Page 52 of Vampires and Violas

Or worse, he’ll read exactly the right amount.

He picks it up. “May I?”

I brush my hair behind my ear. “Go ahead.”

He pulls the smooth, black leather jacket from the bag. When he realizes what it is, his eyes widen.

I hold my breath as he takes it by the shoulders and lets it unfold.

“I hope it’s okay,” I say awkwardly. “I thought about asking Cassian what size you wear, but then I decided it would be weird if he knew.”

Noah chuckles and then tries it on. “It fits. How does it look?”

Once my tongue unties itself, I might be able to answer him.

I clear my throat. “Good.”

Correctly reading my expression, he smirks, walking forward. “You like it?”

“You look nice.”

He edges closer. “How nice?”

Stupidly flustered, I say, “You look hot, all right?”

Noah makes a low noise in the back of his throat.

Quickly forging ahead, I ask, “Do you like it?”

His hand flirts with the curve of my waist. “I like it very much.”

“Good. Well.” I back up, away from his touch and the risk of bad decisions. “Happy birthday.”

“Piper.”

The way he says my name makes my stomach clench. He’s tempting. So tempting.

Noah steps forward, pressing his palm to the small of my back. Then he leans down, smooth and confident, and kisses me. “Thank you.”

I let out a ragged breath. When I make the mistake of meeting his eyes, I nearly drown in molten honey.

“You’re welcome.” And because I’ve lost my mind, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him again. Briefly.

“I like the color, too,” he murmurs.

Our mouths meet again. This time, he lingers a little longer.

Oh, heck. What are we doing?

“Black looks good on you.”

And yes, I kiss him yet again. But this time when I start to pull back, Noah tightens his grip on me, holding me in place. We stay like this, hearts racing, our lips a mere inch apart.

He’s a monster, a part of my brain screams at me.

But you’re a monster, too, another part argues.

And not to sound dramatic, but the monster that lives inside me desperately wants the monster that lives inside him.

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