Page 46 of The Alien in the Archive

Her wide, silver-grey eyes meet mine, her face just inches away. “You said you’d intervene if necessary,” she replies, already back to being stubborn and bold.

“I did,” my grip on her tightens for just a moment before I force myself to loosen it, “but I can’t always be here to catch you, Page.”

Her smile falters. I think back to how she reacted when I told her that yes, I would die in a few years…and I can see the pain, the fear.

Then her gaze flickers to my lips, and for a heartbeat, I’m certain she’s going to close the distance.

I shouldn’t.

I can’t.

But her warmth, her scent, the pull of her mind against mine…it’s all too much.

“Thorne,” she whispers, her voice barely audible.

I lean in, just enough to feel her breath against my skin. My hand lingers at her waist, my thumb brushing against the soft fabric of her sweater.

And then, somehow, I find the strength to pull back.

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” I murmur. “You should get home.”

We make the walk back toward the gate in silence, the two of us side by side. Ashlan trots ahead, sometimes disappearing into the shelves and emerging again.

I clear my throat.

“Page,” I murmur. “The psychic connection we have…it can make you feel things that aren’t real. You know that, right?”

She doesn’t say anything. I look over at her to see that her mouth is pressed into a thin line, her brow furrowed.

So I keep talking, because we’re almost to where I’ll branch off to return to my hiding place, while she’ll go back to her life…and I don’t want to leave it like this.

“Last night was an anomaly,” I go on. “My instinct to touch you…it wasn’t right. We have a deal.”

“Mmhm,” she says, still looking angry. Her eyes are fixed ahead of her, unblinking.

I sigh as we stop walking, our usual parting point just ahead. “Page,” I start, trying to find the right words. “I don’t think you understand?—”

She moves so fast, I don’t even have time to finish the sentence.

Her hand slides into mine, her fingers wrapping around my wrist as she steps in front of me, her proximity catching me entirely off guard. Before I can react, she’s standing on her toes, moving so close?—

Her lips are on mine.

Chaste…but insistent.

For a moment, my body forgets how to move.

Her lips are warm, and so much softer than I could have imagined. Her lashes flutter against her cheeks, her eyes closed. Maybe I should close mine too; a distant memory tells me that’s what you’re supposed to do when kissing someone.

But I can’t look away.

The faint freckles on her nose, the blush on her cheeks…I could look at her for hours.

Her eyes open, and I see a flicker of fear beneath the boldness.

“Thorne,” she whispers. “Please kiss me back.”

And the voice that’s growing ever more insistent growls,Mine.

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