I guess that answers my question about whether that kiss would make things awkward between us.
He spins me out and back again, catching me in his arms with ease.
“Is this what I have to look forward to as your roommate?Home-cooked meals and impromptu dances?My ex didn’t even like cuddling.”
“No offense, but there’s something wrong with him.How long were you together?”
“Ten years.He was my first love—or I thought he was, but now I’m not sure I know what love is.It was nice to come home to someone who knew me though.To be chosen.”
One song leads into another, slow and sultry.We’re chest to chest now, and I hide my smile in Lucky’s shoulder when he starts mimicking chords along my spine.Every brush of his fingers sends lightning through me.
“First loves are funny like that,” he says, his voice soft.It reminds me of sleepovers and shared secrets.“Most erode over time, like rock giving way to water.Others are immutable, no matter how long it’s been.”
The pain is clear in his voice.
“Do you forgive him?”I ask, pressing closer.
He takes a long breath, my cheek moving with the sigh he releases.“It took a while, but going triple platinum a few times helped.”He breaks into a smile when I playfully push at his chest.
Trust him to find a silver lining, even in the deepest of pain, the innate light within him piercing through any storm.It’s intoxicating.
“I’ve always thought Sterling was the smartest man I’ve met, but if he walked away from you and wasn’t destroyed with guilt, he’s the Devil himself.”
The warm umber of Lucky’s eyes is intense as we sway, and this time, it’s his gaze that drops, sending my heart skittering between my ribs.
“Has there been anyone since?”I ask.
His gaze holds on my lips as he licks his own, and he pulls me closer.“Yes,” is all he says, and we must move in tandem because we’re kissing, and it’s all I remember and more.Better actually because there’s nothing to dull the slide of his tongue against mine.No way of missing the grip of his hand as he slides it into my hair, guiding my head back as he devours my mouth.
My lips tingle when we pull apart.“I thought you didn’t want to do this,” I whisper.
“I wanted to do it right,” he says, kissing me again.“You’re not a drunken one-night stand, love.We can take it as slow as you want?—”
“No.”I slip my hands under his shirt, groaning internally as my fingertips slide over and between the groove of his ribs.He’s gorgeous.“I don’t want slow.”Clutching his shirt in my fist, I haul him back to me.
There are few opportunities in life where you can be certain of something, but in this, I am sure; Lucky came into my life for a reason, and I might not know where we’re heading, but I’m going to enjoy every second of the ride there.
* * *
Make Your Choice:
don’t stop there!gimme the good stuff*(go to 39)
no spice?no problem!(go to 41)
go back(go to 18)
It’s been many years since I’ve seen my dear friend.
We’ve been betrothed since we were born, before the sorcerer ripped the earth apart and separated us from each other.For over a decade, my only contact with Lucky has been through letters.
Our marriage will be one step toward peace, one I have been thinking of for a long time.
“Mia, I want you to be careful.You may think you know him, but a lot has changed since you last met.He will not be the boy of your memories.”
“If you’d read what he wrote me?—”
“Words can be faked, truths hidden beneath pretty promises that never need testing.”
