Page 30 of Faking it with the Hybrid

“So fucking passionate,” Grath rumbled. “Sorry, little girl—I was just trying to play my part.”

“Well, I got carried away, too,” Mattie admitted. “But we can’t do that again. We’re just playing parts here, after all. It’s not like any of this is…is real.” She waved a hand, indicating their situation. She was halfway hoping that the big Hybrid might contradict her, but he only nodded.

“You’re right—we’re just playing parts.”

Mattie’s heart sank a little bit but his next words made it quicken again.

“And since we’re playing our parts badly, I think we need to practice,” the big Hybrid continued.

“Uh…what?” Mattie asked, frowning. Was he saying what shethoughthe was saying. “Practice what?”

“Practice kissing, of course.” Grath said it as though what he was suggesting was no big deal. “I’m assuming there’s more of this fucking misty-toe weed hanging around, since it seems to be a holiday thing for you—right?”

“It’smistletoe,”Mattie corrected him. “And yes, there’s probably more of it—people hang it up a lot during the holidays. And since this is Christmasville, everyone celebrates to the hilt.”

“Good—then we should practice how we’re going to kiss the next time we have to stand under some,” Grath said practically.

“Uh…um…” Mattie didn’t know what to say. Was he actually suggesting this? Saying they ought to kissmore,when she’d promised herself she wasn’t going to kiss him everagain?

“Come here,” Grath rumbled and before she could get her thoughts together, he was leading her to a bench by the side of the path. He seated himself on it and drew her in to stand between his wide-spread thighs. Despite the fact that he was sitting and she was standing, they were still almost eye-to-eye.

“Now what?” Mattie asked. She could feel her cheeks getting hot with a blush and her heart was pounding. Were they really doing this? She ought to stop it—shouldn’t she? But she didn’twantto. She—

“Now we practice,” Grath rumbled. “Should I make it more gentle? Like this?”

And cupping one big hand behind her head, he drew her towards him and kissed her softly, his mouth meeting hers gently—almost teasingly—in a way that made Mattie’s heart slam against her ribs. She wanted desperately to grab him and deepen the kiss but she forced herself not to. She couldn’t help kissing him back though—he tasted so good and his warm, spicy scent was making her dizzy with desire.

At last, Grath pulled away. His midnight eyes half-lidded, he murmured,

“Is that more like it, baby?”

“M-maybe,” Mattie stammered. “A…alittlemore like it I guess.”

“Youkissmethis time,” Grath suggested. “Show me what I’m doing wrong.”

Mattie knew she ought to refuse—ought to say there had been enough kissing and they needed to get to the Bake-off. But somehow she found herself leaning towards her Protector instead.

She put her arms around his neck and slipped her fingers into his hair and Grath groaned.

“Gods yes, baby! Like that—makes it look like we’re really a couple,” he rumbled.

“I guess it does, doesn’t it?” Mattie murmured. And then she leaned in and kissed him.

This time, Grath let her take the lead. She could hear his rumbling growl of approval but he didn’t try to take over the kiss—though he did part his lips when she pressed closer to him.

Before she knew it, Mattie was slipping her tongue into his mouth, exploring him as he had explored her earlier. She was deepening the kiss, her fingers carding restlessly through his wild black hair as she pressed herself against his big, hard body.

For his part, Grath put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. His big hand stroked over her shoulders and hips possessively as he hungrily kissed her back.

Too much!a little voice in Mattie’s head was shouting.This is too much and you know it!

But she couldn’t seem to stop—wouldn’thave stopped—if her cell phone hadn’t started ringing incessantly with the ring-tone Mattie had programmed in for her mother.

“Wait!” she gasped, pulling away from the passionate kiss. “I…I have to get that. It’s my mom!”

Grath let go of her—reluctantly, she thought—and she was able to disentangle herself from the big Hybrid and grab for the phone, which was shoved in her pocket.

“Yes? Mom?” she answered breathlessly as she pressed the button.

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