Page 80 of Promises in the Dark

Which is why I take a deep breath and tell him exactly what’s going on inside my head.

“I want you to kiss me,” I admit softly, the slight tremble in my hand transforming into a full shake.

He freezes, not even blinking as he processes my request.

It’s like watching a computer short-circuit.

Did I break him?

I tilt my head to the side, my hair spilling over my shoulder. “Alex?”

He shakes his head, finally blinking a few times before coming to. His hand slides down my neck, curving around it. His grip is gentle but firm. At the base of my neck, his thumb rests right over my pulse that I’m sure is fluttering wildly.

“Say it again.” His voice is rough, laced with an overwhelming need.

My lips part, my body acting of its own accord as it inches closer to him. I raise my hand, grazing it over his stubble. “I want you to kiss me.”

Everything around us vanishes as he steps forward, closing the limited space between us. His strong chest is at my eye level as he leans down, his warm breath mixing with mine. With a tenderness I was not expecting, he brushes his lips against mine. My eyes close as a shock of electricity pulses between us, a feral need growing rampant inside me for one taste of this man.

“Non ti merito,” he says right before fully pressing his lips against mine.

My mind goes blank, my body melting alongside his as my fingers curl into his shirt for support. His lips move carefully and gently, then slowly pick up a devouring pace that makes me lose my ability to breathe properly.

His taste…

His scent…

It all has me forgetting my own damn name as his other hand slips out from beneath mine and slides around my waist, tugging my body against his.

A sudden ache builds in my core, my hips angling toward his to ease the tension, but just as I make contact, he stills and slowly pulls back.

Both of us are breathless, staring into each other’s eyes.

He watches me, studying me for any hint of regret, but I don’t feel an ounce of it. Not when I could have spent the whole night like this, wrapped up in his arms, under the stars with his lips claiming mine.

So many feelings crash into me, my heart and mind running rampant against one another.

Tears build in my eyes, and he immediately notices, reaching out to swipe them away. Worry crosses his features, so before he has a chance to second-guess himself, I say, “They’re happy tears.” My lips curve up, but it doesn’t look like he believes me. “For the first time, it was on my terms. It was because I wanted it.” My smile grows. “And it was perfect.”

He leans forward, pressing a kiss to my temple, his hand curling around the back of my neck, a protective touch in his grip. I burrow my head against his chest, my ear resting directly over his erratically beating heart, wishing this night would never end.

Chapter eighteen

Alex

“You guys ready?” Vin asks, locking his silencer in place and scanning the empty lot through the windshield.

Leo adjusts his balaclava. “I really fucking hate wearing these things. I can’t breathe.”

“Keep it on,” I tell him, flicking off my safety and tossing my jacket over the seat. “There are cameras everywhere.”

“Yeah…cause they’ll have no idea it’s us who are about to blow up their warehouse.” His eyes roll as he retrieves his gun from his waistband. “Can’t you disable them?”

“I did.” I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the detonator one last time when a text appears.

Charlotte

Please be safe.