Page 62 of Lies Like Love

“Taunting me again?” He smirks, dragging a hand up to my throat and wrapping it around the column of my neck, pinning me to the door with it.

Something that with anyone else would terrify me, but with him, I want more. His gaze is frenzied, but amusement plays underneath. And part of me thinks he loves that I push him to the brink, just so he has an excuse to punish me.

Is that what I want?

I know better. If only it wasn’t so fun to test his limits like he does in return.

“No.” I breathe out as his grip loosens, just enough to allow me a gulp of air that he leans in and tastes from my lips.

Our mouths are brushing, and I’ve never been more desperate for a kiss. But he holds that fraction of space in a unique form of torture. His fingers dig into the sides of my neck. The hanging threat that he could take whatever he wanted, and I’d be helpless to stop him. A dark knowledge that would scare me if I didn’t stupidly trust him.

“Now who’s the liar?” He tilts his head and grins.

Leaning in, he drags his tongue over my lower lip like he’s tasting the moan I let out on contact. It vibrates through me, and I wish he would grind harder or fuck me already, but he’s keeping me at the brink on purpose.

“Let me be clear, Felicity.” His eyes gleam with darkness as he pulls back. “There’s only one prize I’m after—one prize I’veeverbeen after. And it’s going to break you when I finally take it. But you’re going to beg me to keep going because there will be no turning back.”

My heart pounds as I wait for him to close the distance. To finally take me like I’ve always wanted him to. But instead, he releases his grip on my neck and slowly lowers my feet to the ground.

He rests his hands on my hips, as my entire body deflates. My head is spinning and my skin tingles, like I’m waking up from a dream.

Or is it a nightmare?

“You should get back to your party.” He reaches up and brushes my hair off my face. “I’m sure they’re missing you.”

“I’d rather stay in here with you.”

His eyes light up like he enjoys hearing that, and I feel a strange sense of pride in pleasing him.

“Same. But if you don’t get this over with, you’ll never get out of here.”

He’s right. I know he’s right. This isn’t the time and place to figure out what’s going on between us, no matter how possible it feels for the first time in years.

I showed up tonight to parade myself around for my grandparents. To show them I’m doing fine without them. I came here to honor my mother and pretend I’m still the pristine, good daughter she wanted me to be.

Look at me now.

Jude steps back, and I have to hold my legs steady as he does.

A gap of space has never been as significant as the one he creates between our bodies in this moment. It takes all my composure to school my expression as I walk over to a full-length mirror leaning against one of the walls.

I’m a disaster. My hair is wild, and my lipstick is smeared. Every bit of what we’ve done shows, no matter how much I smooth and rub.

“I’m a mess. They’re going to think something happened.”

“Didn’t it?” Jude looks amused as he watches me from across the room.

I narrow my eyes at him through the mirror and cross my arms over my chest, but he ignores my pouting. A playful smirk ticks up at the corner of his mouth as he crosses the room and stops directly behind me.

He grazes the side of my cheek, smoothing down my neck, pulling loose tendrils of hair over my shoulder.

“Come to think of it...” Jude lights a path of fire along me as he slowly drags his fingers to the front of my throat and up my jaw, resting the pad of his thumb on the center of my lower lip. “I don’t mind you being a mess. Always preferred it actually.”

He presses his thumb to my lip, the tip rolling over my tongue just enough to give me a taste, before dragging it back out. He rubs my red lipstick, pausing just before he reaches the point where it will smear across my cheek, as our gazes connect through the mirror.

Jude’s green eyes are greedy, focused on my eyes before dropping once more to my mouth. I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing I am as he bites his lip and drops his hand.

The things I want to do with my stepbrother are going to send me to hell.

---