As soon as the car drove away, I turned and slapped Emil. “What the hell were you thinking? Your girlfriend? Your ride or die bitch? I have half a mind to cut out your tongue!”

Emil just stood there, his right cheek coloring in a soft pink hue.

Looking at it, I started to feel a little guilty, but at the same time, he deserved it.

“And where do you get off kissing me like that?”

Without a word, he took me by the cheeks and kissed me again.

As much as I wanted to protest, it was impossible. I melted against him, my anger fading away. Ever so softly, he kissed me, our lips locking like a couple of puzzle pieces. His arms tightened around my waist, and our hips rubbed together.

My brain was telling me to end it, but my heart wanted this oh so badly. A fire blazed inside of me, getting hotter and hotter the more we kissed. As he tugged at my hair, I almost lost it, my hormones surging.

I wanted him.

Bad.

But I couldn’t have him.

Quickly, I shoved him away. I stumbled back, wiping my lips with the back of my hand and feigning disgust. “What the fuck?” I screamed.

Emil just looked at me.

“Kiss me one more time, and I swear I’ll kill you.”

“It would be worth it,” he mused.

Without another word, I turned on my heels and stormed off. I had half a mind to ditch him, but I didn’t feel like facing Cruz’s wrath if I neglected my charge. Ugh, why had I gotten stuck with this babysitting gig in the first place? They didn’t pay me enough for this shit.

Inside my car, I waited for him to join me. In those few moments, all I could think about was the way he’d kissed me. His lips were intoxicating. Even now, I could still taste him. I traced a finger along my bottom lip, feeling the warm aftermath.

Why was I feeling this way?

It didn’t make any sense.

He was a criminal.

Before I could torture myself with these thoughts, Emil slipped into the passenger seat. “You know, I don’t know why you’re so mad.”

I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white. With my foot on the gas, we lurched forward, peeling through the streets. I turned the corner fast, maybe too fast, the car’s back wheels grinding. I drove recklessly for a while before Emil reached over and took my hand, squeezing it softly. “Cassandra,” he whispered.

“What?” I spat out, jerking my hand away.

“Why are you so against this? Against us?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because the last girlfriend you had, you knocked up and abandoned. I’m sure as hell not letting that happen again.”

“Again?” he questioned, tilting his head.

“Don’t act stupid,” I hissed, venom dripping from every word as I eased onto the highway, weaving through the cars. Usually, I was a level-headed driver, but I had lost myself to my temper.

He was quiet for a moment before he turned to face me. “You were hurt.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

He sighed. “You can’t let that stop you forever. You’ll only be holding yourself back. Be honest with me, you feel it too. The attraction between us.”

I ground my teeth, pushing the car to its limits. “Shut up. I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Fine. But at least don’t be mad at me. I got us the perfect ‘in’ to the black market. Wasn’t that what you wanted all along? If it makes you feel any better, you can just tell yourself that I was playing the part.”

“I don’t know why I agreed to babysit you,” I grumbled under my breath.

* * *

I drove for what felt like an eternity, taking the time to settle my thoughts, but even as the afternoon dwindled, they were still just as jumbled.

Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was time to pick up Kimmy. I headed in the direction of her school, doing my best to calm down. I didn’t need her to worry about me.

Emil hadn’t said a word. He’d just sat there, looking out the window, his profile in stark contrast with everything else as the sun filtered into the car. Deep down, I felt a little guilty about snapping at him, but I just couldn’t let myself fall for him.

It wouldn’t end well.

And I couldn’t afford to get hurt again.

So I waited with all of the other parents for school to be let out. As soon as Kimmy saw me, she ran forward, hugging my leg. “Hey, pumpkin, how was school?”

“Good!” She smiled up at me, a precious look of happiness on her face. “I had a lot of fun in art class today.”

“Did you? You’ll have to show me when we get home.”

Kimmy looked around, searching for something. “Where’s your friend?”

I bit my lip. It was obvious that Kimmy had taken a liking to Emil. It made me uncomfortable. Kimmy was such an innocent and trusting little girl; I feared that she would get caught up in this mess if she got too involved. “In the car,” I finally answered. I squatted down beside her, taking her hands in mine, and looked into her eyes. “You really like him, don’t you?”

“He’s nice,” she said with a nod.

“But he’s not going to stay forever, okay?”

“Why not?”

“Because.” I couldn’t come up with a better answer. “Just trust Mommy on this one.”

She frowned. “But I like him.”

“I know, Kimmy.” I paused. “I do, too…”