Page 19 of Give In
As soon as I freed my trapped lip, Brooks lowered his head and pressed his to mine. The kiss was quick—more than a peck, but not much.
It was… nice.
There was a tiny bit of sizzle, but no crackle. I tried to ignore the niggling disappointment.
Maybe there will be sizzle and crackle if we kiss longer.
Reaching for my hand, he held it as we headed for the door. Once we were outside, he kept looking over his shoulder.
“Expecting zombies?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Worse. I think I sawCainein there.”
Ice ran through my veins, and the tension I’d been ignoring was back.
Tenfold.
I forced my voice to sound nonchalant. “Really?”
“With a brunette. I don’t think he saw us, though.”
Stupid illogical jealousy clenched my stomach even as my shoulders slumped with the knowledge we hadn’t been seen. That in and of itself was stupid because it wasn’t any of Professor Caine’s business who I dated.
I have such little control over my life, even my own emotions are a tangled mess.
“Isn’t it weird how much it throws you off to see a teacher outside of school? Especially on adate.” He shrugged, unaware of the pain that was slicing through me. “I guess I kind of figured he haunted the campus, scrawling notes on everything with his damn red pen and never leaving at night.”
Oh, I know where he goes most nights.
I felt my cheeks flush but steeled my spine.
Whatever the deal was with Professor Caine, it was done. Sure, he’d continued to be a dick at school. And, yes, he’d seen me nearly naked. But he’d stopped visiting Sinners, and he was on his own date.
I wasn’t about to let him ruin mine, even if just in my head.
Doing what I did best, I buried my head in the sand. I ignored the unease and jealous burn that filled me and focused on Brooks. “I remember when I saw a teacher leaving their house once, it messed me all up. I really thought they just lived at school.”
“I think most kids think that.”
“Yeah,” I deadpanned, “but I was a senior.”
Brooks threw his head back and laughed, using his hold on my hand to pull me closer.
When we got into the theater and found our seats, the lights started to dim. As the previews began, Brooks leaned closer to whisper, “Can I put my arm around you?”
Well, that’s… underwhelming.
Nice, though.
Yes, totally nice.
I nodded and scooched forward so he could drape his arm across my shoulders.
See? He’s being respectful. At least he didn’t fake a yawn and drop his arm around me.
That would’ve been too cringy, even for me.
I watched the whole movie like that, cuddled under his arm. It was safe and warm and…
