Page 103 of White Hot Kiss

Hurrying down the front steps, I stopped at the curb and made sure I didn’t feel the presence of any Wardens. When I didn’t, I breathed out a sigh of relief. The last thing we needed was for Zayne to check on me now.

Roth grinned as I slid into the front seat. “Why is your face so red?”

I hated Stacey sometimes. “No reason,” I muttered. “Where are we going?”

To make it seem like Roth and I were actually doing the date thing, we had several hours before the moon would be out and it would be late enough to check out the reflecting pool. “I thought we’d head back to my place after grabbing something to eat. That should kill a couple of hours.”

Gripping the edges of the leather seat, I nodded as my stomach twisted. We ended up at Chan, a couple of blocks from Roth’s apartment. I spotted a few Fiends and even a Poser. It took everything in me not to tag the Poser demon. Doing so would draw attention to me from both the demons and the Wardens.

Once back at Roth’s loft, he put the little boxes of leftover rice in his fridge and then kicked off his shoes. Unsure of what to do, I sat on the edge of the bed. The kittens were huddled together in a small ball atop the piano.

Roth leaned against the wall, a small smile on his face. “You’re nervous.”

“No, I’m not.”

He laughed. “I can smell your nervousness, Layla. You can’t lie about that.”

Well, then. I tugged my knees up to my chest and looped my arms around my legs. “Aren’t you at all nervous? What if the Key isn’t there? What if it is and it’s guarded? I doubt we’re just going to be able to walk in and grab it.”

“I wasn’t talking about that.” He pushed off the wall and prowled over to where I sat. Sitting down beside me, he placed his hands on either side of my bare feet. “But to answer your question, no, I’m not nervous. No matter what’s thrown at us, I’ll be able to handle it.”

“Well, aren’t you special. Cocky much?”

“I’m all kinds of special, but you know that.” Leaning in, he placed his chin on one of my knees. “You’re nervous because you’re here with me.”

With him this close, it was hard to think up a good lie. “You make me nervous.”

That slow smile of his spread across his full lips as he rose, leaving little distance between our mouths. “You should be nervous.”

“That’s reassuring.” I wanted to lean back, but I held myself in place.

Roth chuckled under his breath and then stood. Strolling over to the shelves, he pulled out a DVD and then looked over his shoulder. “Movie?”

Flustered, I nodded.

After popping the movie in, he settled down on the bed next to me, stretched out like a lazy cat bathing in the sun. About a minute into the film, I recognized it. “Devil’s Advocate?”

He smirked.

“Nice choice.” I sighed, shaking my head.

“Just watch it and enjoy.”

Try as I might, I could barely focus on the movie. Between glancing at the clock beside the bed and attempting to ignore Roth, I was strung high and tight. My brain kept going back to what Stacey had said. Real helpful stuff there, but she kind of had a point. I could only be young and dumb once.

And there was a really limited pool of those I could be young and dumb with.

Sneaking a glance at Roth, my gaze got hung up on those impossibly long lashes. With his eyes open to thin slits, his lashes fanned the skin under his eyes. The broad expanse of his smooth cheeks begged for me to touch them. His lips were slightly parted. Just a tiny gleam on the bolt in his tongue shone. Recalling the slick coolness of the bolt, I squeezed my eyes shut.

He really was a fine specimen, too.

A tight bundle of nerves coiled, and my heart rate kicked up. Having no idea what I was thinking or about to do, I took a deep breath and wiggled down until I was lying on my side next to Roth. There was some space between us, but the whole front of my body tingled as if we were touching.

Opening my eyes, I focused on the TV. Keanu had just bought a new apartment in New York City. Stuff was about to go downhill fast. My ability to pay attention to the movie lasted about a minute, giving way to the sharp yearning building inside me.

I wiggled closer, so that my thigh touched his. Roth had been breathing normally up until that moment, but now he seemed to stop breathing altogether. A single dark eyebrow rose.

I still really didn’t know what I was doing or why. Was it because I just wanted to be like a normal teenage girl for once? To be young and dumb? Or was I seeking a way to forget about what we were about to do and the very uncertain future?