Page 72 of We Are the Stars

He rakes his hands through his hair and takes two steps back from me.

“Was it the sex eyes?” I joke to break the tension.

“No. Yes. No. It’s fucking everything.” He rushes me again and braces his arms on either side of my head. “You’re dangerous for me.”

“And you’re dangerous for me, right? That’s what you’re going to say next?”

“Yes.” His answer is absolute, and I know there’s no fighting him on this.

He continuously talks about the darkness residing inside him, the danger that lurks beneath his surface, yet all I’ve witnessed since his fight with Jase is him taking control of his demons and wrestling them away. He’s working through some serious shit and he’s winning.

I only wish he’d see that.

“I’m not scared of you, Carsen.”

“You will be,” he promises.

Ignoring his words, I give him a quick peck on the lips. “Are you ready for our dinner date now that you’ve ravaged me perilously close to my parents’ house and have gotten tree bark all over my shirt?”

Like that,myCarsen is back with a sexy, flirty smirk. “I suppose we can go now.”

He pulls me off the tree and helps dust my back off, spending an inordinate amount of time on my ass.

“I think we’re good.”

“Not yet.” He gives it a few more pats. “Now we’re good.”

He holds his hand out and I quirk a brow. “Really? You want to hold hands now? In public?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, I want to hold hands with you.”

“In…”

He sighs impatiently and takes a deep breath before shouting. “I want to hold Elliott Mathers’ hand in public!”

I chuckle and pat his chest as I brush past him. “Cool story, bro.”

It takes a few moments for it to settle, but I finally hear him laugh lightly and jog to catch up to me, where he then laces our fingers together.

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