Page 99 of Seduce & Destroy

“Beware of the assassin.”

“Ahh.”

“Yes. You were warning me, even then. You were coming.”

She shook her head. “I was taunting you, Laney. Your family had massacred my family with that fire, and as it turned out Richard started it. He was the assassin. It wasn’t fair. I just didn’t know….” She stopped.

“Know what?”

“That I’d fall for you.” There was doubt on her face, a mixture of pained sorrow and regret, as if she were anticipating a rejection. I wouldn’t give it to her.

My father taught me to push people away, he had me thinking that this family was all that I needed and anything other was to be feared. All it really did was make me clutch onto people, sometimes, the wrong people. He doubted my strength to compete with the outside world. But Kenna never did. And Kilina respected it. In fact, she wanted me to go into the world and find my place. No one had wished that for me before.

“Do you think that makes you weak?” I asked.

She contemplated this for a moment. “No,” she said, eventually, staring into space. “So, what did you want to do out here?”

I ignored her subject change. “Well,” I started, “I don’t have a trampoline. The store wouldn’t ship it in time…nor did I have the money. But I brought blankets, wine, and made the fire for warmth.”

The dots hadn’t connected in her mind. “To do…?”

I stood and grabbed the blanket off her, eliciting a fast shiver across her skin. She was so pretty. I’d warm her up soon. Moving the chairs on the opposite side of the firepit, I revealed a picnic set up.

The uncertain look on her face didn’t resolve as I had thought.

“Stargazing.” I stated. I swore I saw her eyes glaze over, but she blinked it away too fast for me to mention it. My heart warmed regardless, and not because of the fire or blankets.

She walked over slowly, an apprehension that I wanted to believe was surprise and not doubt. “You?” She asked.

I nodded.

“You did this?”

“It’s a token. To make you feel at home.” I shrugged as I sat on the blanket I’d laid out. “Something familiar.”

Her knees buckled as she fell forward onto the blanket and right on top of me. The pressure on my chest felt like I was about to lose all my breath, but for her, it would’ve been worth it. Thankfully, she soon propped her hands up on either side of my body. My cheeks blushed at the position.

She raised an eyebrow. “Remind you of something?”

I stiffly shook my head. “Nope. Just sat too close to the fire, you know how it is.”

She scrunched her nose in the most un-Kilina way. “Sure.” Adorable.

Struck with a burst of confidence, I lifted my face and placed a hard kiss on her lips. My mouth hot on her skin as my breath escalated and my neck began to strain.

She didn’t kiss me back. Her eyes were open.

I laid back down in a wash of shame, my blushed burned my cheeks. “Sorry.”

She said nothing.

I tried to move my hips to get out from under her, but it was like she was frozen. A blankness across her features. I extended my head to kiss her again and she pulled away, freeing me from her weight.

Dear God, please let me just sink through this blanket and be six feet under.

To my surprise, she didn’t make a move to leave. “Did you bring skewers?”

It took a moment to realise what she was referring to as my back grew cold from the damp ground. Marshmallows. I didn’t have the effort to speak so I just pointed toward the bag that served as a makeshift picnic basket.