Page 35 of Never Kiss a Fae

Ever.

And, Jesus Christ, what was wrong with me to even begin to imagine that? Very clearly losing—

“Claire?” Titus asked, his brow furrowed. He’d stood with me and seemed to be waiting for me to lead.

“Right.” I turned and started toward the stairs. To lead him to my room. Which, after that last thought, probably wasn’t the brightest of ideas, but it wasn’t like Exos would be joining us. Although, I wouldn’t exactly complain if he did.

No, wait, yes, I would.

I didn’t like Exos.

He was a dick. A dick who just happened to be one of the sexiest men I’d ever seen. As well as Titus, but in entirely different ways.

I groaned, frustrated by the onslaught of images abrading my mind, each of them more graphic than the next.

“Are you okay, Claire?” Titus asked, sounding concerned.

No. “Yes. Just, uh, confused.” Not exactly a lie.

His hand caught mine at the top of the stairs, pulling me back to him as his other palm went to cup my face. Eyes the color of an evergreen gazed down at me.

“It’s going to be all right,” he whispered, his thumb tracing my cheekbone. “I know it’s all overwhelming right now, that you feel completely off-kilter in this realm, but I think you’ll like it here. Minus maybe the pixies.” He tried for a smile that I felt resonate inside of me.

Titus had completely misunderstood my awkwardness, yet his words were exactly what I needed to hear. “Thank you,” I said, pressing my hand over his.

“You’re welcome.” His gaze dropped to my lips, heat flaring between us. It felt different from earlier, his comfort evolving into something more intense. Energy purred beneath his skin, lifting to stroke my own, inflaming a need inside me I didn’t understand. It pulled me toward him, hypnotized me, excited me, made me fly. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he whispered, his awe rivaling my own.

I swallowed, tilting my head back—

The clearing of a throat had us jumping apart, my feet causing me to trip right into Exos’s hard chest. He caught me with a hand on my hip, steadying me between them.

And what do you know—I’d suddenly become the center of an Exos and Titus sandwich.

My cheeks warmed at the thought, my throat going dry.

“I, uh, I mean,wewere just going to my room, to, well…” Realizing how bad that all sounded, I stopped talking and gulped at Exos’s arched brow.

“Talk,” Titus said. “She wants to know about her mother, something apparently you haven’t told her yet.”

“When I tried, she blew me into a wall.” Exos tilted his head at me. “Twice.”

Flames seemed to lick across my skin. Perhaps literally. I couldn’t tell because I couldn’t seem to stop staring into Exos’s ocean-blue eyes. That magnetic pull held me in place, paralyzing me before him. Then Titus grabbed my other hip, his chest hot against my back.

Oh, fuck…

I leaned against him, then swayed forward, and back again, unable to decide whom I wanted to touch more.

What is happening to me?

“Are you finally up for listening, princess?” Exos murmured. “Or will you use that impressive wind power of yours on me again?”

“Impressive?” I repeated.

“Very,” he admitted, his gaze softening the slightest bit. His thumb swept over my lower lip, his opposite hand tightening on my hip. “So much power.” He released me from his gaze as he lifted his eyes to Titus. “Where do you want to sleep?”

“I have no idea,” he said, his warm voice tickling my hair. “We were only heading up here to talk about her mother.”

“Yes, I heard that the first time.” His thumb continued to caress my lip, as if memorizing the feel. “I was asking if you plan to sleep in her room.”