Her breath hitched. "I guess so. Only I'm a freak in an entirely different way. The only time I speak after months of being mute is in front of someone I should be intimidated by, not to mention a large, ten-ton whale."

"Just to clarify, you meant I was intimidating, not the whale, right?"

Dani didn't laugh.

"I like your brand of weird, Dani. Normal's boring."

"Weird." She huffed. "I can't talk. My ex-boyfriend and best friend called me frigid before we just ended things, and the last time he kissed me he asked if I was a closet lesbian. Idiot, as if lesbians can't kiss, or what?"

"Frigid?" I was hung up on the word. "Why the hell would he say that? I've kissed you. I should know these things. The last word on my mind is frigid. In fact, I wished I thought that about you, then it would make pulling away from the kiss a hell of a lot easier."

Oh, shit! Said that out loud.

Dani froze.

"You have trouble pulling away?"

I didn't want to live my life in those moments of things I should have said. So, I decided to screw us over and admit the obvious. "Regardless of whether it's the second, third, or fourth time, kissing you, even if it's during a scene, and I'm acting. It always feels like the most real thing in my existence."

Her breathing turned heavy. "That would be a great movie line."

"Yeah, well," I croaked, "it's why they pay me so much money. My delivery is…"

I didn't finish.

Because Dani had unlocked her arms and was touching my face. Her fingers trailed over my mouth.

"Dani," I hissed between my teeth. Her innocent touch was almost painful. "You can't."

"Can't what?"

"Look at me like that and expect me to be your boss or even your friend. You can't do that to me."

"Why?" Her heavily lidded eyes screamed seduction as she licked her lower lip.

I let out a bitter curse and tried to look away.

I failed.

Instead, my mouth met hers.

And I instantly forgot all the reasons I'd been pushing her away, and for the first time since meeting her, I did exactly what I'd always wanted to do.

I claimed her.

And had to wonder if it was the last selfish thing I'd do, before the guys buried my body in the ocean.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Dani

HE WAS KISSING ME.

And he wasn't acting.

There were no whales.

Just me and Lincoln and the buzzing sensation of his mouth as it explored mine. My response should have been different.

Pulling away would have been wise.

Laughing it off, probably wiser.

But I kissed him back.

Because Lincoln Greene didn't look at me like a puzzle that needed to be solved in order for us to be friends. He didn't try to fix the pieces. He simply accepted them for what they were. Screwed up.

It was as if he saw the fear, hurt, anger — the ugly — and accepted me anyway.

His kiss deepened as he reached around my body; his hands tugged the seal shirt off. Cold air bit my back as it made its way to the floor.

Smooth lips slid past the corner of my mouth when his hands found my waist and lifted me. Our mouths broke contact, and I grasped his biceps with my hands, steadying myself as he lifted me into the air and carried me to the bed.

The soft down comforter kissed my back as he lowered me onto the bed then stood over me, his chest heaving with exertion, his gaze pensive, as if he was waging a war within himself.

Wild grey eyes stared me down as he slowly started stripping. I couldn't help my swift intake of breath when he stepped out of his jeans. I gulped, and suddenly I did feel young, so young, too young to be with someone so beautiful, so mature, so experienced.

This wasn't the quarterback of the football team.

This was a man — all man.

He leaned over me, placing his hands on either side of me. The mattress dipped under his weight, as his mouth met mine in another deep kiss that left me dizzy. Sensations I'd never experienced before pulsed through my body. I felt Lincoln everywhere — even in my toes.

"You're beautiful." His mouth left mine, and his cheek rubbed down my neck as his lips continued their exploration. His skin was rough from needing to shave, sending chills down my body with every brush of his cheek, every caress of his tongue. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched the comforter with my fingers.

And then, I couldn't help it anymore.

I wanted to touch him.

My hands reached out, needing to grab onto him, wanting to explore him like he was exploring me. The minute my fingers grazed his chest, then wrapped around his neck, I knew there was no going back. My body was on fire for him.

And unless there was an actual fire.

And we had to evacuate the building.

I was staying.

"You taste so good…" His lips fused with mine as his tongue reached past my lips, coming into contact with mine. The kiss was liquid smooth. "I've never tasted anything like you…" He lifted me again, this time higher on the bed.

He broke our kiss only long enough to tug my jeans away from my body and toss them in the corner.

With a seductive smirk, he started kissing up my leg, starting at my ankle. I arched as his tongue made its way toward my knee, and then he froze.

I wiggled and looked down. "What's wrong?"

Face pale, he stumbled backward, looked up at me, then looked down at my leg.

"What?" I frowned. "Linc, what's wrong?"