Page 73 of Heart of Thorns

He doesn’t even blink before his mouth falls to mine. I shut my eyes, and for once, I let myselffeel. There is no rushing between us. We kiss slowly, and from the outside, I can onlyassume it appears real because itfeelsreal. The sweeping of his tongue against mine is slow. It sends a gush of something warm into my chest, and I reciprocate.

We get lost in the show.

It’s only after I hear a clearing of a throat that we break apart.

Our eyes lock, and our chests are heaving.

That was… a lot.

“Hello, Cassius.”

I back away from Thorne, only for him to pull me in closer. Our hands clasp at his side. The man responsible for ourfakerelationship stands in front of us in his expensive suit, staring expectantly.

“Mr. Keenland, sir.” Thorne inclines his chin. “Good to see you again.”

I squeeze Thorne’s hand because his tone is clipped. He squeezes it back and then rubs his thumb against my skin in a comforting way.

It feels natural, even if we are practicing.

“Yes,” Mr. Keenland says. His gaze cuts to me. “And who is this?”

“My girlfriend, Briar.” Thorne smiles at him. “The one I told you about.”

“Nice to meet you,” he says gruffly to me.

Thorne asks about some business deal that Thorne’s father is in charge of, and that carries the conversation away from me.

After what feels like ages, they part ways. He made no move to inquire further about me, but I consider that practice, too.

After all, I can only assume that Thorne’s parents will be the same. It won’t matter if we make up some story about how I’m actually some rich girl who has no real ambitions like playing hockey again or pursuing a career in art.

“I think we need more practice,” Thorne finally says after we’re alone again.

I eye him suspiciously.

He seems back to his normal, relaxed self.

“Do you now?” I drag out my words after unclasping our hands. I place my fists on my hips and raise an eyebrow. “I think you just want to kiss me again.”

He looks right at my mouth, and a flush works up my neck.

“I think you’re right, kitten.”

CHAPTER 24

THORNE

“This is fine,”I tell Rhys. And myself. And Briar, perched on my bed. “This is all fine. We’re fine. You’re fine, I’m fine?—”

“He’s freaking out,” Rhys says to Briar.

“Obviously,” she replies.

“I’m not.”

“This is like when Coach asked you to throw a Hail Mary pass and none of our receivers were free, so you did this dance in the pocket, twisting and dodging, until you could finally let the ball fly.” Rhys snickers. “And remember how that turned out?”

“I got sacked.” I frown. “And a concussion. I was out for three weeks. Thanks for that reminder.”