I laugh out loud and bury my face in her neck. “I always want to fuck you, but that’s not what I’m talking about either.”
She sighs softly as I pull back and smile down at her, brushing her curls behind her ear.
“Wanna know what I hate?”
I lift an eyebrow. “Tell me.”
“That I missed thewhole summerwith you and the bike.” She sticks that lower lip out, and I nip at it. “Why couldn’t we have kissed and made up six months ago?”
My smile falls, and I glide my thumb over that delicious lip.
“Because I wasn’t ready for you six months ago.”
“I know,” she whispers. “I wasn’t, either. I’m just pouting. We’ll have a few more bike days before the snow flies. Where are we going today?”
“Just away for a while. Let’s get away, baby. Just you and me.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re in my truck, driving on the highway out toward Bitterroot Lake. It’s a huge lake that you can drive all the way around, but it takes a couple of hours.
Jules and I always loved this drive. And there’s a spot we haven’t been to in far too long.
As I drive out on the highway, I glance over to find my girl watching me, her lips tipped up in a soft smile, her curls hanging around her gorgeous face.
“What are you thinking?” I ask her.
“I want to be in your lap. Right now.”
I frown and then look out the windshield.
“Likerightnow?”
“Yeah.” I hear the seat belt click, and my gaze whips back to hers.
“Fasten your seat belt, Juliet.”
“Nope.” She shakes her head, and suddenly, she’s crawling over the center console and into my lap, sitting sideways so herback is against the door. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses my chin so sweetly, it makes my chest ache. “This is way better.”
“Baby, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m not getting hurt. Because you’d never let that happen.” She pushes her fingers into my hair, anddamn,that feels good.
Keeping my eyes on the road, sure that there are no dangers anywhere around us, I lean in to kiss her forehead.
“I love having you on me like this.”
“It’s my favorite place to be,” she admits with a whisper right next to my ear. “And if I’ve learned anything, it’s that I need to be where I’m happiest. Always. No more wasting time.”
She cuddles into me, and when I turn off the highway, onto the lake road, I breathe a little easier. It’s still paved, and I’ll take it at a decent speed, but not like the highway.
“I’d prefer you were buckled in.”
Her head comes up, and she frowns. “If you’re scared, I’ll move.”
“Just stay still.” I kiss her head, her temple, and cuddle her close again. I want her on me as much as possible. Christ, I love to touch her. There’s no better feeling than having Jules in my arms, right where she’s supposed to be.
Thirty minutes later, Jules is breathing softly, sleeping in my arms as I pull off onto the dirt road that takes us back to the pretty clearing by the river that we discovered in high school. We used to come out here on the weekends and all summer to swim, fish, and camp.
We lost our virginity out here to each other, all those years ago in the back seat of my old truck. I don’t have the truck anymore, but our spot is still here.
