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Shane curses under his breath and pullsme in his contradictory scents of smoky and fresh "Ah, love I’m sorry"

I nod, but he’s pressed so close it see him "That’s just one ti about babies, but I was going to help This wasme"

Shane pushes uilt More than you know," he adds quietly, givinghere His voice sounds rusty, as if he hasn’t flexed his coful "I don’t know your sister, but I do know you’re not the type who needs rescuing I reckon she’d say you rescued her, in return"

"Huh…thanks," I say on an exhale Even if I don’t entirely believe hi so Fro don’t co that he doesn’t especially likethe words were twice as difficult When neither one of us speaks for a stretch of time, the darkness starts to feel closer I beco point of my body that connects to his My knees, my arm, my cheek are all warmer than the rest ofbetween us, and the longer we go without speaking, the deeper those breaths becoh, and I need to voice uilty, Shane?"

Shane’s hand curls into a fist at the outside of htly, and I shiver when his lips brush uy Not like--"

I kiss him I don’t knohat coht now, allowing his ghost to intrude on this oddly endearing moment in the pitch-dark Or if it’s just Shane and I’ve finally reached roan and ht, I know it’s the latter It’s all Shane

Just as I’m about to pull him closer to deepen the kiss, he breaks away "I shouldn’t kiss you when you’ve been crying"

"Yes, you should"

"Yes, I should"

His lips seal hard overmy head back We breathe shakily into one another’s mouths at the initial contact We’ve barely started and I can’t draw air into s I quickly decide air is overrated when his tongue nudges ic, and reservations becoers burrow in my hair and my mouth isI’ve never experienced anything like it He doesn’t rest in one pattern, but keepswhich part of me he’ll explore next The kiss is at once fast and slow Deterether until all I can do isroan, he takes one final, provocative pull of en require I can’t see his face so I have no way to judge what he’s thinking Then I feel the grip of his strong hands on e between asp at the unexpectedness of it It’s an aggressive move, but it doesn’t scare h ht, I could see it on your face You’re thinking about it"

"Thinking about what?" I runme? Before I can voice my second question out loud, his body propels s have no choice but to curl around his waist