Chapter 31

Another fucking scary thought hit me right at that moment. It was so sudden and fleeting that I had to squeeze my eyes shut to shoo it away. I wanted to be the person who helped her with that mundane daily shit. Open jars, untangle her necklaces, and help her lift a heavy box. I wanted her to stand in front of me, holding two outfits, and ask which one would look better.Iwanted to know what kind of milk and honey she preferred.

I wanted…God, what…what the fuck was happening?What was in that fucking joint?

“Alex?” The way she said my name sent shivers through me—from my head to my fucking toes. It was the weed—it amplified all feelings.

“Can you help me?” Her request was like tasting sweet honey. Like being wrapped in a warm blanket—calming, satisfying, and leaving me begging for more.

Yes. I could help. I grabbed the can from her hand and pulled on the plastic tab, lifting the cap.

There was nothing to put the whipped cream on and the look in Jade’s eyes spelled out her intentions. She was going to stick the nozzle in her mouth. And I was absolutely going to watch.

“Can I have it back?” she asked innocently, outstretching her hand. I took the opportunity and stepped closer, the bright lights of the kitchen showing meallof her. Her dilated pupils, the way her tongue slid across her bottom lip, and the white summer dress with an incredibly low-cut neckline. It wasn’t a neckline, in fact. It was a breastline. A boobline. A titline.

And hers were…DearLord,hers were perfect. Made in heaven. Lickable as fuck. The dress propped them up, making them looklike fucking perfectly round, perky, squeezable, delicious tits that I wanted to havein my mouth.

I was losing it.

I stared at Jade and she stared back, catching me right in the act of ogling at her breasts. So I trailed my gaze up her long, smooth neck. I estimated it was probably ten kisses long. She had a tiny birthmark on the left side and I wanted to lick it. I wanted tobiteit, then lick over the bite, and then kiss again. Kiss her soft skin, hear her soft gasps, indulge in her moans.

“Did you get a good look?” Jade whispered, pulling me out of my fantasy just long enough for me to see the way she did it. She brought the can to her lips, sticking out her tongue just enough. Enough to give me a fucking aneurysm.

The white substance squirted into her mouth—fast, obscene, and absolutely done on purpose. Provocative.

Shewatched.She watched the way my eyes were glued to her. She listened to the way my breath caught somewhere in my lungs. And she fucking noticed the fire on my face.

A tiny bit of whipped cream escaped, settling right on the corner of her lips. Just on the cusp. Another utterly insane idea popped into my head—I should lick it off.

It was whipped cream—I loved everything sweet and she wasn’t sharing. Just as I wondered how much everything would implode after I licked that whipped cream off her lips, she stated, “You want some.”

She said it quietly, leaving no room for discussion. She said it…and it was enough. I opened my mouth, and instantly, a little smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Right at that corner with the whipped cream.

The can hissed, coating my tongue with cold, sweet foam, but Jade didn’t let up. She kept her finger pressed on the nozzle, overloading my mouth with whipped cream, her eyes lit with wild curiosity.

She wanted to see how far she could push it—how much she could get away with.

And I let her. Because I was here. Because I abandoned everything at the drop of a hat. Because IknewI shouldn’t have come tonight. Because there was no other place on earth I wanted to be.

“Mmm!” I tried to pull back but she stepped forward, her little giggle a clear sign that she wasn’t planning to stop.

“Shh, shh! Let me!” Jade squealed, throwing her arm around my neck, doing her best to keep me in place.

And it all just happened. I closed my fingers around her dainty little wrist, pulling the whipped cream nozzle out of my mouth, but in the process, somehow, inexplicably, unfathomably, clumsily, but at the same time so deliberately…I wrapped my arm around her waist, tugging her to me.

She stared up at me, all wide-eyed and breathless, andso damneffortlessly, like she belonged there—she pressed herself against me.

Real. Alive.Delicate.

Every nerve ending burned where we touched, my heart screaming to pull her closer while my mind begged me to run.

This was not good. No.

This was what neurotic Andrei was talking about, and his words slammed into my head again just as I inhaled the intoxicating scent of Jade’s presence.This is legitimately dangerous. Do not touch her. Do not think about her. Do not fall in love.

Iwastouching her.

Iwasthinking about her.

I was—