Page 21 of Death and Donuts

“If you’re truly not interested in any of that, it’s okay to keep drawing the line between us. But if you are interested—even if just a little—step over the line, Everly. I promise not to draw you any closer than you’re willing to go on your own.”

The intensity of his gaze and the memory of our last kiss burned through my previous resistance. It was obvious that he’d been thinking about this for a long time.

“Just a date? And no matter what happens, you know I’m not picking a side?”

He swallowed hard and nodded once.

“Okay,” I said.

I didn’t even see him move. Suddenly, I was in his arms, and his mouth was on the skin just below my ear.

“Thank you,” he breathed.

The feel of his lips as he quickly kissed me there melted my insides.

“Fairy trash,” Vena yelled from the living room. “That’s what you’re supposed to be doing.”

I both loved and hated my best friend just then. On a higher level, she was absolutely right. On a hormonal one, I wanted to do to Shepard what she wanted to do to Anchor.

Shepard let out a low laugh and pulled back just a little.

“I apologize for distracting you.”

I stared into his eyes, seeing his desire for me, his worry for D.C., and a loneliness he’d been hiding better than Cross. Framing his face with my hands, I slowly stood on my toes and kissed him, just a whisper of my lips brushing against his.

Shepard didn’t pull me any closer or deepen the kiss.

Testing to see if he genuinely meant what he’d said about letting me decide how far to go, I opened my mouth and licked his bottom lip. He growled, and his tongue met mine as his hands moved from my waist to my hips. Shepard’s kiss in the safety of my own home robbed me of coherent thoughts. So did the hand that slid to my ass.

My hormones won over reason.

A small sound escaped me, and I grabbed his shoulders to lift myself higher. He growled again, and the next thing I knew, my feet were off the floor. My legs had a mind of their own because they immediately wrapped around his waist.

Squerk-squerk.

The sound registered a second before the spray of water hit my temple.

“Listen, I don’t want to be the bad guy here, but there’s going to be a whole lot of self-regret all around if you two don’t quit it right there,” Vena said, squirting us one more time.

Shepard ended the kiss sweetly then set his forehead against mine with his eyes closed.

“Don’t move. I need a moment,” he said.

Considering the tremors wracking his body, I took the warning seriously and held as still as possible as I panted for air and tried to calm myself.

Slowly, he released his hold on me. The slide down his body definitely didn’t help either of us.

I felt him arch into me just a tiny, tiny bit and almost whimpered. I didn’t though. He still had his eyes closed, and Vena stood sentry two feet away with the spray bottle ready.

“I’m sorry, Shepard. I shouldn’t have–”

His eyes snapped open, and I saw the gold in them.

“Please don’t apologize for giving me what I’ve been craving for weeks. The kiss and the date,” he said, clarifying. “I’m free tomorrow. Any time. You can choose, or I can make plans for us, whichever you feel more comfortable with.”

“I’ll choose,” I said. “You have enough on your plate.”

“Taking care of you, Everly, wouldn’t add to any burdens you might think I have,” he said.

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