Page 54 of Heartless Pucker in Love

“Now it’s my turn to ask you what you’re thinking about.” His eyes moved over my upturned face.

I decided to be honest. “I’m confused.”

“About?”

“What exactly are we doing?”

The corners of his lips tilted upwards, drawing my attention to his mouth. I ached to kiss him. “This is called dancing, Flower Child.”

I snorted. “I got that, and I think you know what I mean.”

Pressed so close to him, I felt his exhale but he didn’t speak.

“I said we should be friends,” I reminded him.

“That you did.”

“You didn’t disagree.”

“I didn’t agree either.”

“You didn’t say much at all, Julian. You just stood there and brooded at me.” I recalled the day I left his house. We stood in his foyer with my bags surrounding us. He’d wanted to take me to the airport himself, but I refused. It was painful enough parting ways after I’d gotten so close to him. I didn’t want to prolong my suffering so I’d insisted on an Uber. When he kissed me, deeply, and said we’d work out a way to see each other as often as possible, I shut him down. I blurted out that seeing each other often wasn’t necessary because we were just friends and we should remain just that.

He hadn’t appeared happy about it but he didn’t say a word. All he did was tower over me, his expression twisted into a scowl and stared at me. He’d held me in his intense gaze for so long, without a word, that I got uneasy and awkwardly backed towards the door. Then, I left.

Laughter rumbled in his chest. “I did, didn’t I? It was hard to say much when I was so disappointed that you were leaving.”

I stared up at him, waiting for him to say more. He didn’t.

“I couldn’t stay in Montreal with you forever.”

“How about we put aside all the serious talk and get through prom?” He smiled. “We're ending on a good note this time or your sister will kill me. She said she would, and she was very graphic with the details of how she’d go about it. I didn’t know Lucy had a mean streak.”

Chuckling, I rested my head on his chest. “I’m sorry she threatened you. She can get mean when it comes to her younger sisters.” Lucy practically raised us when Mom went off the deep end, so her maternal instincts were full and present. “Okay, no more talking for now.” We swayed to the music. It felt good being in his arms, and I relished the moment. My heart was heavy, however. I told him we should just be friends but, I only had tonight with him, and that bothered me.

Head resting on his chest, I inhaled, taking in his woodsy, heady masculine scent. I’d just have to take him all in so I’d have memories of him to bask in when I was alone. The song, along with our last dance, was nearing the end. “Come home with me, Julian,” I murmured. “I wouldn’t have been able to invite you home ten years ago because that would have guaranteed your death, but I can invite you home now.”

The vibrations of laughter in his chest felt good. “If you were offering me back then what I think you’re offering me now, I probably would have risked my life.”

Looking up at him, I giggled. “You’re such a man, always thinking with your?”

“My dick only thinks about you nowadays, sweetness. It’s thinking deeply about getting inside of you right now. ”

Pursing my lips, I willed myself not to blush. Yet, the heat consumed my face. Sometimes the things he said just heated me to the core.

“What’s this? No sassy comeback? You’re losing your touch, Flower Child...or maybe, you like what my dick is thinking.” He smirked, and his smugness made me glare at him. Still, a smile played on my lips.

I loved what his dick was thinking.

* * *

“I thought you were taking me home with you.” Julian’s words were muffled because my lips were pressed against his. I straddled him in the back of the limo while we kissed voraciously as if we’d been apart for two years rather than two months.

Shoving his jacket off his shoulders, I managed to get out, “I am. Doesn’t mean we can’t start here.”

“You wild woman. I love this side of you.”

I almost blurted out that I loved all his sides. The jokester, the intense broody side, the incredibly sweet side, the side that annoyed me into wanting to throttle him sometimes…I loved all of Julian. I might as well be honest with myself even if I couldn’t be honest with him. At least, not yet. The last thing I wanted was for him to feel like he had to give up his life in Canada to stay here.

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