Page 54 of Bound to You

Ugh.

I run my hands under the cold water for a minute, willing my insides to chill. It was just a slimy guy; he’s gone now and I’m fine.

I push the door open and walk into the hallway.

“Isla?”

I jump at the sound of my name, my heart racing once again. I turn to see Caio push off the wall, he comes to stand in front of me but doesn’t get too close. His eyes search mine, and I suddenly feel utterly exposed like he can see right through me.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong,” I say.

He runs a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for how I acted, I should’ve left that fuckwit and came to you but,” he lets out a frustrated sigh, a disgusted look on his face as he continues. “I just couldn’t hold it in. Watching him look at you like that. I’msorry Isla I should’ve stepped in earlier. I couldn’t stand seeing him touch you like that.” He’s rambling, I’ve never seen him like this, his eyes riddled with worry as he looks me over.

“Are you hurt?” He takes a step closer.

“You were watching?” I’m still stuck on his earlier comment.

“Of course I was. I couldn’t take my eyes off you if I tried.”

My heart slows down a beat as relief ebbs through my veins. Nothing could have happened, Caio was there.

He was there.

“Now I’ll ask again, are you hurt?”

I lift my arm up. “Just my wrist a bit, I landed on it when I fell.”

He steps in closer, close enough that I’m staring straight at his chest which is rising and falling with more pace than usual. But mine only slows at his proximity, I feel a rush of relief and safety with his presence enveloping me.

He gently lifts my wrist up turning it over as he checks for any sign of injury. Just as I think he’s going to let go, he lowers his head pressing a brush of a kiss to the inside of my wrist. It was so soft I can barely tell if it actually happened or if I imagined it, but a second later he’s turning it over and pressing another gentle kiss to the other side.

He’s kissing it better.

He looks up at me, his fingers trailing down my arm to meet mine before he kisses the tips of my fingers, intently watching me, waiting for some kind of reaction, but I just look back, not knowing the answer to the question in his eyes.

God my heart is doing somersaults in my chest, any calm feeling has quickly washed away, but so have any thoughts of anything but the man in front of me.

He lets go of my hand, we are even closer now, my chest brushing against his as we stand here silently in this hallway.

He wraps his finger around a strand of my hair, before cupping my cheek, lazily stroking his thumb back and forth across my cheekbone. His question still lingering in his eyes. “Every fiber of my being wants to kiss you right now, but I don’t know if I should considering what just happened. So you’re going to have to tell me,” he whispers.

“I thought we were just friends.” I sound like an idiot, but it’s all I can think of at this moment.

“Is that why you’re biting your lip like your life depends on it?” He asks. My breath hitches as he drags his thumb along my bottom lip, pulling it from in between my teeth, and I can’t control the urge to flick my tongue out, wetting my lip.

“Tell me we are just friends Isla.”

My heart is beating at an unnatural pace. I think I shake my head. “I can’t.”

Caio doesn’t waste another second before he grabs my head with both hands as his lips crash into mine with a gentle intensity.

A moan escapes my mouth as he wraps an arm around my waist pulling me flush against him, his other hand tilting my head so he can deepen the kiss, his tongue gently licking into my mouth. I follow his lead as he slows our pace like he wants to savor this moment, and that’s when I stop.

“Wait,” I push against his chest. “Wait,” I repeat, catching my breath.

He doesn’t question me, he just stands across from me, a worried look in his eye as he fights for air.

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