roses in my hand and saying he’d miss me.
I scrunch my brows, trying to remember what happened to the flowers after that. “I brought the flowers with me to the car because I thought they’d be nice in my new dorm, but Mom said they wouldn’t survive the heat of the long trip. She took them inside for me to put them in a vase of water, and then we left.” I lift my palms. “Maybe the note fell out somewhere along the way, or she accidentally threw it out with the paper in her rush to get on the road. She never mentioned seeing a note.”
He leans back on the sofa, looks heavenward, and groans.
“What? What did it say?”
He closes his eyes. “I’m such an idiot. All that lost time when you came back to town.”
I smack his shoulder. “You were avoiding me! I knew it!” My jaw gapes as I realize the implications. “It must’ve been something really embarrassing in that note. Did teenaged Eli write me a mushy love poem?”
He tackles me, and I shriek in surprise, laughing. He nuzzles into my neck, his stubbled jaw rubbing against me as his body covers mine. The friction is delicious, the sudden heat, his weight. I wrap my arms around his neck, all teasing gone.
He lifts his head, his voice gruff. “You were my dream girl. You’ve always been my dream girl.”
My breath catches. “Eli, that’s so—”
“Don’t say nice.”
I shake my head, my eyes wide with wonder. “It’s the most amazing thing anyone has ever said to me.”
His lips meet mine in a scorching kiss that steals my breath. Because it’s not just a kiss, every movement, every urgent press of his lips and tongue feels like more. Like pent-up feelings expressed fully for the first time—passion, need, tenderness…love?
I tear my mouth away. “Eli, what did the note say?”
“Not now,” he says hoarsely.
His warm hand cradles my jaw as he deepens the kiss. I grip his shirt, keeping him close, needing his kiss more than answers.
A long moment later, he gets off me and pulls me up with him. We stand there, staring into each other’s eyes. My breath comes harder, every part of my body crying out for more. He’s sexy and safe at the same time. Every guy I’ve ever been with is a risk because I don’t know them that well. Will they be too aggressive, be a jerk, or otherwise suck? Eli does not suck. He’s amazing.
I’m not sure who moves first, but we slam together. The kiss is scorching, his fingers tangled in my hair, his other hand cupping my ass, holding me close and setting off an urgent need in me that can’t be denied. I’m on fire, fever hot. My hands go to the bottom of his shirt, yanking it up. He rips off his shirt and then kisses me long and deep, like he has all the time in the world. I’m making up for lost time, all the attraction I tried to deny, the feelings—it’s all bubbling over.
I push at his chest, and he backs off instantly. I pull my shirt over my head.
He sucks in air. “Beautiful. The things I want to do to you.”
“I want everything. Right now.”
His arms wrap around me as he says low by my ear, “We have all night.”
He bends his head, kissing the soft spot behind my ear and then lower, slowly moving along my neck. I slide my hands over his broad back, down his sides, enjoying the play of hard muscular ridges. My fingers still as his teeth scrape against me. He continues kissing along the column of my neck until he gets to a sensitive spot, and my knees buckle. I feel his lips curve against my neck, his hand sliding to the waistband of my pants, slipping underneath.
He undresses me in between kisses, and I return the favor as we make our way to his bedroom. He turns on the light, dimming it, and then guides me to his bed. He peels the covers back and gives me a small push. I land sitting on the mattress and look up at him.
His eyes gleam, his expression intent like a hunter who’s finally caught up with his meal. My breath hitches. I have never seen a man look at me like that. Like he’s ravenous for me.
He drops to his knees, pushes my legs apart, and looks his fill. I’m tempted to shift away, unprepared for such open intimacy. He