Page 85 of Fighting Fate (Granton University 1)

Paige didn’t like how bothered he appeared by that observation. It occurred to her how this was the last thing to ever touch her brother alive, these very knuckles that had defended her only a few hours ago. She grazed them gently with her fingertips; she wasn’t horrified by them in the least. Glancing up to meet his gaze, she brought his bruised, scraped hand to her mouth and gently kissed the warm, battered flesh.

He closed his eyes and drew in a sharp breath.

Her fingers ran gently over his before she trailed her touch down along his palm and reached the hem of his hoodie. Bunching the fabric out of her way, she exposed the scars on his wrist and kissed them too.

When his lashes flickered apart, he looked dazed and half-drugged.

She felt his desire mirrored from every organ in her body.

Needing her mouth against his more than she needed her next breath, she leaned forward, straining until she reached him. His lips parted, but he didn’t move to meet her. He watched her, his eyes hopeful and wary in equal measure.

“Paige.” He was going to tell her to stop; she could tell by the cautious inflection in his voice. She understood his reasons for stopping perfectly. After the night she’d had, after everything stacked between them, kissing him was the height of stupidity.

But it was the only thing she wanted.

Closing her eyes, she rested her cheek on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close until they were sitting hip to hip. She set her hand over his heart and grasped a handful of cloth.

“I let him kiss me last night,” she admitted, her voice low and ashamed.

Logan’s chest heaved under her fist, and his arms tightened around her, but he didn’t interfere. He let her talk.

“I wanted…I wanted to move on, to get over this, whatever it is…this thing I have for you. So I let him kiss me, hoping…” She shook her head and burrowed closer. “But the only moment it was any good was when I pretended it was you.”

A choked sound tore from his chest, echoing through the ear she had pressed against him. His shifted so he was cupping her cheek in his palm. Then he ducked his face until his nose brushed her jaw.

“It doesn’t seem to matter how wrong it is or how much I fight it, I’m drawn to you. I can’t get you out from under my skin.” She tipped her face up just enough to align her mouth with his. But when she began to lean forward, he tightened his hold on her cheek, staying her.

“It’s too soon.” His fingers stroked their way down her throat. “After last night, you need time to—”

“No.” She squeezed his wrist. “You don’t understand. He touched me where—” With a shudder, she shook her head, unable to go there. “He made me feel vile, Logan. And the only person I want to wash his touch away is you. I think you’re the only person who can.”

Deciding there was only one way to keep him from speaking out another warning, she pressed her mouth to his, smothering any more protests.

He jolted and made a sound of objection deep in his throat. But a split second later, he sighed and caught her by the back of her neck to keep her from pulling away. She opened her mouth, and he was right there with her, tasting and exploring.

She moved closer, climbing into his lap. He caught her hip to keep their bodies from getting too close even as he groaned his satisfaction. One long, deep, wet kiss later, he broke away and tugged her back just enough to look into her eyes. The awe in his expression affected her with a tight pinch in the center of her chest. He really did love her; it shone from every pore in his body.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this.” His whisper sounded desperate, as if he expected her to return to her senses and abandon him any second. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she whispered back, resting her forehead against his as she ran her fingers over his unshaven jaw. “This isn’t wrong.”

His blue eyes glittered, and his rickety answer came in unsteady wheezes. “The fact that you even had to

say that—”

She kissed him again, muffling his arguments. He arched under her, sinking all ten of his fingers into her hair. She cupped his head, delighting in the stubbly texture of his buzzed hair against her palms.

Their mouths worked in harmony, and heat built between them. She wasn’t sure why she kept moving against him, but the friction felt really good, so she kept doing it, the slide of their bodies ignited a fire in her she didn’t want to bank.

Wrapping his arm around her lower back, he tugged her close until she was tucked flush against him. Their lower parts bumped against one another, and the shock of the sensation made her gasp.

He cursed. “Shit. Sorry. I forgot.”

But when he tried to scoot her back away from the warmest part of his lap, she tightened her thighs around him, resisting. “No, it’s okay. I’m fine.”

In her mind, she felt the cool air from Dorian lifting her dress and the rough texture of his fingers as they moved up her thigh. But the warm, firm security of Logan under her helped.

She wasn’t about to let him retreat and take away the only thing helping her, so she cupped his face, dipped her head, and kissed him again.

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