I’ve worn heels. It’s not like I have many opportunities to wear them anyway.
When the truck rolls to a stop at the curb in front of my dad’s house, it feels like a repeat of the other night. I tell myself I just need to thank him for the ride and be done with it. But that’s not what I do.
I turn toward him, and that’s my first mistake. My heart jumps into my throat when I realize he’s already watching me with heavy, intense eyes that are wreaking havoc on my breaths. His bright-eyed gaze searches mine, scouring across my flesh. Tonight, his eyes look like a deep emerald green. The intensity with which he regards me has me swallowing thickly.
“Thank you. For tonight.”
The corner of his mouth lifts ever so slightly. It’s the smallest tic of movement, but it’s still a wonder how it has the effect on me that it does. I feel it in my core.
“Anytime. I’ll see you tomorrow, Selene.”
I pause with my hand on the handle. My brows tug low into a frown. “You really aren’t going to give up, are you?”
He shrugs. “You’re worth the wait.”
My traitorous heart skips a beat at his words. My chest squeezes with emotion, and guilt clogs my throat. “Why me?”
He twists, leaning across the center console, just enough that he’s able to tuck stray hairs behind my ears. His fingers graze my cheek in the process. It has my heart pounding, trying to pump its way out of my chest, between the bones of my rib cage and into his hands for safekeeping. There’s a roaring in my gut. It’s the sensation of thousands of angry bees swarming. Buzzing so violently, I have to place a trembling hand over my stomach to calm the riot of sensations.
For so long I thought I was over this. Over him. I was wrong. I thought I left my love for him somewhere between the stars and the moon. But it turns out, my love for this man never left, it never waned. It’s always been there, lying dormant, waiting for him to wake me from this eternal slumber.
“Why not you?” As he says this, his thumb finds its way to my lips, and he traces my lower one ever so softly. It’s incredibly erotic and oh, so enticing. Without meaning to, I lean into his touch, closing the distance between us. My gaze is riveted to his lips. They’re plump, and if memory serves me right, they have the capacity to drive a girl insane with lust. He’s skilled. I remember that. So beyond skilled. My core throbs as images from the past surface, slamming into me. Begging me to do it again. To feel him inside me again.
I dart my gaze from his mouth to his eyes, and he does the same. We lean in closer. So close, I can practically taste him. His breaths ghost across my face, intermingling with mine. Frissons of electricity pass through my body, into my veins and bloodstream as we close the distance. At the last minute, he turns, his lips connecting with my cheek and the corner of my mouth. He pulls away gently, staring down at me with so much heat in his eyes, I’m molten lava.
“If this isn’t what you want, I need you to get out now. Because if you stay in here another second, I won’t be able to stay away. I won’t be able to stop myself.” I feel him writing those words on my skin.
Slowly, I process. My mind is still boggled over that half-kiss. With slow ease, I pull away the slightest bit. Disappointment passes over his eyes, but it’s brief. He shoots me a crooked smile, so much heat still lingering in the depths.
“See you tomorrow, Selene.”
I nod, swallowing the sudden lump in my throat. A beat passes between us where we stare at each other before I jump into action. I get out of the truck and all but run into the house. My heart is banging against my chest, making it heave as it works to accommodate my heavy breathing.
I press a shaky hand to the side of my mouth where he kissed me. Without permission, a giddy grin spreads across my face. It makes everything feel lighter as though I’m floating on cloud nine. Pushing off the door, I walk past the kitchen and am about to head down the hall to check on Luna when I spot someone in the