Page 27 of Keep Me Safe

He’s so close now, the scent of patchouli and something sweet invading my senses. As he leans into me, I reach my hand up, placing it on his bare chest. His warm, hard body towers over me, and I feel him take a deep breath. I know I shouldn’t be touching him, but I don’t move. Slowly, he brings his eyes down to mine, his gaze heated. I study his face as his jaw tenses.

“Kira,” he rasps. He grabs my wrist with the lightest of touches and takes my hand off him.

“My class was great. I had a lot of fun,” I say, dismissing the rejection. I know it was the right thing to do, but it still stings. I try to move away from him, but I’m stopped by his hands dropping to the counter on either side of me, pinning me to him.

“I knew you could do it. I’m proud of you.”

My heart jumps, and I look away, smiling at myself. He notices my reaction and places a hand on my jaw, making me look at him.

“You like it when I say that, don’t you?”

My eyes widen, and I hesitate. He’s right. I love it when he says stuff like that to me, but I can’t tell him that. There’s no way I can let him know what his words do to me.Nothing can happen between us, I remind myself. Our bodies are touching now, his hips pressing into me.

“Use your words, princess,” he orders, brushing his thumb against my bottom lip. I take in a sharp breath, my lips parting. The touch fuels an ache deep in my core. His eyes are dark and hungry as they look down into mine.

“Yes,” I whisper. “I like it.”

I reach up to touch him again, needing to feel his skin on mine. As soon as my hand grazes his chest, he winces. Closing his eyes, he lets out a breath.

“Don’t.”

But I don’t listen. I let my hand glide down his torso, feeling the strength of his taut muscles.

chapter eight

noah

Of course, she likes praise. That makes so much sense.

But she needs to stop touching me like that. Every time her fingers brush against my skin, I feel myself react. I’m already hard, and the weight of it is becoming impossible to ignore. My self-restraint is crumbling, and the worst part? I don’t know how much longer I can hold it together.

This—this—is not okay. There is no scenario where me being this close to her, feeling the heat of her body against mine, is appropriate. She doesn’t know what this is doing to me. I don’t know if I can keep pretending like it doesn’t matter.

Noticing my hesitation, Kira looks up at me, her eyes burning with something I can’t quite read. Her fingers trail lower, grazing the waistband of my sweatpants, and I hiss, my whole body reacting against my will.

“Kira,” I warn.

Tilting her head, she argues, “What, you can touch me, but I can’t touch you?”

Her hand slides up my chest, following the lines of my tattoos. Each gentle stroke makes heat coil in my stomach, and I’m losing control. It’s taking every ounce of willpower not to press my lips to hers right now.

We‘reinches apart. I can smell her—soft, intoxicating. The weight of her body pressed against mine is almost too much to bear.

I need to walk away. I need space. But my feet are rooted to thefloor.

She darts her tongue out, wetting her lips, and the sight makes my breath catch in my throat.God,what I wouldn’t do to feel that mouth on mine. She laces her fingers into the hair at the back of my neck, pulling me closer. My body reacts before my mind can catch up, and I groan, my hands instinctively tightening around her hips.

No.No, this can’t happen. I can’t let it. My head screams at me to stop, to think about Jared, to stop making everything more complicated than it already is.

“Kira, stop,” I bark.

She jumps back, startled, dropping her hand. Her eyes are wide, and for a split second, she looks… scared? I regret it immediately. I didn’t want to hurt her, but the reality is, she doesn’t know how far I’m teetering on the edge.

My hands clench at my sides before I reach for her, but I stop myself. Taking a deep breath, I exhale slowly, letting my emotions settle before I shake my head, stepping away.

I need to get out of here. I need to walk away before I do something I can’t take back.

But I can’t stop the thoughts racing through my head. The way she felt in my arms, the way her body seemed to call to mine. I wanted to turn her around and bend her over the island.What the fuck is wrong with me?

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