Page 5 of Magic or Madness

When he pulls his lips off mine, I feel empty, like we barely had a moment together. Selfishly, I want more time with him, to knoweverythingabout him.

“Champagne and vanilla,” he whispers, his kiss-bruised lips hovering above mine.

His hand is still firmly wrapped around my throat, and I swallow against his palm, which seems to bring a devilish grin across his face.

“What?” I shake my head, my mind foggy from that earth-shattering kiss.

“You taste like champagne and vanilla. Fucking delicious,” he says, finally releasing his grip on me, and I suck in a deep breath.

I should walk away after cheating on Bryce with a total stranger in a random diner, but after one kiss I’m addicted, afraid that if I walk away the fantasy will end and I’ll be left wishing it could happen just one more time.

“What’s your name?” I ask, reaching for his hand, and he instantly laces his fingers into mine, gently squeezing while never breaking eye contact.

“Ozzy,” he breathes, and my eyes flutter shut, inhaling the pure lust radiating off the man standing before me.

I realize that I can’t stay here forever, so I pull my hand away, turn my back to him, and walk toward the restaurant. If I don’t leave right this second, I don’t think I ever could.

“Hey, you gonna tell me your name?” He calls out, and I stop in my tracks, an idea forming as a little test of his faith.

“If you want to see me again, you’ll have to figure it out,” I tease, winking at him before strutting back into view of the entire diner.

My sandals shuffle against the tile floor, and my heart is thudding so hard against my chest I’m afraid I might pass out, but every second was worth it.

Whatever just happened back there altered my universe, and I can guarantee that I’ll be thinking ofOzzyevery second of the day, hoping he does track me down.

I race to fix my hair, adjust my shirt, and plaster the most bored look on my face that I can manage, but I have a feeling that one kiss will fuck me upforever.

When I reach the table, I immediately notice how visibly annoyed Bryce looks, and I roll my eyes without giving a fuck if he sees me. My mind begs the question, why am I back here with him?

“What the fuck, Fal? Where have you been?” He asks, barely looking up from his phone while I slide back into my seat.

“Uh, Mick called. She wondered where I was,” I lie, my cheeks burning with guilt.

If he looked at me right now, could he see what I just did? I feel ripped open and vulnerable in a way I’m not used to, but he never pays that much attention to my body language anyway, and suddenly, I don’t care if he knows. Five minutes with a stranger in a dark hallway has me completely reevaluating my relationship and my attitude. I don’thaveto be perfect for a man to notice me.

‘Well, I ordered for you while you left me here … alone,” he quips, and I fight the urge to smack him, or run away from this table.

I swear, for the next ten minutes I try to focus on Bryce, even making small talk, but my eyes wander to the table wherehe’ssitting. I catch him stealing glimpses at me, smirking like we share a secret, and in a way, wedo.

Nobody else in this diner knows what we just did, what we felt, and it makes me even hotter for him.

I want to keep him likea dirty little secret.

After a few minutes, his group stands up to leave. Before he exits my line of sight, he winks at me one last time, and a part of me is absolutely gutted seeing him go.

We shared a stolen moment, something I know I’ll never be able to forget, but I have an ominous feeling that this won’t be the end of our encounters.

I should be terrified of him, his boldness, and how reckless he made me behave.

But I’m not.

I feel more exhilarated than I have in my entire life, like I’m a freaking virgin who’s just been touched for the very first time.

.

OZZY

Bambi.That’s the only word on repeat in my mind.

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