Free The Way of Escape by Kristen Reed Page B

need your word that you won’t let this go any further,” I reiterated, feeling less than comforted by his playful comment.
    “You have my word.”
    I scrutinized Augustus for a long, contemplative moment before I finally climbed out of the bed.
    “Where are you going?”
    “We’re not going to kiss while we’re sitting in bed. That’s just asking for more trouble,” I insisted.
    Augustus rose from the bed, and I crossed my arms as he walked in my direction.
    “Just relax, Clara. If you can trust me to turn you into a vampire, you can trust me to kiss you once.”
    “This isn’t about trusting you. I’ve just set boundaries for myself in terms of how I interact with men, and I’m not crazy about crossing those boundaries for any reason,” I clarified. “Kissing you now seems like it’s for a good reason, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to relish in breaking the promise I made to myself.”
    “Whether we kiss now or at the eclipse festivities, you and I will have to do so eventually to convince the others that there’s something between us. This small, private moment will do wonders for furthering our cause and saving the lives of the men and women on this island.”
    “I know,” I breathed, tapping my fingers on my upper arm. “I just wish there was another way.”
    “Is there anything I can do to help ease your conscience?”
    “No. Let’s just get this over with.”
    I uncrossed my arms, closed my eyes, and waited to feel his lips on mine, but that feeling never came. Instead, Augustus gently caressed my cheek with his chilly hand, prompting me to open my eyes and gaze into his. Even though I’d seen some gentleness in him before, the amount of warmth I saw in that moment shocked the fear out of me long enough for Augustus to observe my changed disposition and close the remaining distance between us.
    When his lips touched mine, the last of the tension left my body. For that moment, I let myself forget who and what he was. I simply enjoyed the secure sensation of his arms as they wrapped around me, and the surprisingly tender kiss remained comfortably chaste. The fact that my body didn’t respond with the same escalating passion and arousal as it had when I went out with Jonathan allowed me to savor the embrace way more than I should have without worry and fear invading my mind again.
    Augustus eventually ended the kiss and I was both disappointed and relieved. While I hadn’t wanted the embrace to change into something more intimate, I hadn’t wanted it to end either. I would have been perfectly content kissing the vampire until someone or something interrupted us, but that desire made me raise my guard again. Even though I had only enjoyed the physical part of our kiss and I wasn’t interested in Augustus, I was still playing with fire. I’d gone down that road many times in the past, and I didn’t want to be like the dog that kept returning to his own vomit despite learning that God had something much sweeter planned for me than kissing an unnervingly attractive vampire … or anyone for that matter.
    Keeping that in mind, I took a deep breath to steady myself and looked him in the eye as I spoke.
    “I’m going to get dressed and do some more reading. I need some alone time.”
    “I’ll call down and see if the cook can prepare a meal for you.”
    “I don’t want to make him or her cook more than necessary.”
    “Then I’ll ask if there is anything premade or leftovers from last night that you can break your fast with.”
    “Thank you.”
    I gave Augustus an appreciative smile before retreating through the bathroom and into my room. Once inside, I closed the door and walked straight into the closet. As I rummaged through the collection of expensive clothing, I found myself wondering where the clothes had come from. Had previous guests left them behind or had the coven purchased them in case a visitor hadn’t packed appropriately for their fiendish festivities? Either way, I