“Look, can we talk later?”
He sighs. “Are you two getting back together? Because—”
“No, we are not,” I blurt out.
“Then what’s he doing here?” he asks again.
“I don’t know. Look, he says he just wants to talk. That’s all, I swear. He and I . . . things ended rather abruptly.”
He studies me for a few seconds, his gray eyes darkening. I can’t read him at all, and I hate it. Bridging the space between us, he nods once. Then he does the most unexpected thing.
He slips one arm around my waist, pulling me close while framing my cheek with the other hand. Before I know what’s happening, his head ducks down and his lips press firmly against mine. It takes me a second or two to process his actions, but that’s all it takes for the kiss to turn from what I assume was supposed to be an impulsive, quick peck to something more.
Heat sizzles where our mouths connect, and I gasp at the impact. My fingers curl around his shirt, ready to shove him away, but I’m caught off guard when his tongue skims my bottom lip before parting my lips and owning me with a punishing kiss. The world around us fades as I try to catch my breath. A groan rumbles in his throat as the kiss deepens, his arm pulling me tighter against his hard chest, and I liquefy as need assaults my body.
A moan erupts between us, and I can’t tell if it was him or me; all I know is I don’t want him to stop. I want to sink into him and never come up for air. I press closer as the kiss moves from curious to a furious, take-no-prisoners kind of kiss. I forget where I am.
Forget to breathe.
Then the kiss ends just as abruptly as it started. He leans his forehead against mine, our ragged breaths mingling. My eyes peel open, and I stare up at his freckled nose, his cheeks flushed and lips swollen and reddened from the kiss.
His eyes open, and we stare at each other.
“Holy shit,” he murmurs under his breath. “I didn’t mean to do that because it’s a douche move with your ex standing over there. But you were here, and . . . I just couldn’t help it. I’m kind of glad I went for it because, holy shit.”
I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. He literally knocked me on my ass. I’ve missed the feel of fire rushing through my veins and my body coming alive with a feeling so intoxicating, it could burn the world to ashes. My God. I haven’t felt like this since . . . since the last time Sol’s mouth was on mine.
The world comes back into focus as the reality of what just happened punches me in the gut. The hairs on the back of my neck tingle like crazy, and I know Sol’s watching us.
Oh, crap.
Immediately, I wiggle out of Levi’s grip. Confusion and hurt darken his features, and he drops his gaze to the ground, his jaw clenching and unclenching. His chest rises and falls as he takes a deep breath, brushing his fingers across his just-kissed lips like he’s sealing in the memory of what just happened. Then he straightens, and his gaze darts over my shoulder toward the house, and he sighs.
I expect to see triumph on Levi’s face because he kissed me in front of the boy who still makes my stomach dip with need. Instead, when he looks back at me, the only thing I see is hope mingled with need. His gaze drops to my mouth, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, before moving back to my eyes.
“We’ll talk. I promise,” I assure him.
“Yeah,” he mutters as he turns as though he changes his mind and walks back to the house.
My eyes fall shut, my mind replaying that kiss over and over, sending shivers down my spine. I shouldn’t have kissed Levi. It wasn’t my intention to kiss him back. And even if I wanted to kiss him, I wouldn’t have done it in front of my ex-boyfriend. That was just cruel. All of a sudden, I feel the weight of my past and present bearing down on me.
I never thought I’d ever enjoy feeling someone else’s mouth on mine after Sol. At least not for a long, long time. Levi proved my theory wrong, and now I don’t know what to do with this new insight.
Guilt roils in my stomach, but I don’t even know why I feel guilty. It’s not like Sol and I are together. Or Levi and me, for that matter.
Who would’ve guessed that a heart—such a small organ—has the capacity to feel so many emotions for two very different people at the same time? It’s too much.
How is it possible to feel like this? I feel as if I’ve been struck by lightning.
I read somewhere that lighting never strikes the same place twice. Now I know that’s bullshit. I’ve been struck twice by two very different boys.
Raised voices at my back snap me out of my thoughts. I spin around to find Levi and Sol in each other’s faces, eyes angry and hands clenched into fists.
What. The. Hell?
“Walk away, Levi,” Sol warns in a low voice. “I don’t want to do this with you.”
Levi’s eyes narrow as he steps closer. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“All right,” Sol says, skirting around Levi and heading toward me. But then Levi grabs his shoulder, causing him to stop and turn around.
“Go back to wherever you came from and leave her alone.”
Sol shrugs off Levi’s hand, his blue eyes holding mine as his feet start moving in my direction. His chest is moving up and down quickly ass though he’s trying to control his anger.
“I’m talking to you, asshole.”
I can’t believe this Levi I’m seeing is the boy I’ve come to know over the past few weeks. Without warning, he stalks forward and grabs Sol’s shoulder again, spinning him around.
“You need to leave her alone. You had your chance and you wasted it.”
Sol steps into Levi’s space, hands curled into fists and his body coiled tight. “The only way I’ll leave her alone is if she asks me to.”
Levi’s nostrils flare. One second he looks like he’s taking deep breaths to calm himself down and the next his fist is cutting the air, aimed for Sol’s face. Instinctively, Sol jerks his head to the side, but the blow lands squarely on his jaw, sending him stumbling back several steps.
Sol straightens back up, rubbing his jaw with one hand. His eyes glow bright with anger as he prowls closer—that’s the only word I can think of to describe the way he moves, every muscle in his body coiled tight with fury.
I’ve never, ever seen him like this. Levi has clearly pushed him past his limit.
I start running in their direction and yell, “Stop!” but it’s too late. I’m too late. With one fist raised, Sol lets out a deep growl before landing a quick punch on Levi’s jaw, the force of it throwing him back.
Gage, Ivan and Mesh rush out of the house. Ivan grabs Sol and pulls him back, speaking rapidly in a low voice. Gage and Mesh grasp Levi’s swinging arms and drag him back toward the porch.
I skid to a stop in front of them, glance at Levi, then at Sol. I have no clue how to handle this. All I know is that I’m in the middle of it, and I hate it. Hate that I’m the reason this is even happening.
“What’s wrong with you people?” They both face me, looking guilty as hell, both sporting the beginning of a dark bruise on their jaws. “It’s like I don’t know you two anymore.”
Cutting a glare between them, I turn away from them. I’m not even sure what I’m feeling right now except that I need to get away from here and sort myself out.