Page 105 of Kiss of Deceit

“Yet you didn’t hear me calling your name.”

He tilted his head, curiosity in his gaze. Heat prickled the back of my neck as if he could tell I was lying. His eyes were still glued to me, and I had a feeling I could hold his attention for as long as I wanted. My heart clenched, the unknown tearing me apart. His past was the truth. The way he treated me made me believe he cared. It didn’t match his criminal record. Or the cruel stare in his mug shot. It didn’t make sense.

Or it did, and I was fighting so hard because I didn’t want it to be true. My mind was a fucking mess. Everything I’d learned about reading people had been turned upside down once I found out the truth about this town. I couldn’t rely on my instincts anymore.

“I was in the bathroom,” I finally said, my gaze cutting to the narrow door across from me. “I had juice all over my hands.”

“The kitchen is spotless.”

I laughed lightly. “I cleaned that up first. I didn’t want you to worry about it.” His eyes cut to my chest when I crossed my arms. “I’m fine, Kole. You can go back to work.”

“Are you trying to test my self-control again?” he gritted out, the lust in his voice impossible to miss.

Even with all the tangled secrets, I couldn’t stop the grin tugging at my lips. “You’ve seen me naked before.”

“You can be dressed in that puffy snow jacket, and you’ll still get me hard. Seeing you like this—” He glanced at the overhead light. “—you’re fucking beautiful, Dani. And knowing you trust me to be a part of your life? That means even more.”

Dread knotted my stomach. Over the months, I’d let my guard down around him. My scars didn’t even come to mind when he walked in here.

“But do you trust me?” His whispered question had my eyes meeting his again. His next words were louder. “Because you’ve been avoiding me. For weeks.”

“I’m not avoiding you…” I trailed off when a muscle in his jaw flexed. “Or maybe I am. Ever since that night with Tristin and Leon, I haven’t been myself. It messed me up worse than I was expecting.”

“Expecting?” he echoed. “You have experience in how it feels to kill someone?”

I blew out a humorless laugh, ice racing down my spine at how fast he picked up on everything. “No. I’m learning how to deal with it.” I paused, almost asking if he knew how it felt to kill someone. I wanted the details of his charges I saw in his file—but at the same time, I wished I’d never seen it.

I glanced down at my black panties, making a reckless decision. One that could haunt me in the future. But how much worse could my nightmares become?

Kole didn’t say a word when I slid down my panties, kicking them off. I looked back up at him, the heat in his gaze sending a jolt through me.

“What are you doing?” he asked, clearing his throat.

“Help me. Like you did the first night. I don’t want you to have self-control right now.”

He still didn’t move. “You’ve barely talked to me in weeks. And now you want to have sex?”

I jumped on top of the washer, spreading my legs. He held strong for a few seconds before his eyes cut between my thighs. I grinned, ignoring my inner voice screaming at me. Kole might be holding secrets, but right now I didn’t care. It wasn’t just about distracting him from the cracked open wall.

I wanted him one more time. I’d been fighting it ever since I found out what this town was. What Kole could be. Yet, he was the only soul in this fucking world who made me fight my instincts. Which I realized was a bad, bad thing. Something that could get me killed. None of those thoughts were stopping me right now.

“Are you going to deny me?” I purred, leaning back on my hands, spreading my legs wider. A muscle in his jaw flexed, and I could see the exact moment his self-control snapped. He strode toward me, his hands going to my hips a moment before his lips smashed to mine.

I eagerly kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulled me closer until my ass was nearly hanging off the washing machine. His tongue clashed with mine, our kiss turning frenzied. My heart thrashed in my chest. The longer his lips were on mine, the more I forgot about the hidden door. I was well aware how intoxicating he was to me. I should care, especially right now.

But I didn’t.

His hands drifted from my hips to my thighs, his fingers digging into my skin. He broke the kiss, his lips hovering near mine.

“What changed?” he asked gruffly. “Tell me why you want me after weeks of ignoring me.”

“I missed you,” I choked out, my words steeped in truth for once. “I was trying to push you away, and it didn’t work.”

His eyes darkened, confusion swimming in them. “Why would you push me away?”

My stomach knotted painfully. “I’ve been alone for a long time, Kole. This…it’s all new to me.”

“Do you want to be with me?”