Kissing by the tree

Mallory

I wasn't sure what I was doing, but the moment Kian slipped his arm around my waist, something in me froze.

It wasn't that I hadn't felt his presence before—he'd always been close, always a little too close. But this... it was different. The way he pulled me against him, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, made my heart race.

Charlie's eyes flicked between the two of us. The smirk he'd had just moments ago faltered as Kian's voice cut through the tension in the room. "Sorry, mate," he said, his tone smooth, like he was perfectly at ease with the whole thing. "She's taken."

I blinked, my mind scrambling to catch up. Kian said it so easily, so confidently—like it was nothing. Like he was staking a claim on me in a way I hadn't expected.

"By who?" Charlie asked, his voice low, the challenge hanging in the air.

I could feel Kian's muscles tense around me, and for a moment, I thought he was going to make it worse. But then he just smiled, like he was enjoying it a little too much. "Me."

The words hit harder than I expected, and for a second, I could almost hear the unspoken promise in his voice. I should've pulled away. Should've told him to stop. But instead, I stood there, caught between the mess I was already tangled in and something else... something I didn't fully understand.

Charlie wasn't backing down, though. His jaw tightened, and I could see the irritation simmering behind his eyes. "Right," he muttered, before giving me a pointed look. "Well, enjoy your night, Mal."

He turned on his heel and walked out, leaving me standing there in Kian's arms, my breath a little too shallow, my heart a little too loud.

For a moment, the only sound was the quiet hum of the house around us, and then Kian let go of me. His fingers brushed the back of my arm as he pulled away, and I finally exhaled, though I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice softer now, like the playful edge had dulled down.

I nodded, but my mind was still spinning. "Yeah... I'm fine."

But I wasn't. Not really. Because Kian was standing way too close, his presence still lingering in the air, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Or how I felt about him.

"I didn't think you'd actually do that," I admitted, meeting his gaze. "Step in like that."

His lips quirked up into a half-smile. "Why, you didn't think I'd care?"

I shook my head, though I couldn't suppress the smile tugging at my lips. "I don't know. You're full of surprises."

"Well, get used to it." He stepped back, but only slightly. "I'm full of a lot of things."

I wasn't sure if I should be nervous or intrigued. Either way, my heart was definitely doing something funny in my chest.

Before I could say anything else, Kian shot me a wink. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone else thinks they can try."

I should've protested. Should've told him that I didn't need saving or that I could handle myself just fine. But instead, I found myself following him, the strange fluttering in my stomach growing with every step we took.

It didn't feel like a game anymore. It felt real.

And that scared me.

The night was colder than I expected, the wind biting at my skin as Kian and I made our way from the party. It had been loud and obnoxious inside, typical of a Tommen party, but that wasn't why I was there. Eden had been invited and asked me to come along, so I did, even though I had no desire to be in the middle of the chaos with the Tommen kids. They were nothing like me.

I stuck close to Eden, mostly because I didn't want to feel out of place, but once we had a couple of drinks, I just got tired of the same old fake smiles and people trying too hard to impress. Eden could handle it. I wasn't interested in pretending to be something I wasn't.

Kian had made his way to the corner of the party earlier, where he had seemed detached from the whole scene, and it was only when we started heading outside that I realized he had slipped away from the group, just like I had. The air was quiet and cool as we walked, the music from the house now just a faint thrum in the distance.

"I don't know why I even agreed to come," I said, breaking the silence as we strolled through the empty field beside the party. My voice was more for myself than anything, but Kian seemed to hear it.

"You didn't have to come," he said with that easy confidence, glancing over at me. "Eden didn't make you, did she?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, but it's hard to say no to her. She's like a force of nature."

He chuckled, his tone relaxed. "I get it. But you don't seem like the type to just go along with it, you know?"

I shrugged, trying to brush off the thought. "Maybe. I don't know. I don't like feeling like I have to pretend to fit in."

He nodded, the quiet understanding in his eyes. "Yeah, I get that. It's hard when everyone's acting like they have something to prove."

The words lingered for a moment, and I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or just the way he was looking at me, but suddenly the air felt charged. I turned away to hide my sudden discomfort, but Kian's voice broke through again, this time a little more teasing.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're not like any of them. You've got more going on."

I shot him a sideways glance, a little surprised by the compliment. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

He grinned. "It means you're not like the rest of these rich kids running around here, pretending they've got it all figured out. You don't need to try so hard."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I just shrugged, trying to look casual. "I'm just me. I don't have anything else to be."

For a moment, Kian said nothing. He just watched me with those steady, dark eyes that always seemed to have an edge to them. I didn't know if I liked that about him or not, but it was hard not to be intrigued.

"Yeah, well, being 'just you' is a lot more interesting than most of the people I know," he said, his tone almost thoughtful.

I didn't know what to say to that. We stood in silence for a moment, just the two of us, the sounds of the night around us filling the space where words seemed unnecessary. Kian took a deep breath before pulling out a bottle of something, holding it out toward me.

"You want a drink?" he asked, his grin returning.

I eyed it warily but took it anyway. "What is it, poison?"

