But the way she kisses me back?
The way she clings to me, breath hitching, her thighs brushing my hips like she can’t get close enough?
That doesn’t feel fake.
I kiss her like I’m dying. Like she’s air, and I’ve been underwater for years. I kiss her like it’s the first and last time, because I don’t know what happens after this.
She pulls back slowly, her lips swollen and eyes wide.
I know her parents are going to lose their minds. I know Vincent’s going to hear about this.
Good, because I’ve already decided he’s going to die, anyway.
This is the start of something that can’t be undone.
And I’m not letting her go.
LILAC
The inside of Callum’s old truck smells like leather and pine, the kind of scent that gets into your lungs and makes you forget to breathe. The heater rattles like it's on its last leg, and the gearshift squeals every time he changes it, but the cab is warm, and it feels like some kind of private chaos that only Callum Grey can create. This is the first truck he bought when he was old enough to drive. Everyone told him to get rid of it and get something sleeker, more expensive, something that would fit in at Castlebrook.
I always loved it. The rumbles, the nostalgia. I think mostly because it’s him. Not flashy, just sturdy and reliable.
I glance down at my hand as he drives because I’m having a hard time looking at him after that kiss. That felt like years of pent up frustration, and it didn’t feel one-sided to me. I know I’ve had a lot going on and I’m probably not in the most clear headspace, but there’s something different about Callum tonight and the way he’s looking at me. The ring catches the light, glinting like it was made for me.
"Callum," I whisper, finally turning to him. "What was that? What are we doing? You can’t possibly think this is going towork. What about your social life? You have so many girls that?—"
He doesn’t look at me right away. Just keeps one hand on the wheel and the other clenched around the gear shift like he’s still trying to process it himself.
“First of all, and I don’t want to explain right now in detail. There are no other girls, bambi. There is you, and nothing else. I have reasons for the persona that I put out at this school, secrets that no one knows about. I just need you to believe me, but I promise I’ll tell you one day.” I’m shocked by what he’s saying because Callum is always the life of the party, the one all the girls are standing in line, begging him to hook up with them.
I don’t say anything because he looks like he has more to tell me. “I knew if I told you what I was planning," he says finally, “you'd say no. Because you wouldn't want to drag me into the mess with your parents. But I’m telling you, this is my problem as much as yours. I’m not going to let them do this to you.”
My throat tightens. I blink fast, but the tears don’t fall. They never do when they’re supposed to because that’s how I was raised, wasn’t it? Keep it together, and don’t cause a scene was my mother’s favorite thing to say to me whenever I was hurt or distraught. Instead, I fidget with the ring, spinning it around my finger like I can undo the last ten minutes with a twist.
"What are we going to do?" I ask, quieter now. "I wouldn’t be surprised if the gossip mill hasn’t already reached my parents. They’re going to expect you to actually marry me. Or worse, they’re going to try to force you to?—"
Callum parks the truck under a weeping willow, and it’s not until then that I realize that we’re in the Castlebrook cemetery. He doesn’t miss a beat and cups my jaw, stopping my spiral.
"I’ve protected you for a long time, Lilac. Sometimes you appreciated it. Sometimes you found it annoying?—"
"Demanding that I wear your hoodie over my dress is not protecting me," I roll my eyes because sometimes he really is ridiculous.
He grins. That crooked, unapologetic grin that always makes me want to hit him and kiss him at the same time. "Agree to disagree... future wife."
I blush. Actually blush. Which is insane, because this is Callum. Bold, infuriating Callum, doing big dramatic things without asking because that's just who he is. This whole fake engagement is so very him. I shake my head.
"I'm not going to let your parents force you into marrying someone," he says, serious now. "Especially not Vincent."
"They're going to find out this is fake at some point," I warn.
He frowns, but recovers fast. "It'll buy you some time. And get Vincent off your back. So I don’t have to slit his throat."
I smack his shoulder playfully. "You wouldn’t kill someone."
He turns to me, deadly calm. "I would kill anyone if they did something to you, bambi. I don’t give a fuck. Anyone. No one is safe."
My stomach flips. Heat floods my chest. I hate how much I like that he said that. I don’t eat meat because I’ve seen animals slaughtered on farms, and I can’t stomach it. But the thought of Callum slitting Vincent’s throat to protect me? I’m fucking wet.
