Page 96 of Promised Love

He turns his mouth toward the window, but a faint smell of tobacco fills the car, and even when I try to suppress the cough rising in my throat, I can’t.

I start to cough like an old woman having a fit.

“Fuck!” Lukas is on me in seconds, and from the corner of my eye, I notice him throwing his cigarette out of the window.

“I’m…so sorry,” I say between coughs, feeling utterly mortified.

“What are you apologizing for?” He hands me a water bottle and rubs my back.

I gulp down some water. “That was so uncool. You were looking like a broody, hot movie star from some drama movie, and here I am coughing like an asthmatic person. And did I really have to say it out loud? I could have thought all that in my head. But no, I like putting my foot in my mouth.”

While I’m still blabbering, I hear a small sound of a snicker followed by a chuckle and then Lukas’ hearty laugh.

He laughs and then some more. His head hits the headrest and he throws an arm over his face, but I’m so thankful that I have a good view of his beautiful lips curled up.

“You’re too cute,” he finally says.

I know many girls want to be called sexy and hot, but I’ll take cute any day, especially if it’s going to bring that smile to Lukas’ face.

“If I knew my stupid chatter would make you smile, I’d have done it much sooner. I usually rein in the crazy side of me pretty well.”

He turns his head slightly toward me, and my heart squeezes. The streetlight shines on his beautiful face, and as much as I try, I can’t miss the palpable ache and hurt in his eyes. His jaw clenches, and I know he’s going back to the dark thought that flipped his mood early this evening.

I grab his hand and twine our fingers. “Should I say something crazy once more to make you happy?”

His lips twitch a little. “It’s not what you say, but it’s you who makes me happy.” He runs the back of his hand over my cheek. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have a life like I’ve had with you over these past weeks. If I could, I’d get shot over and over again to spend more time with you.”

“Lukas.” My pulse beats a thousand times faster as he stares at me with so much…longing. “You don’t have to get shot…to be with me.” My words tremble at a possibility that I’ve never considered but doesn’t seem so foreign, as if my brain has pondered on it…a lot. “We can—”

“Shh.” With the speed of a panther or Superman, his hands are on my face and he’s much closer. He rests his forehead over mine and whispers, “I’m so happy today.”

“Really? But…”

His fingers skim over my cheeks. He cocks his head toward the manila file Mom gave me, peeking out of my handbag. “You deserve all the success in the world. I’m very proud of how you handled everything today.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” I whisper with my pulse beating triple time.

“It’s all you.” He gives me no chance to tell him it’s not true, and his lips are on mine.

Lukas’ kiss is demanding, filled with passion and love. I melt in his hands as his tongue moves into my mouth. Tonight, his touch is unyielding, and I know I’ll never forget this moment. It’s a Valentine’s Day kiss that’ll haunt me all my life. As if that’s exactly what he wants, Lukas tangles his tongue with mine, branding my body and soul.

“You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he whispers after pulling away an inch.

I feel his hot breath on my face, making me shiver.

“You don’t know how much I want things to be different,” he says before his lips are back on me with a much bigger force.

He gives me no chance to ask anything and pulls me into a world of his creation, where no one exists but us. I’m racing him to reach there because that’s the only place I know I’ll feel complete. His tight grip, the urgency in his kiss, tells me he feels the same, as if he’ll fall and get lost if he doesn’t hold me.

I hop over the center console, and Lukas pushes the driver’s seat all the way back, making space for me in his lap. But that’s not where I want to be tonight.

I break the kiss and try to slide down in front of his seat when he grabs my arms.

“What are you doing?” His eyes are wide, forehead puckered.

I’m quiet because how do I say out loud that I want to give him a Valentine’s Day blow job?

When I don’t reply, he swallows hard. “No! Not here. Not like this.”

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