London Falling. Chanel Cleeton

breath mingled, lips hovering just an inch away from heaven. His body pressed against mine, his legs brushing against me—every inch of him was hard. It was enough to make me forget why this was a bad idea. It was enough to tempt me to want more, to give myself over to the pleasure I found only in his arms. It was enough to have me moving forward, putting my mouth on his.

      It had been four months since we’d kissed, and yet the second our mouths fused together something clicked into place. I opened my lips, and his tongue slid into my mouth. His hands grabbed my ass, pushing me back against the brick wall, and I found my nirvana. We kissed like we might never kiss again. His mouth plundered mine, his tongue possessed me, his teeth scraped my skin. He slid a thigh between my legs so I rode him, the friction between us sending a shock of heat through my body. He cupped my ass, pulling me harder against him, tearing his mouth from mine. He kissed his way down my neck, his hands moving up to brush against my breasts, seeking my nipples through my top. I moaned against his mouth.

      He pulled back, staring at me, his gaze full of promise and want. It took a moment for me to calm my breathing, to come back to earth.

      “Maggie.”

      Samir stiffened. I froze, the sound of my name breaking through the haze of lust and heat.

      Max stood behind Samir, staring at us, his eyes wide. “It’s your turn to bowl.”

      Heat flooded my face as sanity returned. We were all over each other on a crowded London street. Maybe Max didn’t know Samir had a girlfriend, but still. Nothing about this was a good idea.

      “Thanks,” I answered, my stare never breaking contact with Samir’s. There was so much I wanted to say to him. So much lingering between us. But as usual, I didn’t know how to even begin. “I should go back in.”

      “I can’t keep doing this,” Samir answered, his voice low. “There’s still too much that’s unresolved between us. We need to talk.”

      “I know.”

      He was right. The tension in the air was ridiculous. We’d been dancing around that night, but no matter how hard we tried to ignore it, it wasn’t going away and our world was too small for us to try to pretend like the other one didn’t exist.

      Samir pulled away from me with a frustrated sigh.

      “You should go in first. Mya’s already asked me questions about us. I can’t deal with anyone else finding out. Not now. Not yet.”

      He didn’t answer. For a moment I thought he was going to press the issue. But instead he just nodded and walked away.

      I sagged against the wall, struggling to get my emotions under control. My heart raced, my nerves a live wire. Why was it that being around Samir always made me feel like I’d just jumped off a cliff?

      “Everything okay?” Max asked. “I didn’t mean to interrupt...” He flushed. “I didn’t realize you guys were together.”

      “We’re not. Please don’t tell anyone about this.”

      “I won’t.” He shook his head. “That guy’s a total douche. I’ll never understand what girls see in him.”

      “He’s not bad.” I didn’t expand. I felt silly trying to explain what Samir was like. “You just have to know him.”

      “He looked like he was ready to take my head off for talking to you. I wasn’t hitting on you with the bowling thing. Honestly. I was just trying to help.”

      “I know.”

      He was quiet for a moment. “Why do you hang out with all of them?” He gestured toward the bowling alley. “Do you ever get sick of the constant shallowness? I mean, Fleur doesn’t have one intelligent thought in her head. And Samir Khouri?”

      I could guess how we must all look to Max. He ran with a completely different crowd—honestly, besides George, I wasn’t even sure he had friends. Fleur and Samir had a reputation. It just wasn’t the whole story.

      “Fleur’s one of my best friends, and I promise you, she’s a lot more than people give her credit for.”

      He didn’t look convinced. “She’s going to crush George’s heart. He’s a good guy. He doesn’t need a girl like Fleur screwing around with him just because she’s bored. He said you guys were friends. Can you honestly tell me he’s not going to get hurt?”

      I sighed, some of my annoyance softening. I understood wanting to fight for the people you loved.

      “I don’t know. I can’t even begin to predict how their relationship is going to play out, but neither can you. That girl, the one you seem to think is some heartless man-eater, just spent last year getting her heart crushed by a guy who wasn’t good enough for her by half. I don’t know if George is the guy for Fleur or not, but I know she’s trying. What more can she do?”