Page 13 of Crossing the Line
“Oh yeah? How so?”
I shrug. “First of all, my dad treats my mom as though she's made for him, and he for her. He’s also ambitious and strong and knows how to conquer while remaining a good person. Of course he likes things done his way, but he’s fair. He’ll listen attentively to a different point of view and make the necessary adjustments to his tablet of beliefs if he’s been persuaded.” I’m smiling to myself thinking about my dad. “Even though he drives me crazy sometimes and has been prone to overstep my boundaries for my “greater good” there are so many reasons why I admire him.”
“Xander Grove?” He sounds utterly surprised.
I look up from lap and at Hercules. He actually seems pleasantly surprised. “Yes.”
His smirk is delicious. “Then I can’t wait to meet him.”
I raise my eyebrows warily.
Reading the expression on my face, Hercules laughs. We both know that’s easier said than done.
Then I raise a finger. “Oh, and my grandfather. Everything I said about my dad, I can apply to him.” I stop short of saying, “When he was alive.” I like to think of my grandfather being alive in my heart.
Hercules grunts as he takes a big swig of his cocktail. There’s a tone to the sound he just made. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it sounded a lot like judgment. But I know that if he and I are going to hang out, it’s best to not talk about our families too much. We have always been able to avoid the strife between the Groves and Lords. I want to make sure we continue doing just that.
He clears his throat. “Well, I’m sorry about how I treated you when people were looking. If I could do high school over again, I’d do it differently.”
I adjust to sit on one hip, facing him. I’m consumed by the ease and comfort between us. “What would you do differently?”
“I’d let everybody know that I liked you, for one.”
When I smile, my insides feel all lit up. “You liked me?”
His gaze spreads across my face like a warm breeze. “I liked you a lot.”
“Like, romantic interest ‘like’?”
His chuckle titillates my insides. “Yes, romantic interest ‘like.’”
I hum with delight as I fight the urge to stroke his bulging bicep. We’ve become too intimate with each other. This night is crazy, and unreal. Something that has been a long time in the making is happening between us. We’re crossing the line. And I’m not taking a step back, and apparently, neither is Hercules.
“I had no idea,” I finally say. “I mean, you were very popular. Captain of the rowing team. Every girl in school had a crush on you, especially Greenly Rothschild.” I roll my eyes, vaguely recalling her teenage face in my head.
“Ah, yes, Greenly.” He takes a sip of his drink. “I forgot about her.”
I softly jerk my head back in surprise. “Wasn’t she your girlfriend at one point?”
His desirous gaze caresses every part of my face, and then he whispers, “She was never my type, PG.”
That look he’s giving me makes my heart thump like a bass drum. I raise my left eyebrow. “But she was the prettiest girl in school.”
“Ha!” He puts his glass on the coffee table next to mine. “You were and are prettier than she’ll ever be. And you’re smart as hell. When you used to talk computer lingo in class, that got me so damn hard.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “It’s hard to believe that talking C++ and functions made him sexually excited.”
“Very,” he says in a voice thickened by lust.
Unthinkingly, I let my eyes veer down to his hefty bulge.Damn.He’s hard right now.
Then very carefully and slowly, Hercules leans toward me. My lips part as my chest rises and falls with my deep breaths. I know what’s about to happen next. Before long, our lips our entwined.
“Umm,” we moan as our tongues tangle sensually. He tastes like citrus, gin, and Hercules.
Then he ends the kiss to put his lips near my ear. “Can I have you, Paisley Grove?”
When he places a sensual kiss on my lobe, I breathlessly say, “Yes.”
