Page 97 of Merry Fake Bride

Before I think it through, I reach up and very gently brush them away.

My fingers are slightly embedded in his hair when his head suddenly turns and his warm, soft lips press against my inner wrist.

For a second, I’m frozen in this moment. His kiss is tender and sweet.

The warmth blooming out from the touch chases away all the cold of the air around me and his soft hair is like warm silk against my fingertips, even with the cold of the snow.

It’s a beautiful, perfect second.

And then I flinch. The reflex takes over, and I jerk away from the touch before I can stop myself.

Ihatemyself for it.

Why can’t I be normal?

Why can’t my body understand that this is something I want?

That the safety I feel around Kairo is worth pursuing?

What part of me is so deeply broken that it acts against every other thought and desire I have?

I know the answer.

It’s an answer Kairo seeks as a question floods his eyes and his lips part.

I don’t want to hear that question.

I don’t want to think about the past.

I want him.

Iwanthim.

Before Kairo has a chance to speak, I grab him by the collar of his polo shirt and drag him down to my level, where our lips collide in a messy but eager kiss.

It’s not as refined as when Kairo kissed me at the fair, but it’s what I want.

I have the deepest, heaviest craving for this man and I can’t deny it any longer.

My heart beats wildly.

The world falls away from me and Kairo’s tender, warm lips suddenly slide against mine.

He returns the pressure I give him and one warm, thick arm encircles my waist.

He draws me tight against him and as my eyes close, his other hand slides down my cast and locks our fingers together in a gentle, tender grasp.

I melt.

25

KAIRO

I spent all night dreaming about what could have happened after that kiss if Devon’s mother hadn’t come looking for us.

In some fantasies, I press her up against the wall and gently ravish her until she’s so flushed the snow melts before it touches her skin.

In others, I sit and pull her into my lap, then taste and explore her slowly.