28. Chapter Twenty-Eight - Heavenly Kiss
“C’mon,” I whispered, tapping his hand gently. “Let’s sit down, Culv.”
His grip loosened, though the choice felt reluctant, hesitation clinging to the space between us like static. He let go anyway, allowing me to take the lead, and even as we walked, I could feel a phantom echo of his touch lingering across my skin.
“‘Culv’ is a cute nickname,” Rupert announced cheerfully. He had planted himself against the table like a cat choosing the most inconvenient place to lounge, one hip popped, and eyes bright with mischief. “You two are rather chummy together.”
Culver didn’t bother responding with words.
Instead, he simply tugged me onto his lap with a smooth motion that surprised a tiny yelp out of my throat.
His arm curled around my waist with thoughtless confidence, as if I belonged in that exact position and everyone else was merely witnessing the obvious.
I wrinkled my nose in a half-hearted protest, muttering something under my breath that came out entirely unintelligible. He got strangely territorial whenever Rupert was involved, like his brother had access to some internal lever that flipped him into guard-dog mode.
His thigh beneath me was cool and unyielding, a firmness that felt both grounding and annoyingly comfortable at the same time. The press of his chest against my back made my pulse kick up in places that were currently useless.
My hand drifted down the plane of his abdomen through his shirt, gliding over the hard ridges concealed beneath.
He tensed under my touch, not resisting, only sharpening like a wire tightening under heat.
With my other hand, I reached up into his hair, threading my fingers through the strands and discovering it was softer than it had any right to be, curling tight between my fingers.
Rupert, meanwhile, either refused to acknowledge the growing tension or delighted in pretending it didn’t exist. After I’d hummed in approval at my drink, he pointed at the bartender with a cheesy thumbs-up.
He hopped up onto the table, placing one foot on the side, then stretched dramatically outward.
Soroush lounged near him, focusing his attention on his phone rather than engaging in the conversation.
“What is it he calls you?” Rupert hummed theatrically, sliding his back onto the table before arching back up with quick fluidity. “Ah, yes. Little lamb. Quite an endearment for a pet.”
Culver’s eyes narrowed, and I puffed my cheeks out at the condescending nickname. I gave him a beat to say something, but the two of them were already locked in a staring contest.
“I dunno about you,” I said, “but I’d rather be called a little lamb over being someone’s pet any day. That just sounds like being beneath someone, don’tcha think?”
Soroush placed his phone on the table, clearly realizing Rupert was up to no good, but he stayed quiet.
“Oh,” Rupert’s eyes widened as if struck by revelation, “but you are the latest addition to the family. Our newest pet.”
He lunged forward before I could blink.
Culver’s hand shot out, intercepting Rupert’s own. It looked like he’d been planning to ruffle my hair. That was a massive no for me, but it seemed Culver wasn’t thinking about my dislikes so much as his own displeasure.
“Keep your hands to yourself,” he ground out roughly.
I could hardly focus on the warning, though. His other hand wrapped around my waist protectively, and it felt almost surreal, the way he squeezed me against his body as if his life depended on it.
Rupert’s smile widened.
“It seems the kitty hasn’t been tamed yet,” he purred. “So I will have to wait to play with her until then.”
“Roo,” Soroush called, sliding his hand beneath Rupert’s arm to coax him backward.
Rupert listened without a second thought, gliding down onto the cushion beside his lover. Culver, on the other hand, remained rigid, glaring at Rupert as if he had sprouted a second head that needed defeating.
I gulped, feeling the quiet thrill build inside me.
There was something about the way his jaw clenched and his eyes sharpened that pulled me in, especially when he tugged me tighter against him like I actually mattered enough to shield me from whatever was happening.
In that fleeting moment, it reminded me how badly I wanted to believe I wasn’t just some temporary distraction to him.
I wiggled in my comfortable seat on his lap, and that snapped his attention back to me. His eyes scanned down my body, then to where his hand wrapped securely around my waist.
“You are so petite,” he murmured, his eyes flicking back to mine.
“I guess it’s from dancing," I mimicked his tone. “I mean, I dunno if you know, but I dance.”
“I know,” he replied.
As he spoke, his hand slid lower onto my thigh.
My breath caught in my throat, and every intimate memory we had shared before flashed through my head.
