Page 46 of Something Forever

“I don’t like people touching what’s mine.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Yours?”

I step closer, invading her space. We’re almost chest-to-chest. “Yeah. You’re mine. You’ve got my ring on your finger, so don’t fucking forget it.”

Her eyes widen and she blinks up at me. Someone jostles me from behind and I end up pushed closer to Whitney. I can feel her heartbeat against mine as I stare down into her deep brown eyes. Eyes that say one thing.

Kiss me.

I lean closer, my lips at her ear. “You better not look at me like that, love. Not unless you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Her breath catches, and I’m close enough that I can hear her sharp inhale. I pull back and study her expression, indecision clouding her features.

“What am I getting myself into?” she asks, her eyes sparking with a challenge.

I grumble, narrowing my eyes at her. “Don’t play dumb, Whitney.”

Her eyes flicker back and forth between mine, searching my expression for something. I don’t know what, but she seems to find her answer. She presses impossibly closer to me, not an inch of space between us, and reaches her hand up to the back of my neck. Awareness trickles at every point our bodies touch and my brain can’t seem to comprehend what’s happening. That I’m about to kiss Whitney.

That I am kissing Whitney.

Her lips meet mine, soft and wanting all at once. A groan escapes me, and she pulls me further down, breathing heavily as she slides her tongue against mine. I swear I’ve never tasted anything as sweet as her lips. I don’t know how long the kiss lasts — it could be seconds or minutes — but much too soon, she pulls back, a stricken expression clouding her features. She blinks up at me, conflicted, and I can’t stand that damned look on her face, so I press my lips against hers again, taking control. It’s a kiss that brands her and lets everyone in this club know one thing.

She’s mine.

19

WHITNEY

Iam kissing Liam.

Or rather, Liam is kissing me. He’s kissing me like a dying man gasping his last breath, like he can’t get enough. His lips are softer than they look, and he tastes like tequila and mint, a dangerous combination that I could easily get used to. The throng of bodies pressing against us only fuels me on, locking us into a seductive haze. I can imagine, here under the flashing lights, that I’m someone else. Someone bolder and sexier.

I can pretend.

Sliding my fingers through Liam’s hair, I can’t help the moan that escapes me at his touch. His hands are pressed against my skin, his thumb is rubbing circles against my hips, and the movement is making me unbelievably turned on. It’s been so long since I’ve felt like this.

Sexy.

Wanted.

Alive.

Liam deepens the kiss as he presses against me, his hands moving upwards so that his thumbs brush the underside of my breasts. The movement sends an involuntary shiver through me. He presses closer, and I can suddenly feel all of him; now I know for sure he’s just as turned on as I am.

Holy shit.

We’re starting to cross the point of no return, and I can’t find it within me to care. I don’t want to stop. I can’t stop.

Liam pulls back abruptly, both of our chests heaving. My eyes wander over to the booth where Shane and Abbi should be, but they are nowhere to be seen. He follows my gaze and seems to realize the same thing as me.

We are alone.

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. What is he thinking? His expression is completely unreadable. He’s staring down at me with that blank, hard look on his face — the one that he gives me in the mornings when we’re chatting over coffee. When his stubble glows golden in the morning light.

He leans down, his lips brushing against my ear again. Another shiver rocks through me, goosebumps forming all over my skin. I’m terrified for what he’s going to say. Is he going to say this was a mistake? Laugh it off? Tell me that it can’t happen again, that he doesn’t think of me like that?

“Let me take you home,” he breathes against me, and when I catch his gaze in the blinking disco lights, there’s a glint of determination in his eye.

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