“I’ll go unpack,” I tell him as we bring in the last of the grocery bags.
“I’ll grab your suitcase.”
“I can get it,” I argue.
“No, it’s heavy. Just let me grab it.”
We end up fighting over the handle of the suitcase until Heath pulls it out of my grasp. He stares at me, and I lick my lips, suddenly aware of how close we’re standing.
“Heath,” I whisper.
He steps closer until our bodies are pressed together. “There’s one more thing we should practice,” he says huskily.
“What’s that?” I ask breathlessly.
“This.” Heath drops my suitcase and reaches for me. He cups my face, and his lips crash down on mine.
For half a heartbeat, I just… spark. My toes curl in my shoes, the world tilts, and the only thing I can feel is Heath—mint, coffee, and the soft scrape of his lower lip against mine. I fist my hands in his shirt to steady myself, but he’s already lifting me onto my tiptoes, angling my head so he can deepen the kiss. A needy sound slips out of me, embarrassing and honest, and he swallows it like it belongs to him.
His body brackets mine, crowding me back until my shoulders meet the wall. His thumbs stroke along my jaw. I slide my hand up his chest, and the ring he just put on my finger glints between us. He kisses me like he’s memorizing me, like there’s a test later and he refuses to fail. Slowly at first, then hungrier when I open for him.
He breaks away an inch, breath rough. His eyes search my face, stormy and intent, like he’s asking without words.
I answer the only way I can think—I surge up and kiss him back.
He groans, low and wrecked, and the sound shoots straight through me. His hands spread over my hips, anchoring me as I tug at his shirt and drag him closer. He tastes like heat and home and everything I didn’t know I was allowed to want. When his tongue brushes mine, I gasp. He takes the invitation, licking into my mouth, patient and greedy all at once. My fingers find the short hair at his nape, and he shivers, pressing me tighter to the wall as if he can’t stand the thought of any space between us.
Heath lifts me without warning, and I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist, shocked by my boldness and how right it feels. His mouth softens, then takes again, the rhythm turning lazy and deep. Each kiss is a promise wrapped in a practice excuse, and I’m so gone for him that I forget why we’re practicing at all.
A sharp beep cuts through the haze.
We both freeze.
Heath mutters something that sounds like a curse against my mouth, then rests his forehead to mine, breathing hard while his phone chimes again in his pocket.
“I, uh, I don’t think we need more practice in that area,” I joke, licking my lips and tasting him there.
Heath grunts. “I’ll get your things.”
He grabs my suitcase and heads upstairs. I watch him go and then go to the kitchen to put the groceries away. I stand in front of the open fridge, hoping that it will cool me down.
I put everything away and turn to see Heath standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching me.
“All done,” I chirp. “I should go get ready before your family arrives.”
He doesn’t say anything, so I take that as my cue and scamper upstairs.
My suitcase is open on the bed, and I get to work putting my things away next to Heath’s. I need to get changed out of these clothes but decide to take a shower before I change.
My phone rings as I shampoo my hair, and I know it must be Jem. I’ll call her back when I get out.
Hurrying through my shower, I wrap a towel around my hair and another around my body. I grab my phone as I pad into the bedroom and call Jem back.
“Hey,” she answers. “How’s it going?”
“His family will be here soon, and I don’t feel ready for any of this,” I blurt.
“Any of what?”