He laughed, taking a swig himself before handing it back to me. "It's just whiskey. Don't worry, it's not that bad."

I rolled my eyes but took a sip anyway, surprised by the warm burn it left in my chest. "It's not that bad, huh? It's stronger than I expected," I said, handing it back with a small laugh.

Kian didn't seem bothered by that, and he took another swig before grinning. "You'll get used to it."

For some reason, that made me laugh, and the sound felt more real than anything I'd felt all night. We both leaned against the nearest tree in the field, the night stretching out before us.

"So," I said after a long moment, feeling a little braver, "how long have you been in the business of drinking people under the table?"

Kian smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, you know, a while. Long enough to know when I should stop drinking."

I shook my head, laughing again. "You're full of it."

His grin widened. "Maybe. But you don't know me that well yet."

I rolled my eyes, but there was something about the way he said it that made me pause. We were getting along, and it was easy to fall into the rhythm of it, like we had always known how to talk to each other.

And then, before I could think, he leaned in slightly, a little too close, and for a second, I thought he might say something else, but he didn't. Instead, there was a quiet, charged moment that hung between us.

"Maybe we should head back," I said quietly, trying to shift the focus, but even as I spoke, I realized I wasn't sure why I said it. The words felt wrong when they left my mouth.

Kian didn't seem to mind. Instead, he just leaned back against the tree, smirking. "You want to leave already?"

I hesitated, then shook my head. "No. I guess I just don't want to deal with the whole crowd again."

He nodded, then glanced down at me, his eyes lingering. "We don't have to go back yet, you know."

That simple statement had me wondering what he meant, and as much as I tried to ignore it, something about the way he said it made the air between us feel even heavier. I glanced up at him, meeting his gaze, and for the first time, I didn't want to pull away.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the way the night felt endless and full of possibilities, but before I even realized what was happening, Kian was leaning in closer. And this time, I didn't pull away. I didn't want to.

His lips brushed against mine, just a whisper of a touch, and for a second, everything else fell away. The night, the party, the awkwardness—none of it mattered. Just the feeling of his lips on mine, gentle but steady, like he was testing something between us.

When he pulled away, there was a quiet pause. Neither of us said anything right away, and the silence felt more comfortable than anything I'd experienced all night.

"You didn't stop me," he said softly, his voice almost amused.

I took a deep breath, still a little stunned. "I didn't want to."

And just like that, the night suddenly felt different—something had shifted between us, and it was as if we both knew it

As the words hung in the air, neither of us moved. The tension was thick, the night still and quiet around us. It felt like the world had narrowed down to just the two of us standing there in the field. I could feel my heart racing, my breath shallow, but for once, I didn't want to pull away.

Kian's gaze softened as his eyes drifted back to mine, and this time, it wasn't just a casual glance. It was different. Intense. His lips parted slightly, as if he was about to say something, but instead, he closed the distance between us again.

This time, his kiss was firmer, more insistent, and I found myself responding just as eagerly. My hands instinctively reached up to his chest, gripping the fabric of his jacket as if it anchored me to reality. The warmth of his lips, the way he held me close, everything felt electrifying.

When he pulled back, both of us were breathless. There was a wildness in his eyes now, something that matched the thumping in my chest.

"You still want to leave?" he asked, his voice low and teasing, but with an edge of something deeper.

I shook my head, my breath catching in my throat. "No, not yet."

Without another word, Kian moved, one arm sliding around my waist as he tugged me closer. I had barely a second to react before he shifted, pulling me into his lap. My legs fell naturally across his, and I realized with a shock that I was straddling him, my body pressed tightly against his. The shift in position caught me off guard, but instead of feeling awkward, it felt... right. It was like the most natural thing in the world.

Kian's hands rested lightly on my back, fingers brushing over my skin through the thin fabric of my jacket. His touch was warm, reassuring, but there was something else in his eyes—something that made my heart race even faster.

"You sure you want to stay out here with me?" Kian asked, his voice a mix of challenge and something more serious now.

I looked at him, my face only inches away from his, feeling his breath mingle with mine. The tension between us hadn't disappeared; it had only grown more intense, more palpable.

"I'm sure," I whispered, not even bothering to hide the smile on my lips.

Kian's lips curled into a smirk, the same one he always wore when he knew he had the upper hand. But this time, there was something else in his eyes, something a little softer. Something that told me, for once, he wasn't just messing around.

His hand gently cupped my cheek, and before I could say anything else, his lips were back on mine, kissing me deeper this time, the kiss slow and lingering. His hands roamed up to my hair, fingers threading through it as he tilted my head back slightly, deepening the kiss. It felt almost as if we were drowning in the moment, the world outside fading away until it was just the two of us, tangled together in the quiet of the field.

When he finally pulled away again, our foreheads rested against each other, and the air was thick with unspoken words.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice rough, but there was a softness to it now, something different from the usual teasing tone.

I nodded, my hands still resting against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my fingertips. "Yeah. I think I'm more than okay."

He smiled at that, his eyes softening as they met mine.

"Well, then I guess we can stay out here a little longer."