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“You’re not exactly keeping your end of the bargain,” I said, finally finding the strength to want to push him away.
“And how aren’t I? Because I’m not obsessed with the idea of being good or appearing good? Because I find purpose more important in my life than laying down arbitrary rules about what’s right and wrong? What makes me less of a person because I’ve spent my life drifting without meaning, and I envy that they’ve found something to devote themselves to?”
The sheer heat in his voice disarmed whatever snarky response I might come up with, and I lapsed into an uneasy silence. “I…”
“Well?” he asked, sounding for the first time as if he might actually be annoyed with me.
What could I say? The man was an arrogant ass, but that didn’t mean he was necessarily wrong either. As far as I could tell, it wasn’t like he went out of his way to actively harm other people, even if he did seem to live to irritate the shit out of them.
“I know what that’s like,” I said with a sigh.
His eyes darted over my face rapidly, lips thinning. “Yes, I suppose you do, don’t you? But you’ve found your purpose, haven’t you?”
“I have.”
“I haven’t.”
“I guess not.”
“And I don’t want the false purpose my siblings have. The ones dictated to them by my mother, pulled by her strings.”
I turned my chin up, staring him in the eyes. “So what? You’re just going to spend your life constantly rebelling against every little thing she’s ever wanted for you that they fell in line with?”
“Every family has its black sheep,” he said with a wry, bitter chuckle.
I snorted. “A black sheep is still a sheep. You’re following the rules just as much as they are, but by stepping on them. Maybe you should stop trying to live your life based on everyone else and stop pretending it somehow makes you better than them.”
His eyes flashed, and I was forced to step back as he pushed forward. “That little mouth of yours was amusing once, but you’re starting to test my patience.”
My back hit the wall, but I balled my fists at my side, ready for whatever he was preparing to throw my way. “Right, so it’s alright for everyone to do what they want so long as it makes you happy? Is that it? Well, too fucking bad, Shane. Welcome to the real world, where people aren’t always going to do what you want because you’re pretty, rich, and come with a big family name. I’m not here to dance to your fucking tune, so take your mommy issues to someone else who hasn’t already grown past theirs.”
“You,” he growled and lunged forward while I was off-guard.
A grunt of surprise left me when he shoved his lips against mine. My heart began hammering ferociously in my chest, my eyes wide while I stared at him. I couldn’t find the strength to move as he pressed closer, one of his hands resting on my shoulder and squeezing. The kiss lasted for only a handful of seconds but felt far longer.
“That…wasn’t the worst I’ve ever had,” he said softly as he inched back. “Though I suppose for someone who was supposed to be heterosexual, it was still better than it should have been.”
“Oh fuck you,” I snarled, tossing my cup aside.
And before he could open that idiot mouth of his, it was my turn to leap forward and press him into a kiss. He pushed, and my back hit the wall, but it didn’t deter me. Wrapping one arm around his back and the other around his neck, I yanked him closer so our bodies were flush.
I nipped at his bottom lip, a shiver running down my spine when he gave a little gasp before I closed our mouths together once more. It didn’t take long until our lips parted and our tongues slid over one another, and I wasn’t surprised the two of us ended up fighting for dominance with the kiss.
Even with the thick fabric of his costume, I could feel his groin, thick and hard, pressing against me. I honestly had no idea what was wrong with me, but Shane was kissing me back just as fiercely, and he felt so hard it was a wonder it didn’t cause him pain. Not that I was doing any better, I was quickly regretting the tight shorts I’d chosen for the night.
I reached up, fisting the hair on the back of his head and pulling him away. “There, was that better for his highness?”
“Considerably,” he said, his eyes glittering in the light from the nearby lamp. “Though if you keep manhandling me like that, I’m going to suspect you want more than just a kiss in the dark.”
“We’re not fucking,” I told him with a growl.
“Well, aren’t you forward?”
“You’re an ass.”
“Now don’t get me wrong, that would be an excellent segue into how wonderful your ass is, but that doesn’t really address the concern at hand, now does it?”
“You’ve been staring at my ass?”
