Madly and Wolfhardt
Page 20
“Ok, so, um, I guess I’ll see you at school,” I said, taking a slow step backward.
Again, he nodded.
I nodded, too, turning to walk to the house. Then it occurred to me that, since he was new, he might be looking for some social interaction. Granted, he didn’t seem like the social type at all, but who was I to judge or make assumptions like that? The right and proper thing to do would be to invite him to Caster’s party. So what if I was reaching. Sue me.
“Hey,” I said, whirling around and stepping back toward him. “There’s a party tomorrow night at Caster’s cabin in the hills. You should stop by.”
The invitation was out before I could even think about how fraught with problems a situation such as that would be. After all, I was going with a date, and not just any date. I was going with the same date I’d had for over a year, the date that I had semi-concrete plans to break up with.
He sort of wagged his head in a way that was neither positive nor negative. “Maybe I will,” he said, but to my ears it sounded like a platitude.
“Unless parties aren’t your thing,” I offered, giving us both a way out. I wasn’t sure who needed one more—him or me.
“Actually, they’re not,” he said, stepping up onto the walkway. “But I can think of one really good reason that this one might be more to my liking.”
Before I could stop myself, I raised my hand to my chest, as if to still the erratic beating there before any of my organs flew from my body. Bo was standing so close to me, his jacket brushed the backs of my fingers. I was struck by the thought that all I’d have to do is to turn my hand over and I could feel the thump of his heart. The desire to touch him was nearly overwhelming. We were so close, but I wanted to be closer still.
The world came to a breathless halt when I saw his hand come out of his pocket. As if it happened in slow motion, it rose toward my face and my eyes locked on his. He swept the backs of his fingers down my cheek in a feather-light caress.
“I want to kiss you,” he whispered.
Spellbound and tongue-tied, I just nodded, hoping he understood that I was granting him permission.
“And you want me to kiss you,” he continued.
The only thing I could’ve added to that was, More than anything.
“But I shouldn’t,” he said, a frown wrinkling his otherwise smooth, pale forehead. “It’s not a good idea for you to be involved with someone like me.”
Someone like me.
A warning bell rang somewhere in the back of my befuddled mind. In a way, I knew, had known from first that first day, that he was dangerous. I didn’t doubt what he was telling me was true, and that he was right. I should probably turn and run. The problem was, I didn’t want to. I didn’t care how dangerous or how ill-advised being with him was. I didn’t care about warnings or caution. I didn’t care about consequences or rationale. I only cared about this—this night, this moment, this kiss.
When finally I found my tongue, I asked, “Then why are you here?”
To this, he smiled. It was a wry, self-deprecating twist of the lips. “Because I just can’t seem to stay away, no matter how hard I try.”
Though it was hardly a compliment, pleasure blossomed in my belly anyway. He couldn’t stay away and I knew how that felt.
“What if I don’t want you to stay away?”
I knew I was playing with fire, but I couldn’t help it. I could only pray that the end result wouldn’t be a heart burned up beyond all recognition.
“You’d be a fool.”
“Brains are overrated,” I quipped.
For the first time, he really smiled, a spread of the lips that revealed straight white teeth and caused his eyes sparkle. It was a gesture that made my legs feel like melted butter.
“You should at least think about it,” he said, holding my chin still between his thumb and forefinger. “The only problem is, you might decide I’m right.” His smile dissolved into another frown, his eyes darting between my lips and my eyes. “And just in case you do, just in case you want me to stay away, there’s one thing I need to do before I go.”
With a tug on my chin to part my lips, Bo bent his head and kissed me.
It was over almost as quickly as it had begun, but somehow it still managed to turn my stomach inside out. Even after he’d lifted his head, I could feel the imprint of his mouth. It was etched onto my mind and burned onto my lips.
I opened my eyes in time to see his tongue sneak out, as if he was savoring me.
“Mmm. You taste like candy, like strawberries and sugar.”
“It’s my lip gloss,” I said automatically.
He grinned again, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. They were steamy and intense. “No, it’s not. Trust me.”
He bent his head to mine again and dragged his lips from the corner of my mouth, across my cheek to my ear.
“Goodnight, Ridley.”
Mesmerized, I stood absolutely still and watched him go.
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