Page 60 of Lured By Shadows

Meanwhile, I was still emotionally recovering from airport snack prices.

“Sounds beautiful,” I murmured despite myself, letting the image settle anyway: rolling green hills, old stone walls, places that seemed to cling to their stories whether you listened or not.

“It is one of the many places you will travel,” he said suddenly.

My stomach flipped at the certainty in his tone, and I turned toward him, surprise written plainly across my face.

“No, no… I highly doubt that,” I said quickly, already pushing myself up from my chair as I noticed my ma standing too.

But he stood as well, his presence filling the space in a way that made breathing feel strangely difficult.

“You will, though,” he said simply, as though it wasn’t something requiring discussion. “Just as you will visit a plethora of other countries… with me, of course.”

There it was again. That strange edge in him I still couldn’t fully name. Not quite affection. Not quite possession. Just enough to tighten something painfully in my chest.

Friends weren’t supposed to sound that way.

I let out a slow breath, exhausted by feelings I no longer had the energy to untangle tonight.

“All right, mister,” I said, forcing a lighter tone as I placed a hand against his chest, mostly to remind myself to keep some distance. “Time to say goodbye.”

Before my emotional stability dissolved completely.

He didn’t move, and my hand stayed there, the energy beneath the fabric buzzing sharply against my palm. His eyes dropped briefly to where I touched him, and I pulled my hand back quickly, heat rushing into my face.

“A-anyway—”

He leaned forward, entering my space faster than I could process.

“Culver—Hey, I need personal spa—” I squeaked when his arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a hug before I could finish.

One second I had my space back, and the next, I was surrounded by him completely. No one in the room stopped him, not even my own mother. His hands settled against me, fingers brushing exposed skin while my body betrayed me, softening into his touch despite every warning in my head. Keeping my breathing steady became nearly impossible.

His breath skimmed my ear, and I heard him inhale sharply as though he were smelling my hair again.

Ugh. Culver was the biggest pervert I’d ever met.

The problem was that I liked it far too much.

My thoughts tangled tighter when his hand slid lower over my ass, and I clenched my fingers into the fabric of his hoodie.

“Culver—Where do you think—” I whispered harshly, feeling every slow movement of his fingers against the curve of me.

Just as I started overheating beneath all of it, he hummed softly. “Ah, there we are.”

The pressure of his body vanished as quickly as it had arrived. He stepped back holding my phone, already tapping through the screen while I stood there trying to recover.

I huffed, still painfully aware of the lingering electricity of him against me mixed with that intoxicating cologne. My body reacted as though he’d done far more than hug me, which was humiliating enough on its own.

“You—” I dragged in a breath, crossing my arms over my chest. “You could’ve just asked me!”

He fluttered his lashes at me, and my stomach flipped stupidly in response.

“You are so stubborn that if I asked, you would refuse. It was easier…” His mouth curved slightly. “And far more rewarding to get it myself.”

My face twisted with embarrassment and irritation. “I should start charging you for manhandling me! That was twice at dinner alone!”

Culver raised a brow. “Have you forgotten that you already groped my cock?”