Casing ✔️

Chapter 7

"I really didn't," he answered, "I didn't even know Nina had a sister."

"But your friend knew," I told him, not really sure why. "He used my name as a threat last night."

James let out a chuckle, and nodded. "Yeah, he's a bit intense, but it's his job to know everyone. Mine too, but he's a bit more observant. I'm the one who keeps him sane, and makes sure he takes breaks."

Something suddenly crashed against the bar, right between James and I. It took a second for me to realize it was actually a person—a girl—with her back to me. My eyes widened, and I chuckled lightly as I placed my phone in my pocket and got up.

Not that I really wanted to leave, I was having a nice time for myself, but James was obviously occupied so I could come back some other day.

But I didn't get more than a step away before my wrist was grabbed, and I was turned around to see James' worried expression. "Are you leaving?"

"You got a visitor," I said, nodding towards the girl now leaning against the bar, a strand of her hair between her fingers and an annoyed look on her face.

I wasn't jealous.

"I was about to ask you to dance."

The girl huffed then, but sent me a smile as she walked away. I wasn't surprised someone wanted to swoop in and steal him; he was everything you'd want for a memorable night, and more. So when I nodded yes to his barely-question, I didn't even surprise myself.

His hand fit so well around mine as he guided me to the packed dance floor. My stomach turned over in glee a couple of times when he turned and looked at me as if I was the only girl in the room. It was ten times better than the lovely feeling I always got when the hero in one of my books looked at the heroine like that.

Because it was real.

As the music engulfed us, and we moved together, I started to realize that James was nothing like I expected. He was kind and considerate, and I thought he'd be more like his friend—cold and moody, with issues from here to the moon. In all honesty, I wished James was more like that, because now it was so much harder to get him out of my mind, or simply say no when he asked me to dance.

I lasted for two whole songs in the middle of the crowd, before I took his hand and pulled him with me away from all the people. Nina had already spotted me and given me one of her cunning smiles, as if we were sharing a secret. We were, I supposed, since I was doing exactly what she said I would.

I'd already ended up in James' arms, like he was the knight in shining armor, rescuing me from the tower. He wasn't, I reminded myself, he was just one of the things that made me realize I had to rescue myself.

"Will you marry me, Elina?"

The question made me stop in my tracks, and I turned around to look straight into James' brown, amazing eyes. The music was loud, so I might've misheard him. He could've said something completely different. But, I couldn't keep my shocked laugh in for more than a couple of seconds.

"You're crazy," I told him, and then I set course for the exit.

His hand wrapped around my elbow, and he pulled me back, turning me around. To my surprise, we were close enough that my chest touched the bottom of his, and he stared down at me, his messy locks falling down over his forehead. "I'm not," he said back, his smile even more brilliant, "but I'd settle for a date, for now."

Maybe he was just like those men dad told me to stay away from. "A date?" I hoped the disbelief in my voice was enough to make him understand my hesitation.

"Yes, a date." He leaned closer, his voice lowering just a little bit, as he said, "I'll show you I'm worthy of a princess."

"You know," I started, clearing my throat, "this is all really sweet, James, but outside of my very dirty books, this kind of behavior is a tiny bit creepy."

Even though my stomach had grown wings and threatened to fly me away and land on a pink cloud somewhere, I had to keep my head clear. A marriage proposal, no matter how jokingly it was meant, after only days of knowing each other was a red flag.

Right?

Or was it like in all the books I'd read, when the male lead knew so quickly that the girl was his one? I shook the thought off and took a step back, creating some distance between us.

"Dirty books, plural?" He raised a brow at me. "I'm intrigued." He closed the distance between us again, his arms going around my back as he looked down at me. His soft lips were dangerously close to mine as his eyes dipped down, and I knew exactly what he was going to say when he opened his mouth again. "I want to kiss you."

I couldn't stop my gaze from lowering. His tongue slid over his lower lip, a charge was going through me that made it impossible to keep track of my thoughts, and what I was doing. All I could think about was what it would be like to be kissed.

By him.

I'd been kissed as a kid. I had a summer fling with a boy in my early teenage years, while Hank accompanied me outside every day to see the boy. But he was nothing like James. I had butterflies back then, but now it was like my whole being was a butterfly, ready to soar and live in a constant state of happiness and wonder.

So I said it. "Then kiss me."

It was electric.

Magnetic.

Like we'd been trying to keep apart for too long, and now we couldn't hold it. His ridiculous question was wiped from my mind, replaced by the feeling of his lips on mine. He didn't waste a second after the words left my mouth, and I didn't complain. Nothing was around us anymore; it was only James and I in the entire world.

My hand was on his cheek. Both of his were on my back, pulling me up and close.

If all kisses were like this, I'd never stop.

He tasted like the whiskey we shared the night before, and the smell of gunpowder entered my nose as I let go of everything except the moment. I wasn't Elina George in that moment; I was just a girl, kissing a man inside the nightclub his friend owned. He wasn't anyone but a man so handsome and kind.

My knees were weak when we broke apart to breathe, his nose resting on my forehead as I concentrated to get air back in my lungs. My heart threatened to break my rib cage and escape.

"You smell like guns," I told him, trying to get the heat of the moment away, mentally slapping myself at the same time.

"I work with guns, so I'd be surprised if I didn't." He smiled down at me. I could feel it. So when my eyes lifted and I looked at him—really looked at him—I was startled by how sad the smile looked. "You're a magnet, Elina," he said, lowering his voice as he said exactly what I'd felt a few moments earlier. His hand went up, his knuckles stroking my cheek. "I can't and don't really want to stay away. So... If you'd have dinner with me, say, Wednesday, I'd be forever grateful."

"You're a bit intense, and a bit much," I found myself saying before I could think it through, "but you're a magnet. I'll have dinner with you."

He pressed a soft kiss to my lips, the feeling of it so different this time, that my knees threatened to give in. Instead of passion and exploration, this was filled with a promise of more to come.

His grin when he stepped back made me reach out behind me to grab onto the nearest thing available, but there was nothing, and James reached out to steady me with a lovely laugh. "You have the same effect on me." He winked, and leaned to kiss my cheek. "I'll see you Wednesday, Your Highness."

He bowed deep, exaggerating immensely, before he turned around and started walking back towards the center of the club, and up to the VIP area, where Damian was standing by the door. The heir said something, and James threw his head back in a laugh, then they both disappeared—but not before James looked back at me one more time, his hand raised in a wave.

I already missed his heat against me, and wondered how I'd make it to Wednesday without spoiling my appetite.