Free Dracian Legacy by Priya Kanaparti

parted my lips and he let out a throaty groan, his grip growing firmer, pulling me onto his lap.
    Never in a million years did I think I would kiss him back. But I did. My heart beat faster and my lungs worked above and beyond as I kissed him back with intensity. I heard his moan when I deepened the kiss. He was no longer gentle and I was in control.
    It felt dangerous. My insides ignited, leaving my body ablaze. His greediness woke something deep within me. His hands, my hands—they had no boundaries.
    He gripped my waist tighter, making my body quiver under his possessive touch. His lips curved against mine. I threw my arms around him, pulling him closer, my fingers vigorously working through his hair. I tilted my face at an angle to give him better access to my mouth.
    Nothing was enough. I could feel something inside me wanting to get closer to him. Tying us closer, pulling us together. I didn’t understand this. I couldn’t. It didn’t make sense.
    He growled, biting and nipping at my lip, and blood rushed to my ears. I heard someone whistle and hoot from far away. I didn’t care. I was brought into the world of Dean, and my senses exploded to the maximum.
    It took me a few dazed seconds before I pulled back, confused. Dean held me close and our foreheads touched as we struggled to breathe, my chest flush against his. My head swam with incoherent thoughts, my eyes still closed. I wanted to kiss him again. I leaned closer to him, biting my lip. Dean met me for a feather-light kiss, which felt much more intimate.
    “I missed you,” he whispered against my mouth. My heart skipped a beat. “Tell me you did too.” His voice was hoarse and deep.
    I opened my eyes when I heard a room full of whispers growing louder. We just provided a full month’s worth of gossip.
    Son of a—
    I pushed him and fell back on my butt. Dean’s face flushed as a lascivious smile crossed his face. He laughed, his head falling back. I scrambled backward all crablike before I shot up to my feet.
    “Dean’s finally met his match,” Hunter said with a howl of laughter.
    I ran until I was outside, breathing in the fresh air. What was so wrong about that kiss? I kissed him back, didn’t I? The only boy I ever kissed. Panic stricken, my throat constricted and I was dry heaving with breaths that didn’t reach my lungs. This was the summer before ninth grade all over again, and I fell for it.
    Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
    “Holy preggers, woman.” Pey walked through the front door, her face beaming.
    “What was that?” she asked, handing me my jacket.
    I counted. One, two, inhale. One, two, exhale. “Thanks.”
    “Yeah, no prob.” She eyed me suspiciously for few seconds. “That was some kiss. Epic.”
    “Well, I didn’t really have much of a choice, did I?” I said, feeling my breathing come back to normal.
    She laughed at me. “You guys were intense. If I didn’t know you , I would’ve believed you guys were having sex right in the middle of that room.”
    “What? I wasn’t…” My fingers went to my swollen lips. “Shit.”
    Pey put her arms around my waist. “No shit! I knew he had the hots for you.”
    “I need to get into the witness protection program.” I groaned with a hand to my face.
    She chuckled. “How about I take you home?”
    “I will pay you a million bucks and do your chores for a month if you get me the hell out of here.”
    Pey bumped my hip. “Okay, I’m gonna hold you to it. Give me a sec.”
    She ran back inside, disappearing into the seam of gyrating bodies. My thoughts wandered to how I reacted to Dean’s lips on mine. My hand once again caressed my swollen mouth. I shook my head and told myself it couldn’t happen again. I couldn’t let my feelings and frustration with Axel confuse me—if that was what it was… That was the only thing that made sense. I was never this drawn to Dean. Sure, I had a crush on him and thought he was super attractive. I mean, anyone with a set of eyes would think