Page 11 of Escaping the Bratva

I leave it at that. No need to dive into the details of when one of her boyfriends got too handsy with me.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”

I laugh. “It’s okay. It was a while ago.”

“Lighter topics then. Favorite color?”

We spend the rest of the night talking and laughing. It isn’t until the waitress comes to let us know they’ll be closing soon that I realize we’ve been here for hours. This time, I allow him to drive me back to my dorm. He walks me all the way up to my room even though there is a strict no-boys policy in the female dorms after eight o’clock.

He puts his hands in his jean pockets as I grab the keys from my bag.

“You have my number?” I ask even though I know he does.

He nods.

I want to kiss him so damn bad, but I can’t tell if it's me or the alcohol talking. Before I know it, I’m standing right against him, my head tilted back to look up at his square jawline. He doesn’t hesitate before grabbing my chin between his thumb and pointer finger. He bends down and touches his lips to mine. My body instantly warms up. Everything about his lips feels so right. It feels like coming back home, safe, protected, loved. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he chuckles before pulling away.

“I’ll call you,” he says. I can’t help the disappointment that’s probably showing all over my face as I unwrap my arms from his neck and turn away from him. Why would I kiss him? I don’t even know this guy, and it's a first date. Jesus, Sasha. My cheeks heat with embarrassment. He lightly grabs my arm before I can open the dorm room door. His eyes are staring at me, searching my face for something.

“If you hadn’t been drinking, I’d take you back to my apartment right now,” he vows. “Get some sleep, and I’ll call you in the morning.” He bends down to kiss my forehead before turning away from me and walking down the hallway.

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