It wasn’t that I didn’t believe he and Violet had a special connection. It wasn’t even that I doubted they loved each other and had since they understood what that word meant.
No, it was that someone could know so instantaneously another person belonged to them.
But right then, I understood.
And I wasn’t going to fuck it up like Luca had with Violet.
Having seen
what my brother had gone through when he’d lost his other half, I refused to put myself through the same misery.
“Tell me everything there is to know about Mila,” I commanded, holding her hand hostage against my heart. “I need every detail.”
“Did you know the russet and amber swirl together at times?” she murmured, seeming not to have heard what I’d said as she continued to stare up at my eyes. Her tongue drifted between her lips, the tip brushing over her bottom one. Transfixed, I followed the movement, wanting to taste her so fucking badly my chest heaved as I sucked in each breath. “They are right now, and I can’t seem to make myself look away.”
“Then don’t,” I rasped.
She blinked a few times and then shook her head as if to clear it. Sucking in a fortifying breath, she tried to step back, but I still held on to her hand. And I wasn’t letting go.
“Did you just move here?” she asked, taking my beer out of my hand and swallowing a large gulp. A few drops clung to her pillowy bottom lip, and I ached to lick them away. “Your friend said you needed to find an apartment.”
“Just landed my dream job,” I told her. Unable to stop myself, I used my thumb to rub away the droplets of beer, then sucked it into my mouth.
Goddamn, but that tasted good.
“So, you’re not from around here?” I shook my head, still sucking on the pad of my thumb, wanting to get every trace of her taste I could.
“Me either. We’re only here for my cousin’s wedding. Which is tomorrow. Then my aunt has to get back to Cali in case my other cousin, Lexa, goes into labor early. She’s not due for a few more weeks, but as big as she is with that baby boy, she’s liable to pop any day now.”
My heart stopped as the realization of what she was saying hit me like a ton of bricks had just been dumped on my head. “You don’t live here?”
“No. I live in Northern California. This is just a quick visit.” She took another thirsty sip of my beer.
“You visit often?” Please, fuck please, say yes.
“This is my first visit. My dad isn’t a fan of big-city life.” Another drink and my beer was down to just suds in the bottom of the glass. She placed it on the bar top and motioned to the bartender for a refill.
My fingers tightened around hers, desperation suddenly clawing at me. “When do you go home?”
“Tomorrow night,” she said with a casual shrug, not realizing she was turning my world upside down. I had less than twenty-four hours with her before she was going to get on a fucking plane and leave me.
The thought of her not being in the same city—fuck, just imagining her not being beside me tomorrow night—made it hard to breathe.
“Lyric?” Her hand was flush against my chest, so of course, she felt the change in my heart rate and breathing. Her free hand touched the side of my face. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“You’re leaving tomorrow,” I choked out past the constriction in my throat.
“Yeah,” she agreed, and when she moved a little more into my space, I was finally able to breathe deeply. “But…there’s still tonight.”
Chapter 4
Mila
The bartender set the refilled beer between us, but my focus was completely on Lyric.
The pounding of his heart against his ribs vibrated through my fingers and up my arm, but at least his breathing had evened out. Had he really nearly had a panic attack at the idea of me leaving?
That was oddly sweet, and I found myself wanting to know everything there was to know about this guy. He’d sent his friend running with just a look, but his eyes had been murky brown, and I’d wanted to erase that color from his gaze.