Page 58 of Vicious Games

“My lips met yours. Hence, kiss.”

“No.” His voice is lower now, more serious. “A real kiss implies two active parties. That wasn’t a kiss because I wasn’t fucking ready.”

I rest my chin in my hand, giving him my best, unimpressed stare. “I don’t see how your preparedness would make the outcome different.”

His jaw tightens. “Trust me. It would be different.”

“I don’t buy it.” I grab the last bite, pretending his reaction isn’t sending an unexpected thrill down my spine.

“But thanks for the snack. I feel re-energized enough to get back to studying.” I plop down from the counter and start collecting the plates. “Just let me wash these first.”

Before I take a step, Lucky’s hand wraps around my wrist, halting me in place. “Leave it,” he says, his grip firm.

“But they’re covered in syrup. They need to be—”

“I said leave the fucking plates alone, Frances.”

My eyebrows hike up. “Frances? Since when do you call me that? I thought you hated my name.”

“I call you that when you piss me off. And for the record, I don’t hate it. Frankie just fits you better.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to get used to hearing it since pissing you off is basically my full-time job now.” I snort, breezing right past his third compliment of the day.

But before I can shake his grip off my wrist, he slides off the counter, closing the space between us.

I have to crane my head back just to hold his gaze. And for some stupid reason, my pulse spikes up yet again. I don’t know if it’s how his eyes darken or how the air shifts between us, but my skin tingles, my breath catching in my throat.

“I wasn’t ready before.” His voice is deeper, raspier. “But I am now.”

I barely have time to process what that means when his hand cups my cheek, his other gripping my hip as he pulls me in and crashes his mouth on mine.

And holy shit! The peck I gave him doesn’t hold a candle to this.

Lucky doesn’t just kiss—heclaims.

His lips move against mine with a hunger that steals every thought in my head. It’s all heat and urgency, but there’s something else threaded through it—something softer. His thumb brushes along my jaw as he tilts my chin just right as if learning me, memorizing me.

A shockwave rolls through my entire body, sharp and sweet, making my heart stutter. His fingers press into my hip, grounding me, anchoring me to the moment while everything else in me floats. I don’t even realize my hands have found his shirt until my fingers curl into the fabric, clutching it as if it were the only thing keeping me standing. I can feel the hard muscle beneath it, his tension matching my own.

My knees threaten to give, and just as I start to melt into him completely, his lips slow—softening, lingering. He brushes one last kiss over mine, featherlight, like punctuation. Then he pulls back, just enough for oxygen to make its way back into my bereft lungs. His forehead rests gently against mine, and I feel his breath ghost over my skin, unsteady and warm. His chest rises and falls like he just ran a race.

And maybe he did. Or maybe we both did. Though I’m not sure which of us was named the victor.

“Now that,” he murmurs, his thumb grazing my bottom lip, “was a kiss.” I stand there, stunned, my lips still tingling. “Still think you’re not missing out?” I open my mouth, but no words come out. “Cat got your tongue?” he teases, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers trailing against my skin for a second too long.

That’s when panic hits me all at once. I jerk away, scrambling to put distance between us. “We should… we should get back to studying,” I blurt out, practically bolting to the living room.

What the fuck was that?!

Is that what a real kiss feels like?

And why do I feel this tight pull in my lower stomach?

I’m so thrown off by these new sensations that I don’t even realize Lucky’s standing in front of my kneeled frame until his knuckles pull my chin up.

“You’re not as confident in your decision now, are you?” A slow grin tugs at his lips, along with a cocky gleam in his eye.

I snap my head away and start packing up my things.

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