I wondered if he knew about my dancing by chance or if it came from digging into my life like I’d half-suspected all along.
The wild side of me secretly hoped it was the stalking part.
Culver had a way of making intensity feel almost normal, like it was simply part of what drew me to him, even if I knew it sounded messed up when I thought about it too hard.
“How do you know that?” I licked my lips, and his gaze followed the movement of my tongue.
“You make it difficult to concentrate when you do that.” He inhaled before slowly breathing out. “Apologies, I… I have seen your content.”
“And,” my throat dried at the thought of asking him, “what do you think?”
His eyes never left mine, but my neck was starting to ache from craning upward to look at him. Damn him and his lankiness.
My thoughts scattered the second his thumb slid across the slit of my thighs in an upward motion, barely missing what rested between my legs. A sharp inhale escaped me as I fought back the moan threatening to spill out.
“From the moment I saw you, I thought you were the most extraordinarily beautiful creature on this Gods-given Earth.”
He must’ve been Christian. It explained the necklace, which now looked more like a rosary, and the way he spoke about God with reverence.
He paused, his palm gliding across my thigh and making me shiver into him.
I almost hiccupped at the sensation, and my arms rose instinctively against my chest, pushing what little cleavage I had upward so I didn’t get in the way of him touching me.
Because the last thing I wanted was for him to think, even for a second, that I wasn’t completely on board with every bit of his contact lighting me up from the inside.
“The way you move is hypnotic,” he continued. “It is maddeningly addictive to watch, but it does not compare to you in person.”
Culver’s fingers rose, brushing his thumb along my cheek and through my hair. My eyes searched his, and for one reckless moment, I thought I was going to do something stupid, like close the gap completely and lose myself in him.
My body turned toward him, my hand bracing on his shoulder for support.
My legs parted as I drew closer, our chests and stomachs pressing together while I settled onto him more fully.
We continued watching each other, the heat of the moment never fading.
My free hand reached up, cupping his cheek and drawing us close enough that my nose brushed his.
I was going to do it, and I wasn’t even thinking about regretting it.
Honestly, I was wondering what could possibly be so bad about leaning in and kissing him when it felt right in the moment.
My breath hitched when both of his hands slid down my back before gliding across my ass and squeezing tightly enough that it felt like he was spreading me open.
My eyes closed momentarily, a moan escaping at the sensation.
“Culv,” I whispered, my hand sliding up to cup the back of his neck and bring him closer.
Our lips were so close to touching—
The moment shattered.
“Oh look, we get to watch the show for free, my Sun.”
Rupert’s obnoxiously dramatic voice cut through the moment, dragging me sharply back to reality.
Shit.
I was so close to jumping into something totally reckless with Culver.
Sure, it felt easy and tempting in the heat of it, but deep down, I knew it could blow up in my face.
Even though part of me wanted it just as badly, craved it even, I forced myself to hold back and play it smart.
If I could get him hooked on me, then maybe I’d have a shot at keeping him around without everything crashing down too soon.
I pulled back, and Culver’s half-lidded eyes lifted toward Rupert with great disdain, like his brother’s interruption wasn’t merely annoying but the bane of his existence.
He inhaled deeply, then exhaled.
Without warning, he squeezed my ass and ground himself upward into me, making me feel the hardness of his erection through his pants.
I had to bite my lip quickly to stop myself from moaning again.
My brows pulled together, though, when he slipped me off of him.
“Apologies, I lost myself in the heat of the moment with you yet again. I cannot believe I keep allowing myself to do that.”
My mouth opened to say something, but I closed it again and only nodded. I was the one who initiated most of it, so the blame fell on me, but yeah, he had a point. We both got swept up enough that I’d completely forgotten Rupert and Soroush were sitting right there watching us unravel.
One thing I hated, though, was the fact that I wasn’t sitting in his lap anymore. But maybe that was for the best since Culver made for one hell of a comfortable spot and also had a way of making it impossible to think straight.
I brushed through my hair and sighed.
The drink I was waiting on was already on the table, and I reached out to grab it, taking a swig and humming with approval.
“Aww, so no show.” Rupert feigned a pout. “I really thought you both might fuck on the couch.”
I spit out half my drink, flushing profusely.
“W-Why would we even—”