Page 17 of Up in Flames

Cain gradually opens his eyes and looks right at me, deep into my soul. He takes his forehead from mine and exhales. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” he murmurs.

That was intense.

That was amazing.

Or, some first kiss…

… is more like what I was expecting to hear.

But…We shouldn’t be doing this?That I wasnotexpecting.

Furrowing my brows, I tilt my head in slight confusion and a touch of embarrassment as he frowns at the obvious look on my face. I lost my inhibitions with Cain, and then he goes and tells me, ‘We shouldn’t be doing this.’

Now I feel like such an idiot.

My hand falls from his shirt, and I slowly rest my hands on his shoulders to gently nudge him back from me. Looking at the floor in my embarrassed state, I slide past him to push the elevator call button.

“Wait! I saidwe shouldn’t,not thatI didn’t want to, Makaylie,” he defends.

I turn back, confused, glaring at him. “Why shouldn’t we?” I ask quietly as the elevator dings and the doors open. I step in, and he follows me, reaching out and grabbing my hand. I let him take it and bite my bottom lip, looking up at him hopeful, waiting for his answer.

“I’m no good for you, Makaylie. I’ve done some bad shit. Shit that would stop you from looking at me the way you are right now.” He exhales harshly. “I am not a good guy. This only ends badly for you.”

The tension ripples through the air so thick that my brows crunch together at his choice of words.

That isn’t something you say off the cuff.

What determines a ‘bad guy’?

Is it something you say, or is it the things you do?

Is Cain into something so devilishly bad that I should walk away now and never look back?

But can I even do that?

Or am I sucked into his charms too far already?

All I know is I need to find out more.

“What do you mean?” I ask, anxiety creeping through my veins like a noxious weed.

“It’s too dangerous for you to be seen with me. I can’t take the risk.”

My shoulders tense, and I take a short, sharp breath as my skin prickles.

But curiosity gets the better of me. “Why?”

He looks like he’s dying to tell me something, but he holds back. “It’s complicated. Look, I’ll ah… leave you alone,” he grumbles, stepping back from me.

A sense of dread washes over me, and I clench my jaw tight in annoyance.

No.

He can’t kiss me like that and then avoid me without a proper explanation.

I know he felt the connection. It’s something I’ve never felt before. Even though I sense an element of danger emanating from him, I want to find out where this connection can lead.

“What if I don’twantyou to leave me alone?”

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