I brush my ass off. “I should probably head home. I’ve got a midnight curfew.”
He holds my hand and we move slowly back down the path toward where we parked, but when we get there, Tyler’s doing Amy on the hood of his car.
Jon takes a deep breath and opens his car door for me. “Sorry about them.”
“It’s cool,” I say, dropping into his passenger seat.
He climbs in the driver’s side and looks at me, a spark in his eye.
“For them,” I qualify. “Don’t get any ideas or I’ll have to bust out the Kung Fu.”
“You know Kung Fu?” he says, his eyes going even wider.
I shake my head at him. “You don’t want to find out.”
He starts the car and we wind back down the mountain, past the high school toward town.
“So, where did you come from?” he asks.
“San Francisco.”
He glances sideways at me. “Sort of a big change, huh?”
“Yeah. My sister thought this would be better for us. It’s cheaper to live here and all.”
He slows where he turned back to the high school this afternoon. “You’ll need to navigate me from here.”
I point straight ahead. “I’m in the first block, on top of the gun shop.”
He coasts down the hill and rolls to a stop in front of the gun shop. “Look, Lilah, I know this was kind of lame, but maybe we can see a movie or something sometime.”
I step out of the car and close the door, then rest my arms on the door when he rolls down the window. “Maybe.”
He unbuckles and leans across, waiting for a good night kiss. I lean in and press one to his lips. He grins like the fool he is as I draw away.
“You need to learn the finer points of kissing,” I say. “You’re really bad at it.”
“You’re going to teach me?” he asks eagerly.
“Good night, Jon,” I say, but he just keeps grinning.
I stand and cross the sidewalk to the apartment door. Once I have it open, I give Jon a wave. As he pulls away, he passes an old black car that shines under the streetlight just up the block. There’s a man leaning against the fender, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
A jolt of adrenaline sends me backpedaling through the doorway…until I realize who it is.
Bran.
A shiver runs up my spine and my nipples harden. I tell myself it’s the late-night November chill, but I know that’s a lie.
I drop my guitar and storm out my door and across the street. He doesn’t move until I’m right on top of him, and then it’s only to push off the car and stand in front of me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I demand.
His eyes scan me head to toe. “I wanted to know you were safe.”
I shove him back against his car. “So you’re stalking me? That doesn’t make me feel safe. It makes me feel like worms are crawling under my skin. It’s fucking creepy.”
He nods slowly. “You’re probably right.”
I sigh deeply. “You’re going to have to trust that I can take care of myself, Bran.”
He glances up the street in both directions. “I care about you, and that pervert is out here somewhere.”
I ignore the dizzying rush in my chest from his declaration and fist my hands on my hips. “So this has nothing to do with my date?”
His jaw grinds tight, and that’s all the answer I get.
I lift my hand slowly, cup his cheek and run the pad of my thumb under his black eye. “Thank you for caring, Bran. I appreciate your concern. But this can’t happen. You know that.”
You know that.
I say it, but I know he doesn’t “know that.” And the reason he doesn’t is because a huge part of me doesn’t either. I don’t mean it and he can sense that.
He lays his hand over mine, holding my palm against his warm skin.
I lift my other hand and hold his face in my hands. He watches me, letting me decide what happens next. I feel like my heart’s being pulled up my throat. It’s beating so hard for him.
I lean in, needing to feel what I felt when he kissed me. Needing to feel that spark lighting my dark soul. But just before our lips touch, I lower my gaze.
He rests his chin on the crown of my head and sighs deeply into my hair. “You smell like whiskey.”
I let his face go and back away. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bran.”
He nods and watches me cross the abandoned street.
When I walk through the door and the lights are on, I have a moment of panic that Destiny was watching for me to get home from my date and maybe she saw me with Bran just now. But she’s nowhere near the windows. Instead, she’s hunched on the couch, her face in her hand, talking on the phone.