Page 40 of Lethal Infatuation

"You'd take me home with you?"

"Yes," he said bitterly, rubbing his temples. "The amount of self-control I need to exercise around you will send me to an early grave."

"I don't think self-control is something you could possibly struggle with." He smiled, but it seemed like that was a front to mask his true emotions.

"It's funny, really," he said softly, looking down the semi busy street. "Idon'tstruggle with self-control at all. Until you're around me. Then I suddenly don't know what the meaning of that term is. You truly don't know the extent of the emotions I experience when you're close to me."

Where were we? I'd completely forgotten because I was takenaback by his words. I couldn't remember how I even ended up here or what I was doing prior to this. "If only you knew, Gabriella. You've got me wrapped around your finger without even trying."

SEVENTEEN

My mother always taught me to trust my intuition and that's something I carried with me into adulthood. Then a curly haired woman came along and I threw my intuition out of the window.

Now I sat in the movie theatre, watching trailers as we waited forBad Boys: Ride or Dieto start playing. I've never been a fan of the cinema, and what made it worse was that the woman I was currently on a date with was swooning over somebody named Armando.

I looked over at Gabriella, watching as she munched on butter flavoured popcorn. "We're never coming to the movie theatre ever again," I muttered.

She laughed, those deep dimples mocking me. "Why not? Are you jealous of Armando? He's a fictional character."

"Bullshit. You like the actor, too. I don't know who you think you're fooling, but I know better." Whywas I upset over a man she'd never meet?

"I won't confirm or deny that."

"Your answer is all of the confirmation I require." I looked over at Gabriella's iced coffee, wondering how she even managed to finish all of that.

"How much iced coffee do you drink?"

"That's something I'd prefer not to answer." She laughed, holding her box of popcorn in front of me. "Have some."

"I've never tried that flavour before and I don't plan on starting now." She looked at me as if I grew two heads. "What?" I asked.

"Nicolas," the woman whispered. "You're joking, right? Please, for the love of God tell me you're joking."

"I'm not joking." I chuckled, brushing a curly strand of hair out of her eye. The gesture gave me somewhat of an epiphany and I wondered how I even got myself in this predicament.

I've never been this affectionate towards anyone in my entire life, and I promised myself I never would, but I was slipping. Slipping at a drastic pace. I couldn't grab a hold of anything and nobody could save me from falling.

Nobody excepther.

"The fact that you don't even have popcorn right now is a crime. You literally chose potato chips over this delicious, salty, crunchy treat." She side eyed me. "I know a walking red flag when I see one."

"As you have mentioned before. All these conspiracies along with just because I don't eat this nonsense?" I grimaced, looking at the popcorn in her hand.

She gasped dramatically, placing a hand on her chest. "Don't you dare say that again, you monster."

"I've threatened to kill men for you and this is the dealbreaker?" She has to be joking.

Gabriella chuckled, shaking her head from side to side. "Ipurposefully overlooked those comments and prayed that you were just saying that to impress me."

"I don't need to lie to impress you, though." The movie started and Gabriella quickly grabbed a hold of my face, forcing me to look at the screen.

"Be quiet now, we'll continue this chat later." She was so oblivious to the affect she had on me. She innocently touched my face and my body was on fire.

I placed my hand on her thigh. The cinema was dark, but I could see her eyes lingering on the spot that my hand was resting. Goosebumps formed underneath my palm, a clear indication of what my touch did to her.

"You good, sweetheart?" I whispered in her ear the moment the theatre was silent. She nodded, looking at me with those siren eyes.

"Never been better." The sound blared through the speakers again, startling her. I laughed, slowly sliding my hand upward. "What are you doing?" She leaned in to talk directly into my ear.

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