Page 29 of Traces of Her

“Stop pushing me,” he whispers against my lips, pressing his forehead against mine while he gently strokes my hair. “You already know more than you should and that alone could be the end of us.”

Is there an us? Or are we merely two separate people thrown into a shitty situation together just trying to get by?

Bringing his mouth back to mine, he kisses me slowly and softly, melting against my swollen and bruised lips. A rush of cold air skates across my lips as he leans away from me. He sits back in his seat, like he never even pulled the car over and wasn’t just kissing me.

Clearing my throat, I re-adjust in my seat, smoothing my hair back down and absentmindedly touching my lips with my fingertips. I want more of his mouth on me. A warmth spreads through my body, lingering and tingling between my legs. A strangled cough escapes my lips as I move again, with the fabric of my pants creating friction against me and I grow flushed, feeling the heat spreading up my neck and into my cheeks. I glance over at Griffin and find him studying his prey.

Griffin looks away from me, pressing the start button to turn on his car. Reaching over, he grabs my hand, bringing it up to his soft lips and presses them against it. He holds on to my hand tightly, not letting go, and puts the car back in drive, pulling it back onto the road. A few moments pass of silence while he strokes the back of my hand with his thumb.

“Jared and I have a half-sister,” Griffin says quietly into the silence. “She has no idea that we exist and I’ve worked hard to keep it that way and make sure she’s safe. She had a twin brother…” His voice trails off as he stares straight ahead out the window.

“Had?” I ask.

Slowly, he nods. “Jared killed him.” He pauses, gripping the steering wheel and my hand tighter. “And now he has her.”