strength not to pin her to the floor and make love to her right here under the stars both real and manufactured.
“The thing I’m glad I saved most—me.” She picks up the whiskey sour. “One last sip—a gift from me to you.” She takes a final hit before setting the glass down. Her lips find mine, and I pull the liquor right out of her mouth. Her hands wander up my shirt as the taste of whiskey permeates our kisses. I’ll never be able to look at a bottle again without thinking of Izzy.
“That was one hell of a show,” she whispers, tracking kisses all the way to my ear. “You think you can top that?”
A gentle laugh rolls through me. “Oh, sweetie, I know I can.”
I dig my fingers into her hips as our mouths get lost in one another again.
“How about we take this party somewhere private?” Her lips quiver a bright ruby red. Izzy is glassy-eyed and hopped up on anything but liquor.
“You sure you want to do this?”
“You’re the one who promised to teach me everything and anything I ever wanted to know.” She lowers her lids just enough. “I want to know the things you do, Holt. I’m ready to go there if you are.”
If I had any question on whether or not Izzy was a virgin, I think it’s just been answered. How the hell that happened I have no clue, but I’m damn glad about it. I’d be a liar if I didn’t say I was dying for this moment for as long as I can remember, and now it’s that much sweeter.
She presses her lips to my chin. “You in?”
“All the way, baby.”
“Good.” Her eyes widen as if she were surprised after all. “You’ll be my first, Holt.” Her cheeks redden a deep shade of burgundy, and, in this dim light, Izzy becomes her own shadow.
“I’m glad.” I dot her lips with a simple kiss. “I’m hoping to be your last.”
I scoop her into my arms as we make our way inside. Izzy pulls me down by the neck, and our lips fuse over one another as if we were putting out a fire in each other’s mouths. I kick the screen shut with my foot, but I couldn’t care less if an entire swarm of mosquitoes flew in. There’s not a single thing that could spoil this night.
“You sure about this?” I whisper straight into her mouth through a kiss.
“Positive.” She rakes her fingernails over my bare chest until it feels as if she’s about to draw blood. But I don’t mind. I want it to hurt, to feel good, to do both at the very same time.
We engage in one long lip-lock, bumping down the hall as I carry her to the bedroom. I send up a quick prayer, hoping it doesn’t smell like a pile of old gym socks. But I don’t notice the smell or the fact that I’ve got stacks of crap lying around waiting to greet her in the morning. None of it matters. Right now this is about us, Izzy and Holt, two names I’m hoping will one day be synonymous with one another.
My father and that messed up summer bounces through my mind. I don’t think I can live with that guilt forever. Maybe sometime soon I’ll try to figure a way out of that hell. I think I’ve suffered enough. I think we all have.
I sit Izzy down on the edge of the bed and slowly take off my T-shirt. There’s just enough moonlight streaming in, highlighting us until we look like a pair of apparitions. I run my fingers through her hair, soft and slick like strands of silk that go on forever.
Izzy dips her fingers into the lip of my jeans and plays with the button until it gives. She lowers the zipper without ever taking her eyes off mine and gives my boxers a firm tug. I reach down and pull off her top in one easy move. Izzy’s skin glows like marble. The shadow of her bra hugs her curves in all the right places. I reach back and unhook it, holding it together a moment as I lock eyes with hers. She gives a knowing smile as if to say she’s still on board, and that’s all the reassurance I need.
Izzy slinks out of her bra and tosses it in the corner.
This is it, the point of no return, and I’m damn glad about it.
I reach down and