Fraud (Antihero Inferno #2) - Lily White Page 0,37

in certain situations. Always expected. Never surprising.

Not Ivy.

She’s a mystery wrapped in pretty feathers. A thousand different flavors of the same person, each one more tempting than the next. I just don’t think she knows it.

That’s why it was stupid of me to fall for the game she played on our date. I should have known better. You can’t take a person who is too large for their skin and shove them into a standard sized box that has no weight or volume.

It’s impossible, and I should have known that. Yet, I fell for it anyway.

I won’t again.

Reaching out, I gently cup her cheek, my lips curling when her eyes slightly widen and her body goes still.

Always...

That’s what you need to remember.

I’ve always wanted this woman, even when I couldn’t stand that she exists.

“You shouldn’t touch me,” she breathes out, her voice lacking strength.

My mouth curls more at that, and I inch closer.

Eyes wide, she doesn’t back off or back down, but she’s still as nervous as she can be.

“This never ends well,” she argues, her gaze dropping to my mouth before bouncing up again.

She’s not wrong. But then, we’ve never had a moment where we weren’t interrupted. It felt like the world agreed we were the worst possible people for each other and would set obstacles in place to keep us apart.

This attraction is a fatal virus to which neither of us are immune, one that infected us when we were children and has slowly chipped away at everything we are.

And while I still want to destroy her, I can’t fight the need to taste her in the process.

“Gabriel,” she warns, but doesn’t pull away. “You know this can never happen, and you also know why. So just stop before you push it too far.”

I like pushing things too far.

Ivy and I both are experts at it.

Our mouths are a teasing inch apart, our breath shared as our eyes dance together with both hatred and want. Still, she doesn’t stop talking, and I grin to hear it.

“You’re a walking lie, Gabriel. Will you ever let anybody besides me know it?”

My mouth brushes against hers when I answer, “I don’t plan on it.”

“Such a shame.”

“Just shut up.”

Our mouths press together, my tongue sweeping out to trap hers, my hand moving so I can fist my fingers in her hair and hold her in place. And, fuck, my body is tight with the need to restrain myself, hers melting in place as if to surrender.

This kiss is feral for how much we want each other, dangerous for the way it should never fucking happen, wrong for how meaningless it is because it won’t change my decision to destroy her.

We’re devouring each other, my other hand taking hold of her hip to tug her body to mine, her hands diving into my hair to drag me to her. Even in this, we fight, but that’s the way it’s always been.

The plane shakes beneath our feet, and Ivy stumbles back, her body falling against a wall that I use to trap her in place.

My lungs are screaming for air, but I can’t stop kissing her, tasting her, practically fucking her face with my tongue because I lose every ounce of control when it comes to her.

Behind me, there’s a sharp rap of knuckles against the door as the plane shakes again. I would believe the earth is moving in response to the clash of two opposing forces coming together if I didn’t know we’re in the air.

Another knock, harder and more urgent. “Mr. Dane.”

Growling at the interruption, I break the kiss and glance over my shoulder, my chest beating with labored breath.

“What?” My voice is a bark of sound, frustration riding me as the plane dips, and we both step sideways to keep from tumbling over.

“We’re heading into heavy turbulence. The pilot has requested that you return to your seats.”

Another hard shake and objects in the room rattle, my palm pressing against the wall near Ivy’s head to keep my balance.

“Fuck,” I bite out beneath my breath.

Every damn time, this happens.

“We’ll be there in a second,” I answer, as another hard shake warns us to buckle down.

Turning back to Ivy, my eyes lock with hers, the same thoughts running behind her stare that are screaming in my head.

“Even the universe is against this, Gabe.”

Her gaze searches my face, her breath beating against my lips.

“And we both know it.”

Ivy

Who knew Mother Nature herself would step in and stop a huge mistake? I have to