Page 9 (1/2)

Eight

Christian was kissing her, and as it a kiss He wasn’taround It was the kind of kiss that small children shouldn’t be allowed to see Hell, it was the kind of kiss no one should be allowed to see- let alone experience through a psychic link

As I’ve noted before, strong emotion froot pulled inside her head But always, always, it was because of sory or depressed, and that would reach out to me But this time? She wasn’t upset

She was happy Very, very happy

Oh et out of here

They were up in the attic of the school’s chapel or, as I liked to call it, their love nest The place had been a regular hangout for the antisocial and wanted to escape Eventually, they’d decided to be antisocial together, and one thing had led to another Since they started publicly dating, I hadn’t known they spent much time here anymore Maybe they were back for old time’s sake

And indeed, a celebration did see on Little scented candles were set up around the dusty old place, candles that filled the air with the scent of lilacs I would have been a little nervous about setting all those candles in a confined space filled with flaured he could control any accidental infernos

They finally broke that insanely long kiss and pulled back to look at each other They lay on their sides on the floor Several blankets had been spread under them

Christian’s face was open and tender as he regarded Lissa, his pale blue eyes agloith soarded me There was certainly adoration with him, but Mason’s was a lot like when you walk into a church and fall to your knees in awe and fear of so you worship but don’t really understand Christian clearly worshipped Lissa in his way, but there was a knowing glint to his eyes, a sense that the two of the of each other so perfect and powerful that they didn’t even need words to convey it

"Don’t you think we’re going to go to hell for this?" asked Lissa

He reached out and touched her face, trailing his fingers along her cheek and neck and down to the top of her silky shirt She breathed heavily at that touch, at the way it could be so gentle and s passion within her

"For this?" He played with the shirt’s edge, letting his finger just barely brush inside of it

"No," she laughed "For this" She gestured around the attic "This is a church We shouldn’t be doing this kind of, uued Gently, he pushed her onto her back and leaned over her "The church is downstairs This is just storage God won’t mind"

"You don’t believe in God," she chastised Her hands ht and deliberate as his, yet they clearly triggered the sahed happily as her hands slid under his shirt and up his sto you"

"You’d say anything right now," she accused Her fingers caught the edge of his shirt and pushed it up He shifted so she could push it all the way off him and then leaned back over her, bare-chested

"You’re right," he agreed He carefully undid one button on her blouse Just one Then he again leaned down and gave her one of those hard, deep kisses When he ca had happened "Tell me what you need to hear, and I’ll say it" He unfastened another button

"There’s nothing I need to hear," she laughed Another button popped free "You can tell me whatever you want- it’d just be nice if it were true"

"The truth, huh? No one wants to hear the truth The truth is never sexy But you " The last button caoddamned sexy to be real"

His words held his tradee entirely I itnessing this scene through Lissa’s eyes, but I could iine what he saw Her smooth, white skin Slender waist and hips A lacy white bra Through her, I could feel that the lace was itchy, but she didn’t care

Feelings both fond and hungry spread over his features Fro quicken Emotions sihts Shifting down, he lay on top of her, pressing their bodies together His ues et out of there

Because I understood it now I understood why Lissa had dressed up and why the love nest had been decked out like a Yankee Candles showroo, they were going to have sex Lissa, I knew, had done it before with a past boyfriend I didn’t know Christian’s past, but I sincerely doubted irls had fallen prey to his abrasive char what Lissa felt, I could tell that none of that mattered Not in that moment In that moment, there were only the two of theht now And in a life filled with e should have had, Lissa felt absolutely certain about what she was doing now It hat she wanted What she’d wanted for a very long ti it

Who was I kidding? I didn’t want to witness it I took no pleasure in watching other people get it on, and I sure as hell didn’t want to experience sex with Christian It’d be like losing inity virtually

But Jesus Christ, Lissa wasn’t et out of her head She had no desire to detach frorew, the stronger they held ies on co as hard as I could

More clothes disappeared

Come on, come on, I told myself sternly

The condom came out yikes

You’re your own person, Rose Get back in your head

Their liether

Son of a-

I ripped out of her and back to er had any interest in packing e and violated- almost unsure if I was Rose or if I was Lissa I also felt that resentain I certainly didn’t want to have sex with Lissa, but there was that sa that I was no longer the center of her world

Leaving the backpack untouched, I went right to bed, wrappinginto a ball to try to squelch the ache within my chest

I fell asleep pretty quickly and woke up early as a result Usually, I had to be dragged out of bed to go h that I actually beat hi across to one of the buildings that held classrooms

"Whoa," I called "Since when are you up this early?"

"Since I had to retake a ave h, to hang out with you"

I laughed, re my conversation with Lissa Yes, there were definitely worse things I could do than flirt and start soet in trouble, then I’d have no real challenge on the slopes"

He rolled his eyes, still se, re yet? Or are you still too afraid?"

"Watch it," he warned, "or I ot me a present?" I hadn’t expected that

"Yup But if you keep back-talking, I ive it to someone else"

"Like Meredith?" I teased

"She isn’t even in your league, and you know it"

"Even with a black eye?" I asked with a grimace

"Even with two black eyes"

The look he gave estive It was just nice Nice, friendly, and interested Like he really cared After all the stress lately, I decided I liked being cared about And with the neglect I was starting to feel fro someone anted to pay soon Christ My mom almost came down but had to cancel at the lastthat happened"

Mason’s uardian She was a dhampir who’d chosen to just be domestic and have kids As a result, I knew he saw her quite a bit It was ironic, I thought, that my moht as well have been so with me," I said on impulse "I’ll be with Lissa and Christian and his aunt It’ll be fun"

"Really?"

"Very fun"

"That’s not what I was asking about"