10: A good show

•Odette•

The rest of the dinner was spent in silence. It wasn’t necessarily awkward silence. I just didn’t have anything to say to Draven, neither did he have anything to say to me.

Once we were finished with the meal, Draven didn’t let me split the bill with him. He swiped his card for both meals, saying that it was his treat.

I didn’t make a fuss about it after he assured me that the next dinner would be solely in my hands.

Draven and I were now walking towards the parking lot. The place was even much busier than when we first arrived.

“Let me send you off.” Draven said, taking the lead.

I hadn’t parked that far from him so it wouldn’t be such a bother to have him send me off. But I’d already had enough of Draven Lockwood for one night.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to…” I trailed off without completing the rest of my sentence when Draven placed his hand on the small of my back and drew me closer to his side.

“Of course, I have to.” He whispered against my neck, running his nose along the skin which triggered all my nerve senses.

The action was far too intimate.

“What are you doing?” I asked breathlessly as Draven kept on nuzzling the crook of my neck while we walked.

“People are watching. Let’s put on a good show,” was all he said.

We finally reached my car and I thought the ‘show’ would end. But it didn’t.

“I wish I could stay with you a little longer.” Draven said, his hand moving from the back of my waist to my hand.

He brought it up and placed a kiss on it.

This was the third time that he had kissed my hand tonight. If I didn’t know better, I would say he had a hand fetish.

I reacted to the hand kiss better this time, leaning forward and saying, “Me too. It’s so sad we have to part now.”

I was not that good of an actor compared to Draven, but I once put up an amazing display of pretense to cover up after doing something terrible.

So my words flowed easily and the yearning in my body language was close to perfection.

My acting seemed to ignite something within Draven as he looked at me through his lashes. He let go of my hand and straightened his back.

“Is that so?” He came closer. His breath was a mix of spice and gin. Which, I must add, was a dangerous combo.

Somehow, I lost feeling in my tongue and couldn’t speak. I could only nod my head in response.

“Show me how sad you are to see me go.”

Our faces were less than two inches apart when Draven said those words. I didn’t understand what he meant immediately.

How was I supposed to show him that? Were we still acting? Were people still watching? I had no clue at this point.

All I could see, smell, and feel was Draven Lockwood now.

Was I supposed to sob and say that I would miss him very much? Or would hugging him send a better message? Perhaps that was what he wanted me to do.

On realization, I slowly moved my hands with the intent for them to go around him, inching closer to him.

I hadn’t even achieved hugging Draven successfully when he took the lead, covering the back of my neck and pushing it forward.

It happened so fast that my brain was a bit slow in responding. Five seconds had already passed before I realized what was happening.

Draven was not hugging me—he was kissing me.

Those soft pink lips that had kissed my hand multiple times tonight were now pressed against my lips.

Now that my body had processed what was happening, I placed my hands on Draven’s chest to push him away and tell him off.

In doing so, Draven had not only stood his ground but he had also managed to pry my mouth open and deepen the kiss.

My tongue which had been numb before suddenly came to life. I tasted him. I felt his tongue swirling in my mouth, his lips sucking on mine like he was on a quest to drain everything I had in me.

He had one hand on the back of my neck that was consistently pressing me onto him while the other hand was on my lower back, keeping my body flush against his own.

His body was excitingly hot, and I seemed to crave that heat. My hands that had been pushing him away before held onto his collars to pull him closer now.

I could feel a pulse in my core and a pressure building at the pit of my stomach. I was very sure that a simple kiss was not supposed to set off such ardent reactions.

But there was nothing simple about this kiss. I was being consumed by the lips of Draven Lockwood. And no part of my body was on the fence about surrendering to him.

His tongue, his hands, his everything had rendered me senseless and helpless, leaving me with a desire so indescribable that I couldn’t put into words.

My head spun, and I was running out of my breath, but I had never felt or done anything this intense in my life. Not even when I did that.

It was dangerous, fascinating, toe-curling, wrong.

Just when I thought I would die of breathlessness, Draven pulled away.

A sense of longing and emptiness washed over me. I was heavily panting and bewildered. I almost stumbled, trying to find balance with my weakened knees.

I reached for my lips and the brief contact reminded me of the wonders that it had just explored seconds ago.

I put my hand down, then looked at Draven. His eyes had been on me all this while. The green burning with undisguised carnal desire.

I was a bit afraid that he was staring at me like that.

“Sweet,” was the only thing Draven said before rubbing his thumb over his lower lip to get my lip stain off.

What was sweet? Me?

Draven came towards me once again and I froze on the spot, not making any attempt to shift away.

Was he going to kiss me again? If he was, then I should move away, shouldn’t I? But my body refused to do a thing.

Draven was right in front of me and I thought he would take my lips again. But his hand went behind me and opened the door to my car.

I blinked.

“Go home. It’s late already.” Draven ushered me towards the open door.

I said nothing as he helped me into the back seat and clasped a seat belt around me.

“Take her straight home.” He said to my driver who was already seated in place, ready to move.

The man nodded without a word.

Draven’s mouth hovered on my forehead as he said, “Good night, Odette Valmont.”

He did not peck my forehead or kiss my lips again—not that I was expecting or hoping that he would. After bidding me good night, Draven closed the door and moved away.

The driver wasted no time in turning on the engine of the car and driving away.

Just like that, I could no longer see Draven and my brain finally did that thing where the common sense that flew away in that man’s presence returned in his absence.

I JUST KISSED Draven Lockwood.

And I liked it.