Bet on Me by Mia Hoddell Page A

easier for her to deal with, but I was selfish.
    She unlocked her door, and when she went to step over the threshold I snagged her wrist. Spinning her around, I guided her back until she was pressed against the wall. She craned her neck up to scowl at me as the cool plaster sent a shiver through her body. At least I assumed it was the cold. If I allowed myself to even consider the idea it was my proximity to her, I’d never go.
    “I had fun today,” I murmured, my voice low as I tried to remove all traces of tension from it.
    “Really?” she snorted disdainfully.
    “The week was perfect until about an hour ago.” I inched closer, placing my hands on the wall either side of her head. Glancing down at her, I forced a smirk on to my lips. “I got to see you in a bikini, you straddled me on a bike, and now you’re in a dress I want to peel you out of. What’s not to love?”
    Her throat bobbed, the frustration seeping from her expression ever so slightly.
    “I’ve had a great time and it has all been down to you.” I lowered my mouth so it rested centimetres from hers. “You make me feel alive, Alaya.”
    Not giving her time to escape, I closed the gap between us. My lips melded with hers and my body pressed her back into the wall as I moved one hand to cup her face.
    A small whimper escaped her throat at my touch, only making me double my efforts. I kissed her harder, sucking her bottom lip into my mouth as I traced her cheekbone with my fingers, then drifted up to tangle them in her curtain of silky hair.
    In case I never saw her again, I wanted to imprint everything in my mind: her sweet taste, the softness of her skin, the citrus scent of her body lotion, the feel of her body reacting to my touch as she arched against me. She’d asked me to be honest with myself and I couldn’t be more honest than admitting that Alaya consumed me like a drug. I knew one kiss wouldn’t ever be enough even though it was all I could have.
    Everything from her love of life down to the little mewling sounds she made against me felt fucking perfect, and I didn’t deserve perfect. I’d already taken too much from her.
    Like an ice cold shower, the realisation of what I was doing pulled me away from her. We both struggled to catch our breath as I rested my head on my fist that still remained against the wall.
    “That was … it … um … what was that?” she whispered, her words causing her exhales to sweep over my neck.
    “I had to know.”
    “Know what?”
    “What it would be like, even if it was only once.” My voice came out hoarse, the emotions lodging in my throat choking me. They constricted around my heart, tightening to form an ache in my chest that proved impossible to ignore.
    “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to tell me good-bye?”
    “This was the best week of my life. I mean it, so thank you.” Pushing off the wall, I smiled down at her. My lips trembled and my expression faltered so I forced my gaze from her eyes as soon as I saw the confusion welling in them. I’d have caved instantly if she kept looking at me like that.
    I dropped my lips to her forehead, placing a quick kiss against her skin before dragging myself away. “Good night, Gingernut.”
    Without glancing back I strode down the corridor, not wanting to see the state I left her in. It was a dick move, but I had to know. She told me to go after what I wanted in life, and I couldn’t move on without knowing what she felt and tasted like. Even though I knew nothing would ever compare to her and that she’d ruin me.
    She was going to hate me tomorrow if she didn’t already, but it was better than the alternative.
     

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
     
    Alaya
     
    I knew he’d been saying good-bye. His avoidance of the question and repeated thanks were enough of a tip off. I couldn’t figure out what happened during his phone call, but he came back changed. I kept quiet out of anger for how he spoke to me, and frustration that I wasn’t allowed to