Crazy In Love (Secrets of Suburbia #3) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,70

his thumb along my cheekbone, sending a shiver down my spine.

I'd also forgotten about my reindeer mask. It was a hindrance anyway. It would have definitely gotten in the way when we kissed. Kissed? What was I even thinking?

His thumb traced the freckles under my eyes.

I was broken. He broke me. So I don't know how I felt so whole when he touched me. It didn't make sense. But it was like he was somehow holding together my shattered pieces. I leaned into his touch.

"Ensley." His hand slid to my neck.

Kiss me. Stop. I leaned forward for just a second and then took two steps back. The distance made it easier to breathe. "I made you brownies." I had to get this night back on track, because I was worried I was about to maul him. And not with the axe.

He laughed. "Oh, yeah. I know. I took one bite. They were terrible. You’re much better at making French toast and bacon."

I laughed. "They weren't terrible. They just had tons of weed in them." Oops. I'd just played all my cards without even hesitating. He was slowly wrapping me around his finger again, just like he used to.

"How many did you eat?" he asked.

"Just one."

He looked over at the pan of brownies. "I'm pretty sure you ate more than one."

I glanced over. A third of the brownies were missing. "No, I'm pretty sure you ate more than a bite."

He laughed.

And then I laughed.

And then Snuggle Muffins started laughing too in his new Italian accent.

"Yeah," Noah said. "Maybe I did eat more than a bite." He nodded. "Right. Yeah, I did. I ate just a little and then started decorating. When I finished I was really freaking hungry. So I ate some more. They didn't taste as weird when I got seconds. And thirds." His eyes grew round. "I only ate them a little before you came in. How much weed did you put in them?" He put his hand up to his mouth.

And I realized I wished I was the one touching his lips. I cleared my throat. "Only a little." So so much. Way more than I was supposed to. I'm pretty sure I had eaten more than I was supposed to too. But everything was becoming clearer. His hands barely looked like shovels anymore. And they definitely didn't feel like shovels. They felt warm and rough. And safe. I felt so safe when his hands were on me.

I wasn't sure how it happened, but we were nose-to-nose again. Maybe I had stepped forward. Maybe he had.

He reached out again, letting his fingers trace the neckline of my sweater.

"My hand feels heavy," he said. He looked down at his hand as he pressed it against the side of my neck. "Are you sure it was just a little bit of weed?"

"Mhm. Just a wee little bittle." I laughed. "Bit. A wee little bit."

He nodded like he believed me.

Which was weird because I certainly didn't believe myself. I wasn’t even sure if any of this was actually happening. Which meant my plan could still work. I just needed to stall him until the weed got him like it had gotten me outside. He'd be seeing Sally snakes and shovel hands in no time. I just needed to do something, anything, to preoccupy him until that happened. So I did the first thing that popped into my head. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him.

Well, it was a lot less graceful than all that. I literally attacked him, mauling him like I thought I might. I wasn't sure why I'd decided to go in that direction. Probably because he looked like a million bucks. And smelled like even more. And the way he looked at me when he wasn't accusing me of being crazy? I never felt so wanted in my life.

But he didn't kiss me back. He stood there like he was in shock.

I was about to pull back when his hand slid into my hair.

He groaned into my mouth as he returned my assault.

The sound made my head spin. I needed to hear it again and again.

He pushed me backward until my lower back collided with the kitchen island. The collision sent a jolt of pain through my body. But instead of crying out in pain, I dropped my axe and wrapped my arms around his neck.

His hands slid to my ass as I jumped up and wrapped my legs around his waist. I needed more. Anything. Everything.