Page 78 of Time Stops With You

I fold my arms over my chest. “Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll keep it in mind. Are we done here? I’m busy.”

“So am I,” he sputters.

“Oh, I bet you are. I bet you’re so,sobusy withJenna.”

“Jenna’s one of the many technicians working on the PLP.”

I’m well aware that I’m making a fool of myself, but I can’t seem to stop. At this point, the boulder’s racing down the hill and it’ll only end when it crashes into the base of a mountain.

“Really?” I infuse my voice with enough sarcasm to choke a pig. “Is that all she is? Because you might need to tellJennathat. I don’t thinkJenna’saware.”

“Can you stop saying her name like that?”

“Why?” I shrug insolently. “Are you feeling protective ofJenna?Does she have a smart brother you’d prefer to make your legacy instead?”

Cullen’s nostrils flare. “That’s enough, Nardi.”

“No, that’s not right.” I tap my chin in mock contemplation. “What really happened is that you bought over the school principal with a new lab. She’ll give you all the access to my brother that you need.Ican tell you not to meet him at home, but school is an entirely different story. And now that you’rementoring your legacy, there’s no need to marry his sister, right? Great! Glad we had this talk. Now hand over my tent poles.”

I reach for the metal rods just as Cullen releases his grip on them. They clamor to the ground, making a ruckus and causing the dogs in the neighborhood to howl up a frenzy.

My eyes roar with flames and I fillet him with my gaze, but his eyes are equally heated and his chest heaves with frustration.

Two uncomfortable seconds of staring passes between us.

And then Cullen closes the distance between us.

A different kind of flame sparks inside me.

Heart slamming against my ribs, I step back.

He keeps advancing.

I bump into the hood of a truck and pivot sideways so I can run away. Cullen brings his hand up against the door, barring me.

I turn to the other side.

His hand comes down on the hood, bracketing me in fully.

I stare up at him, my breath escaping harshly. “W-what are you doing? Let me go.”

“I will if you promise not to run,” he grinds out.

My mouth opens, but the lie won’t leave my lips.

“Thought so.” The muscles in Cullen’s square jaw are working overtime. He leans forward, making his biceps flex and contract right next to my face. I smell a whiff of his… what is that? It’s not strong enough to be cologne. Is it aftershave? It smells amazing.

Cullen brings his head close to mine and I feel very different feelings than I did with Big T. The sun is blazing through the sky, but the moonlight blue of his eyes makes everything beyond him go dark.

That stupid beanie looks soft to the touch and I flatten my fingers against the door to keep from reaching out and touching it. Touching him.

Cullen bypasses my lips and his chin hovers an inch above my shoulder. His breath on my ear prickles my dark skin. I pant from the heat of the moment, struggling to control my breathlessness as my head spins.

“Nardi,” Cullen calls my name in that quiet, raspy way of his, “you’re very,verymistaken.”

A storm settles inside my chest, battering my heart like a boat sailing on stormy seas, pulled by the restless tide, a wave built and broken by the moon.

Cullen straightens. There’s more distance between us now, but the heat of his body is like a physical force. It pulls something out of me, something restless and desperate for more. I drop my eyes to the ground, self-preservation demanding I avoid him.

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