“Give me a minute.” I’m quick to hush her before turning back to the gorgeous boy before me. “I can’t take you back because my heart never letyougo.”
His entire face breaks out into a grin, and those perfectly curved commas that outline his smile make me melt all over again. “Come here.” He pulls me in by the waist, and my body sighs with relief as it adheres to his. I have missed every delicious curve this boy has to offer. “I think it’s time we kiss and make up.” His hands cup my cheeks with an aching tenderness only true affection can provide. Knox pulls me to him as his smile, his lids, both begin to loosen, and just like that, he’s kissing me, his mouth perfectly sealed over minewithlove.
This is everything I’ve always thought loveshouldbe.
And I have itwithKnox.
We haveitall.
* * *
On Saturday,after spending three glorious, acrobatically intense, sexually charged days in bed—the frozen pizza really did come in handy, Knox says he’s taking me out for a surprise excursion. First, the wordexcursionquickly deleted all thoughts of a romantic lunch at some fab sushi bar, or even the idea of heading to Forest Orville’s office to profusely apologize for my adolescent behavior. Word on the street—readKnox—is that Forest said he really missed the eye candy. I knew he was an asshole from theget-go.
But Knox takes us in the entirely opposite direction, up the mountains toward the hiking trails, and sign after sign boasts of the Witch’s Cauldron. I know all about those steamy sexual waters. It’s practically a graduation requirement to mate in that boiling vat of debauchery. But try as I might get the teeniest bit excited about my boyfriend’s adventurous sexual side, I can’t seem to keep my mind on anything other than the fact I’m terrified we’re about to flip off the side of this mountain and roll to afieryend.
“Are you sure we’re going in the rightdirection?”
He takes a hairpin turn and I crouch in the corner of his truck and let outayelp.
Knox gives a jovial laugh as if it were the funniest thing in the world. “I’m sure. And in fact”—the truck slows down and I peer a single eye outside the passenger’s window—“we’ve alreadyarrived.”
A big, fat—unwelcomed—sign readscity lookout,and I can’t seem to catch my next breath. Everyone knows those lookout places are just a clever way to lure tourists to the edge of a cliff, moments away from their impending doom. And that’s exactly what it feels likeforme.
Knox comes around and opens my door, but I refuse tobudge.
“Hey”—he lifts my chin gently with his finger—“I don’t want you to be afraid of anything. I want to help you conquer the world—all of your fears.” The love exuding from him says exactly that. “Will you trust me to keepyousafe?”
“Of course, I trust you!” I’m half a second from batting his body away from mine. “It’s the roaring winds, the torrential downpour, the wild beasts roaming around that I don’ttrust.”
Knox’s brows create a perfect line over his eyes, a neat trick if you ask me, but more than that, they’re conveying the fact he’s a little disappointedinme.
“There’s no breeze today. The sky is blue.” He glances behind him at a couple of girls walking a Chihuahua on a leash. “And if that’s your definition of a beast, then I think we’ll be just fine. What do you say?” That devilish grin returns tohisface.
“Okay”—I hear myself say it, but I still don’t believe it—“but just this once. And lucky for the Grim Reaper, that’s all he needs tokillme.”
Knox barks out a laugh as he pulls me by his side. “I promise I will deliver you safely off this mountain, to my bed where I will hand-feed you all the pie youcaneat.”
“You better keep your promise because my mouth is already watering.” I bite down on my lip as I pierce his gaze with mine. “But it’s not for the pie you’ll be doling out later. It’s for the boy who’ll be hand-feedingme.”
“Sounds like you’d better keep your promise too.” He takes a quick bite out of my neck as we start on thetrailhead.
My heart starts to race, and it has nothing to do with the fact my boyfriend is munching on me as if I’m his new favorite snack. The railing between us and eternity comes up as the road narrows considerably. Out in the distance, I see the sun shining off tiny reflective specs that I can only assume are the mirrored windows of the skyscrapers in downtown Jepson. The wind picks up and it feels as if I’m about to turn into a balloon and get taken right alongwithit.
“I can’t do this.” My legs shake as I brace myself against him. “Take me back, please.” I bury my face in his chest just willing myself to die. This is far beyond the normal realms of terror. I’m petrified, worse yet, paralyzed from takinganotherstep.
“Just a few more feet, and you got this.” His arms warm my back as he lands a hot kiss next to my ear. “You’ve conquered your fear. There isn’t a thing you can’t do. You are Harper Kick-Ass Shelton, afraid of nothing or no one.” My legs inch along with him as he leads us farther down the trail. “Remember what you did when that bastard tried to break yourheart?”
“Which one?” I slap my hand playfully over hischest.
“Technically both. You said screw getting mad—I’m getting even. Well, that’s what you’re doing here right now. You’re saying screw you to this phobia that’s been ruling your life for far too long.” He scoots us toward the cliff side and wraps his arms around my chest like a human seat belt with me facing the world at this horrible vantage point, but I don’t dare look down. My gaze is still on the boy I love. “Hold ontight.”
“Why? Is this the part where we jump?” My body shakes so hard I can hardly take my nextbreath.
“Not on your life—or mine. Nope. We’ve got too much to live for.” Knox trails his hot kisses to my ear, and the wind licks a cool line right behind him. “We’ve got each other, and that’s enough. Don’t youthink?”
I keep my gaze fixed on his no matter how hard the city campaigns for myattention.
“I think you’re right.” My hands slide up his body as they make their way around the back of his neck. “I think I might be ready to look, but you’ll have to hold me extratight.”
