Breaking Bro Code (The Line Up #4) - Misti Murphy Page 0,47

earlier tonight won’t be the only time we kiss. Despite the coolness of the water I’m on fire. Not literally. But I feel like I could combust. If he touched me in the wrong way. Or the right way.

“Yes.” His fingers find a few strands of my hair and fiddle with the violet ends. “I like this color on you. It suits you.”

“Better than the red?”

“Don’t ever do that to your hair again.” That steel is back in his voice.

“Is it why you kissed me?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “I kissed you despite it.”

One day soon I’m going to have to get that origin story out of him. I tilt my face up. “You want to kiss me right now, don’t you?”

“Hud will kill us,” he says.

“He’s not here.” I toy with one of the buttons on his shirt. If only he’d give me the go ahead to undo them. One by one. Let me peel the sodden material off his body so I could explore it with my tongue. “It’s only you and me.”

“I’m not a good guy,” he says, as though he’s trying to convince me or maybe warn me.

But I know him, and he isn’t a bad guy. He’s simply complicated. Like most of us are. “You’ve already said that.”

His throat tenses and releases. My breath catches, waiting for him to continue.

“I need you to be aware of the fact.” He cups his hand around my neck. “It’s better that we ignore whatever this is and go back to being friends.”

“I can’t be your friend anymore. Not when all I can think about is how much I want you to kiss me again.” I close the distance between us. “And this time don’t pretend like you don’t want to.”

Chapter Fifteen

Vale

“Christ, Lily.” Everything she says. Everything she does. All of it makes it harder to pretend I don’t find her beautiful and sexy and passionate. Or hide the fact that I’m smitten with her. “You’re driving me crazy. Do you know that? You can’t say things like that and think I’m strong enough—”

She clasps her hands on both sides of my face and launches herself at my lips. It happens so fast. In a blink, her mouth is pressed to mine.

In the next I’m kissing her like my life depends on it. And maybe it does. We’re a tangle of wet limbs and hot, branding lips. I haven’t felt like this in… so long.

She’s air. She’s fire. She’s everything I never knew I wanted but always realized I couldn’t have. She’s hard liquor and fireworks. Intoxicating. Dazzling.

She breathes life into me with her kiss, and signs my death warrant because after this her brother will kill me. But I can’t stop. Lord knows I’ve tried to keep my distance. How much of a fight can a mere mortal like me put up when it comes to her?

I wrap my arms around her. Twist my hand in her hair. Thrust my tongue into the soft hollow recesses of her mouth. Swallow her sweet moan.

She tastes like chlorine and tequila. And possibility. Her fingernails are embedded in my shoulders. Her teeth nip at my bottom lip. There’s no way I’m surviving Lily Kelly in one piece.

Despite my best intentions I can’t leave her alone. Instead I chased her all the way to L.A.

I don’t come home. I certainly don’t chase women. But not being able to see her was driving me crazy. Not touching her was a physical ache I carried everywhere with me these last few weeks. I’ve told myself for so long that each naïve touch we shared was harmless. Friendly. Platonic. But none of it was innocent.

“Say it again,” she says breathlessly against my lips.

“What?”

“Say it again. That I’m driving you crazy. That you’re not strong enough. That you want me. For once in your life tell me the truth right now,” she demands. “Tell me what you want.”

“You.” One word. One syllable. It tumbles out of my mouth like there was never any chance of me doing anything other than falling for her. “But it’s—”

“Complicated. I know.” She presses her fingertips against my lips, tips her head to the side and smiles her trademarked empathetic smile. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. I want you too.”

Her words wash over my soul like the rush of the surf against the beach, pounding into my blood and sinew and bones. I’m so wrong for her. She’s so sweet and happy and hopeful. And I’m none of those things.