24.

-HER-

I don’t know what to say or how to react to this so I decided to keep my mouth shut and work.

“You seem like an introvert,” He comments, directing his full attention to me. I simply shrug and concentrate on sorting the papers. Even after feeling his eyes on me, I don’t look up and act to be busy with work.

“Tell me something about yourself,” His words make me look up at him. He has abandoned his work. Judging by the stack of books and paper, I think he should be concentrating on something other than me.

“What do you want to know?” I ask him instead.

“Anything,” He shrugs, settling deep in his chair, looking comfortable.

“Why do you want to know about me?” I am surprised to hear myself asking this question to him upfront. This takes him by surprise too before his lips curl up in a smirk.

“I’m very curious about you,” He tells me honesty. His eyes are focused on my face, waiting for my reaction. His words make my heart speed up again and my hands shaky.

“Because I vandalized your office?” I ask and he chuckles lightly. It’s beautiful and makes my stomach dip. I try hard not to stare at his perfect smile.

“Partly,” He answers with that same knowing look in his eyes that has been haunting me.

“I again apologize for-“

“Shut it. I am not even mad at you for what you did,” He interrupts me, shaking his head.

“You’re not?” I find myself getting comfortable with him. I can use this opportunity to ask how much Holly told him and how he figured out that it was not her but us who trashed his office.

“Not even a bit,” He tells me, leaning in and looking me straight into the eyes. I couldn’t be more surprised by his answer.

“Why?” My question is followed by a momentary silence before he answers, “You’ll soon know,”

“It’s because she told you something?” I ask further, leaning in. He cocks a perfect eyebrow at me before asking me back, “Who?”

“Holly… did she tell you something?” I ask, sitting up straight and turning my whole attention to him. I have abandoned the papers. I want answers and I think I am close to getting them. He continues to look at me. With the intensity in his eyes, the tension in the air increases.

“Wait a minute… am I missing something? What was Holly supposed to tell me?” He tilts his head while his eyes intensify more on me.

I take a deep breath before I finally ask him, “How did you know that we framed Holly?” He searches my eyes as I notice his jaw ticking. My heart is thrashing in my chest. Silence answers my question.

“Did Holly give our names to you?” I ask him further. He doesn’t answer. I sigh deeply before leaning back and looking at the papers. I am finding it hard to stare at him for long without blushing.

“She gave me your names,” He finally speaks.

“Ok,” I mutter.

“And I knew that it wasn’t Holly when I first saw her,” He answers as he leans back. This makes me look back at him. My eyebrows couldn’t help but come together to make meaning out of his words.

“You just saw her and knew that it wasn’t her?” I ask him in bewilderment. A smirk climbs on his face before he answers, “Yes,”

“How?” I ask, not being able to make any sense out of his words.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me why you framed Holly,” He offers, putting his hands on the table and leaning in again, but this time closer. It’s as if we are about to trade a secret.

I couldn’t help but be aware of our closeness and lean back a bit. He notices this right away and frowns slightly.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” I mutter.

“Why? You can tell me, Cybele,” He insists gently, putting his hand over mine. I gasp at the sudden contact. I feel those strange sensations again. I couldn’t quite describe them completely. They come as small vibrations that travel throughout my whole body, instantly making me relax a bit.

By the look on his face, I know that he feels it too. I find myself dumbstruck for a moment before I try to move my hand away. At the slightest hint of retrieval, he holds my hand tight.

His hand is bigger than mine and it easily covers mine fully. The strange sensation intensifies, making my stomach dip. I feel those butterflies in my stomach again.

Meanwhile, he is watching me warily as if he doesn’t want to miss anything. My heart flutters in my chest like a caged bird. His hold continues to grow tighter on me before it turns into a pull.

I forget to breathe when I find myself being transferred on his lap from my seat. One of his arms tightens around my waist while the other travel up my back and rests at the back of my neck.

“Jake,” I gasp when the black of his pupils bleed out into the whites. His eyes are trained on my lips. There’s this hungry and possessive look in them. I want to run but I couldn’t because the attraction is too strong.

“Mine,” he growls lowly before his lips crash on mine. That strange sensation intensifies at the contact. I am shocked as he slowly starts to move his lips against me. My gasp grants him access to my mouth.

I moan as that sensation intensifies when he deepens the kiss. He swallows my moan and his arms tighten around me even more, pressing me against his hard body. I could feel his body heat radiate into mine and his scent playing in my nose.

My hands are resting on his chest while he kisses me heatedly. Acting on the strange desire, I move my lips against his too. He responds to this by sucking my lower lip. My heart almost leaps out of my chest.

As the kiss continues, it becomes demanding and hungrier. I am finding it hard to catch up with him. I have been kissed several times before but never like this.

I have to pull back when I am out of breath. As I gasp for my breath, I feel him burying his face in the crook of my neck. I am still recovering from the kiss when I feel his mouth close around my neck. I gasp and sit up but his arms are holding me at place.

What is he up to?

...

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