Page 62 of Vicious Addictions

It’s been over a year since Mina asked me to kiss her.

A whole fucking year, and I still can’t shake the memory of that night.

Her taste.

Her scent.

The way her breath hitched.

The way her body molded itself to mine.

It haunts me.

I replay every detail of that night on a loop in my head as if the memory is etched into my mind, branded into my skull.

But that’s all I will allow it to ever be—a memory. A sweet intoxicating memory.

Mina and I could never work. Not just because she’s the daughter of the man who took me under his wing but because she’s fighting tooth and nail to earn her birthright.

Just like me.

Her future is here in London. Mine is in Chicago.

To pull her focus away from her mission would be selfish. To give in to my desires, knowing there’s no way I could ever keep her, would be cruel to both of us.

So, I did the only thing I could do under these circumstances. I set boundaries.

I started by avoiding Crane Manor on weekends, using school as an excuse to stay in the city. And even on the days my heart couldn’t stay away from Kent, I made sure never to be alone with her for more than a few minutes.

I did the right thing by setting up an invisible barrier between us.

It had to be done.

Mina took the hint and never brought up that night again.

Instead, she was all too happy to keep our kiss a secret.

For which I’m grateful.

If Crane ever found out that I had touched his precious daughter, then someone would have found my dead body floating in the Thames by now.

But Mina never said a word to anyone, choosing to keep our moment of weakness to herself.

She also never tried to kiss me again either.

I don’t know if I should be relieved or disappointed. Maybe a little of both.

Kiss me.

Fuck.

I still hear her voice, breathless, pleading.

Up until that night, the thought of kissing Mina had never even crossed my mind.

Or at least, that’s the lie I tell myself.

She was my friend.

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