Captured by the Criminal (Taken)

He smiles, rivaling the celestial beings in the sky. “Seriously, they won’t stop talking. The stars must all be girls.”

“Ha-ha.” I swat at him playfully. “That’s not nice. But yeah, they are probably all girls.” I return my attention to the twinkling lights dancing for the moon, because when I’m this close to him, my stomach somersaults. “I don’t think boys could sparkle as bright.”

“Hey, that’s not true.” He glances at me for a moment before staring back at the night sky. “Maybe you’re right. Men aren’t meant to sparkle.”

“You’re not a man.”

“Am too.” Costi scowls at my words.

“You’re barely a teenager. Fifteen isn’t a man.”

“I am a man. And I do manly things.”

I snicker. “Like what?”

“I shave, for one thing.”

“Really?” I run a hand over his smooth jaw, my breath catching in my throat. “That’s definitely manly. You also punch people.”

He frowns for a second. “I didn’t like the way he looked at you.”

I run my fingers through the cool sand. “He wasn’t looking at me in any certain way.”

Costi’s dark eyes meet mine. “Was too. Who is he?”

I breathe in deep, gaining courage, and let it out slowly. Yet, I can’t tell him. “A big jerk,” I say instead.

Costi laughs so loud I think the stars in the sky can hear him. “Yeah, he really is.”

I study Costi for a second, memorizing this moment. This is the perfect birthday. Take away the party and all the events of the party, but right here and now is perfect. When I think about marriage, I’ve always envisioned marrying Costi, but I know that will never happen. Someone who looks like him would never want someone like me.

“What other manly things do you do?” And then I take the teasing too far, but I want to know this answer more than whether the stars talk to him. “Have you kissed anyone?”

Sparks zing through my fingers when he clasps my hand in his.

“No.” His dark gaze slides to mine. “Have you?”

I shake my head, dropping my gaze to the new muscles he has on display. He’s changed so much over the last few years, grown taller than me by at least a foot, lost the innocence of childhood in his face. All the girls at school want to be my friend to get close to him.

“Why haven’t you?” I dare to ask. “It’s not like you don’t have girls falling at your feet.”

He leans back, bracing on his palms. “I don’t want to do that with just anyone. Ya know?”

“Well, you have to do it with someone, eventually.”

He stands, taking my hand to get me to my feet as well. “Want to know what the stars are saying to me?”

“Yes,” I reply.

Costi steps closer, wrapping his arm around my waist, ghosting his thumb along my hip. “They’re telling me I should kiss you.”

“Kiss me?” My ears must be on the fritz, because I can barely comprehend what I’m hearing.

Have I thought about kissing Constantine Gold? Heck, yeah. But I always thought we’d be much older. I’d be experienced. To be honest, I’ve never kissed a boy. I’m not sure if I even know how. “Yes, they said I should kiss you like the man I am. We should be each other’s firsts.”

There’s no chance to question anything, because he leans in and plants his mouth over mine, stealing my breath. Stealing my innocence. My pulse pounds in my ears, blocking out the chirp of crickets and music drifting from the party. He roams his lips over mine, opening my mouth and sliding his tongue inside.

At first, I stiffen, but he grips me tighter, and I explore his tongue with mine. He moans, and I heat all over, like I’m standing too close to a fire. My hands fist his warm skin, and Costi deepens the kiss, running his hand into my hair. I’m kissing my best friend. And god, what a kiss. I kiss him until I’m dizzy, wrapping my arms around his neck, playing with the loose curls at the back of his neck. An ache forms low in my tummy, winding itself into a knot, but feeling like it’s going to unravel any minute now.

He breaks the kiss, panting, and his brown eyes gaze at me. “I’ve been wanting to do that for about two years now.”

“Really?” I’m ready to lean back into him for more when I hear my father’s voice from further down the shore.

“Bianca, is that you out there?” he hollers. “I need to talk to you.” My father’s voice is urgent, and an uneasy feeling replaces the burn in the pit of my stomach.

“Do you think he saw us kissing?” Costi whispers, snatching his shirt from the ground and throwing it on, buttoning each button as quickly as possible.

“I don’t think so.”

My father has a distinct angry tone when I do something I’m not supposed to, and the one he has right now is not that.