Page 71 of Symphony for Lies

The space between us was nearly nonexistent. Its weight was suffocating. The tension was so thick and electric that I swore I could hear it crackling in the air.

His scent curled around me, filling my lungs and making my head spin.

And still, neither of us moved.

I could feel the restraint in his body, the tight control, the way his fingers flexed against my skin. He looked at me as if he was waiting desperately, achingly, for me to do something. Like he was silently begging me to end the torture.

And then, his lips crashed onto mine, hot, demanding, overwhelming.

I don’t know if I leaned in first, if he closed the gap, or if we moved at the same time. All I knew was that the moment our mouths met, the world tilted.

Zane’s kiss wasn’t a request. It was a demand.

A sharp gasp escaped me as he bit my bottom lip, his tongue sliding into my mouth, stroking against mine in a slow, deliberate rhythm. My legs wentweak. A fire ignited in my veins, making me forget who I was, where we were, and why the kiss shouldn’t be happening.

His hand tangled in my hair to angle my face up so he could kiss me deeper, harder as if he wanted to consume me. And God, I wanted to be consumed.

A deep, primal groan rumbled in his chest as he pushed me against the shelf, his body solid and hot against mine, shielding me from falling books.

He kissed me like he had been craving it for longer than he’d ever admit.

Desperate for more, I clung to him, my fingers curling into his sweater, pulling him impossibly closer.

His tongue teased mine, setting my whole body on fire.

Heat pooled low in my stomach, a delicious ache that spread through my body.

When his lips left mine, they trailed along my jaw and down my neck, sucking and teasing. My body arched against him, a breathless sound slipping from my lips before I could stop it.

For half a second, Zane froze.

His grip, possessive and claiming, tightened as his body pressed even closer, his mouth finding mine again, kissing me harder. It was as if I had just given him a signal he had been waiting for.

He carried me toward the couch without breaking our kiss.

I should’ve stopped him. But I didn’t want to.

Zane’s weight pressed me down onto the soft cushions, caging me beneath him. “If I get greedy…” His lips dragged along my collarbone. “…would you run away?”

My fingers splayed along his chest, feeling his hammering heartbeat beneath my palm.

“I-I don’t know.”

And then, I felt his length pressing against my stomach. Hot and thick.

My pulse spiked.

He exhaled sharply before nipping my neck and ghosting his lips over the curve of my breast.

My toes curled.“This… is my first time,” I admitted shakily.

“Mine, too.”

Before I could process his words, he threw me effortlessly over his shoulder. The trip up the stairs to his room barely gave me enough time to catch my breath.

The moment my back hit the mattress, Zane was on top of me again, his eyes blazing with an intensity that stole that breath back.

He stripped off his sweater in one fluid motion, revealing his sculpted torso in the dim light.