Chapter 41

Aria

By the time we pull away from the kiss, my heart’s thumping so hard I swear it’s trying to break out of my chest. My whole body? Yeah, it’s officially on fire. Desire is a bitch like that.

“That was… lovely,” Lucas murmurs, brushing a strand of hair out of my face smoothly. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

Great. Just great. Now my thighs are wet, and I’m officially pissed at my own body for reacting this way from just a fucking kiss. Why is this bastard so good at seduction? Like, did he take lessons or something?

“Thanks,” I manage, but my voice comes out shaky, which is so not the vibe I was going for. “Did you… really mean it? That you like me?”

He smiles…one of those confident, panty-dropping smiles that should be illegal. “Wasn’t it obvious?”

Obvious? No, sir. Sometimes he’s hot, sometimes he’s cold. He’s like Katy Perry on steroids.

“Aria,” he says seriously, his gray eyes locking onto mine, “I really like you. But I’m scare