The fireworks had long since faded, but Malia still felt the heat of Kieth’s mouth against hers.
Back in her suite, she stood by the window with her arms wrapped tight around her body, staring at the reflection of her pale face in the glass. The city outside was alive, glowing with a thousand lights, but inside she felt nothing but a hollow ache.
Her lips tingled. Her chest was a battlefield.
She pressed her forehead against the cool glass and whispered to herself, “It wasn’t real. It can’t be real.”
But it had felt real. Too real.
The way he’d touched her face with surprising gentleness. The way his eyes had burned with something raw, something unguarded. And worst of all—the way she had kissed him back.
Her nails dug into her arms. She wasn’t supposed to cross that line. She wasn’t
