Chapter 156 Stop Pushing Me Away

Chapter 156 Stop Pushing Me Away
Selene’s POV

The bloodstained kitten rested between Lucian and me, but for the first time since last night, the anger inside me was no longer strong enough to silence everything else I felt.

I slowly lifted my gaze from his bandaged arm and looked into his eyes. Lucian was already watching me, and the instant our eyes met, something strange passed between us. Neither of us spoke, yet the silence felt heavier than words. My heart stirred in a way I could not explain, and suddenly, all the reasons I had given myself for staying away from him did not feel as simple as they had before.

I looked down at the plush kitten he was still offering me.

“Thank you.”

This time, I reached out and accepted it.

The soft fur had once been completely white. I knew that better than anyone because I had made it with my own hands. Now, however, deep crimson stains marked its beautiful coat. Lucian’s blood had gotten onto it when he shielded me from Hannah’s dagger.

My fingers paused over one of the stains.

I should have hated seeing my work ruined, but somehow the blood made it impossible to look at the kitten without remembering what Lucian had done for me.

He had moved without hesitation.

There had been no time for him to pretend or calculate his actions. He saw danger coming toward me and immediately put himself in its path.

A soft chuckle suddenly came from him.

I raised my head.

Lucian’s eyes had softened.

“You’re not mad anymore, are you?”

Before I could answer, his arm slipped around me and gently pulled me closer.

My body stiffened from surprise.

His warmth surrounded me, and his deep, husky voice brushed close to my ear.

“Every word I said to you yesterday was true,” he murmured. “Will you believe me?”

My heart tightened.

Yesterday.

The Ferris wheel.

Lucian had told me that Teressa belonged to his past. He had said that the woman he wanted beside him now was me. He had even told me he was willing to give up his destined mate.

Then one mistake had destroyed my faith in those words.

Now I could feel the bandage beneath his sleeve, covering another wound he had received because of me.

I wanted to believe him.

That was the dangerous part.

A faint smile touched my lips, but I refused to give him the answer he wanted.

“Let go of me first.”

I placed my hand against his chest and pushed gently.

Instead of being offended, Lucian seemed pleased.

“You smiled,” he said, his voice low and rough with emotion. “Doesn’t that mean you’re not mad anymore?”

I looked away and absentmindedly ran my fingers over the kitten’s soft fur.

“Does it even matter whether I’m mad or not?”

“It matters.”

The seriousness in his voice made me look at him again.

Lucian was no longer smiling.

“A lot.”

His gaze remained fixed on mine, and there was something so solemn in his expression that my chest tightened again.

Why did he have to look at me like that?

I pressed my lips together and said nothing.

If I spoke too quickly, I might say something I was not ready to admit, even to myself.

The silence remained between us for a few moments before Lucian finally changed the subject.

“What exactly happened in the restroom earlier?”

I was almost relieved.

“Oh, nothing much. Hannah doesn’t like me, so she got two people to try to kidnap me.”

I deliberately made it sound unimportant.

Lucian clearly did not think it was.

His brows pulled together.

“So those two men…” He paused, remembering the two black wolves he had found unconscious among the shattered mirrors. “You did that to them?”

There was suspicion in his voice.

I gave him a small smile.

“I did fight back, but honestly, they were just too stupid.”

It was not exactly a lie.

They had attacked me, and I had defended myself.

I simply left out the small detail that Frieda and I had destroyed both of them with very little effort.

Lucian did not look convinced.

His eyes narrowed as he studied me.

I kept my expression calm.

His gaze slowly moved over me from head to toe, as though he expected some hidden answer to suddenly appear.

My skin began to prickle under his scrutiny.

I knew that look.

Lucian was thinking.

And when he started thinking too deeply about something, he could become annoyingly difficult to distract.

I stood before his questions became more specific.

“Let’s go. The auction isn’t over yet, is it?”

The charity event was still happening outside, and since Lucian had already bought the kitten I originally intended to bid on, there was no reason for me to remain hidden in this lounge.

Besides, I could always find another item.

As the secret owner of Joe Studio, I ought to support my own brand. I had donated items for charity in the first place, so bidding on something else would only increase the amount raised tonight.

More importantly, leaving would put some distance between Lucian and me.

That suddenly seemed necessary.

I held the kitten close and turned toward the door.

I had barely taken a step when Lucian caught my arm.

Everything happened too quickly.

I lost my balance and stumbled backward.

Instead of falling to the floor, I landed directly on his lap.

My breath caught.

The position was far too intimate.

I immediately tried to stand, but Lucian’s hands settled firmly on my shoulders and kept me where I was.

“Lucian.”

My warning did nothing.

He leaned closer, and his husky voice sounded beside my ear.

“Selene, you feel something for me. Why won’t you admit it?”

My heart stumbled.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

I tried to make my voice firm, but I was suddenly too aware of how close we were.

Lucian’s expression changed.

The teasing warmth in his gaze deepened into something much more serious.

“Why won’t you face your feelings?”

My entire body tensed.

“I don’t…”

I never finished.

Lucian lowered his head and kissed me.

My thoughts disappeared.

His lips were cool at first, but the kiss quickly sent heat rushing through me. My heart began pounding so hard that I could feel every beat in my chest.

For a few seconds, the complicated thoughts that had tortured me since last night vanished.

There was no Teressa.

No destined mate.

No argument.

Only Lucian.

The lounge suddenly felt much warmer, and the closeness between us made it difficult to remember why I had been trying so hard to keep him at a distance.

Then he pulled back just enough to speak.

“Selene.”

His breath brushed my lips.

His dark eyes remained fixed on mine, and the emotion inside them made my pulse quicken again.

“Stop pushing me away.”

I stared at him.

That was when reality finally returned.

I had not pushed him away.

The realization was enough to snap me out of whatever spell I had fallen under.

I drew in a sharp breath and quickly steadied myself. Embarrassment mixed with frustration as I glared at him.

“Lucian, don’t go too far!”

His expression remained annoyingly calm.

“Until I give you an answer, you’re not allowed to do that again!”

The corner of Lucian’s mouth lifted.

“Not allowed to do what?”

I stared at him.

Was he serious?

“What you just did,” I snapped.

His smirk deepened.

“What exactly did I do?”

My face immediately grew hotter.

He knew exactly what I meant.

The memory of his lips against mine flashed through my mind again, and the fact that I had not immediately stopped him only made my embarrassment worse.

There was absolutely no chance I was going to say it aloud for his amusement.

I punched him lightly in the chest.

“Shut up!”

Lucian caught my hand before I could pull it away.

My irritation faltered when he lifted it toward his lips. Instead of teasing me again, he gently brushed his lips against my skin, his thumb tracing slow circles over my hand.

My heartbeat betrayed me once more.

“Selene,” he murmured, his voice suddenly softer, “I’ll be waiting for your answer.”

I stared at him, unable to decide whether I wanted to pull my hand away or hit him again.

Ugh!

He was so infuriating.