chest. I wanted to believe him, to trust in the sincerity of his words. Except years of betrayal and disappointment made it hard to silence the doubts whispering in the back of my mind.

“How can you be so sure? You barely know me.”

My old defenses flared to life, a knee-jerk reaction born from a lifetime of self-preservation. But instead of pulling away, Joel held my gaze with an intensity that seemed to pierce straight through to my soul.

Damn him and those smoldering eyes. I wanted to look away, to retreat behind the safety of my well-worn armor, but I found myself captivated. It was like trying to out-stare a particularly determined hawk.

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