Too Close

Chapter 12

Olivia's P.O.V

"Tyler?" I called. It wasn't completely dark, the small window next to me only illuminated where I stood. "Tyler!" I walked to the middle of the room. "Turn the lights back on, I know it was you." Out of the corner of my eye I saw him creeping up toward me. I pretended I didn't see him and waited until he was closer. Then at the last minute I turned around, making sure to swing my arm out wide. It smacked him in the face.

"Ow!"

"I'm so sorry," I rubbed my arm where it hit him, actually having hurt myself when it came in contact with his jawbone. "That I totally meant for that to happen. Turn the lights on." He rubbed his jaw and glared at me. I turned to go back to restocking the rest of the books when he grabbed my hand.

"Don't," I peeled his fingers off my hand but his other arm snaked back around my waist and pulled me against his chest. "Don't do this Tyler, let me go."I tried to pull away from him.

"You don't really want me to," he breathed into my ear, sending thin flyaway strands of my hair flying toward my cheeks. I turned my head slightly to the other side.

He hesitated for a second then turned me around so we were chest to chest and my breath froze in my chest as I stared up into his face. He clenched his jaw then released it as if it was some method of self-restraint. I heard my heart drum fast in my ears as we stared at each other. The light pouring in from the small window illuminated the eyes that threatened to undo me. Then he leaned in, but before our lips could touch I pushed at his chest with closed fists to stop him.

"Don't," I whispered and managed to pull out of his hold. I turned but he walked in front of me, blocking my path.

I huffed out a frustrated breath, aggravated that he kept ignoring the obvious reason we couldn't do this. More aggravated that I enjoyed being the little mouse in this chase and catch. I turned away from him and was set on walking back to my station from earlier. Surprisingly, I made it there. But of course, he followed me. He ran one of his hands through my hair, wrapped it around in it, and pulled my head back to look at him. He lowered his face to my neck and held me.

"Don't you get it? My parents didn't just let you move in, they fostered you. You can't have feelings for me, you could get in trouble."

"Who said I have feelings for you?"

"Well—I—it seemed like—," I stammered. I felt my cheeks blush uncontrollably in embarrassment. The unfinished statement hung thick in the air, suffocating me with the unknown. He lifted his head to look at me.

"Yes." I could breathe again.

"You don't know what you're saying," I blurted. That's what I wanted to know, right? So why did hearing it out loud leave me feeling slightly alarmed? I tried to push him away but he just held me firmly by the shoulders, I backed up until my back pressed against the shelf behind me.

"I know. Oh, I know. I know you hated me for letting that girl sit on my lap after we kissed. And I promise you, it was only to distract me from you. I know you deserve better but I haven't stopped thinking about you. It's what I don't know that is driving me crazy. I don't know what it is that's making it..." He paused and squeezed his eyes shut then opened them again. "Hard for me to not want you for myself." I opened my mouth to argue that again, he didn't know what he was talking about, but he halted my next words with his warm lips.

I brought my hand up and slapped him fiercely across his cheek. His teeth grazed my bottom lip from the shock of the impact then pulled back. The look in his eye flashed from surprise to bemused hunger.

"Wanna try that again?" His breathy voice seemed to hold back a laugh. Without a moment's hesitation, he began to lower his head and I reached up to strike him again but he caught my hand. I kept my lips clamped shut and didn't give in to him. He licked my lips teasingly and when I kept them closed he placed one of his hands onto my bare hip where my shirt had risen up.