“What you have to tell me.”
“I’ll spill everything.” I lick my lips. A thrill zings up my spine when she tracks the slow movement.
She lifts a slim brow. “How many secrets have you been keeping?”
I lost count. But there’s no use spewing that. “None if all goes well.”
“So confident.”
“I prefer optimistic.”
Sutton’s gasp is soft, but it blasts through me with the force of a cannonball. Her parted mouth calls to mine. I want to keep surprising her, for the rest of our lives.
My gut plunges when she takes a step back. But her trace of a smile has me holding on. She tucks some hair behind her pink-tipped ear. “Do you, uh, wanna come in?”
My boots are glued to the stoop. No matter how much I care for her parents, we need to be alone. “It’s too late for a proper date. But I still wanna take you out. Would that be okay?” I let my urges take control and twirl a piece of her silky hair. “Will you let me, Sutt?”
She sags into the door. “Where to?”
“A special place. We can walk to the meadow.”
Another hitch shutters her breath. “O-okay.”
“Can we go now? Or do you need to finish—”
“I’m ready,” she blurts.
I blow out a long exhale. Thank the Lord for small miracles.
Sutton ducks by me onto the porch and shuts the door. It’s my turn to be stunned. Her tan skin is illuminated by the overhead lights, giving me a mouthwatering view. A white tank clings to her round breasts and flat stomach. Her skirt is flowy, hiding those toned thighs I want wrapped around my waist. She’s lush curves and sharp angles and made for me. My dick appreciates the sight, halfway to giving her a standing ovation.
I continue leering, a starving lion drooling over a meek deer. Sutton doesn’t seem to care. There’s a familiar gleam of hunger in her gaze. I’m struck by this moment, straddling a line that will change everything. I want to beat on my chest and announce that she’s mine. But that isn’t true.
Neither of us move, the seconds bleeding into eternity. Sutton twists her fingers until they resemble a complex web. I lift an open palm toward her. She stares down at my offering, the intention clear. Her shoulders bunch higher while she considers what this means.
The wind howls in my ears, lashing at me with promises of us. She can heal the hurt, be my one and only happy something. But that’s for her to decide. “Take the leap with me, Sutty.”
Her gaze jumps to mine at the old nickname. I haven’t used it since we were young and childish. But a piece of our innocent past can bridge the hole that still echoes between us. She reaches out and slides our hands together, closing the gap with a delicate caress. The silk in her gentle touch mends the broken inside of me. I’ve been dealt a lifetime full of shitty blows. Whoever’s in charge upstairs enjoys challenging me. But Sutton is my gift. The one piece that’s always been right. And she’s finally all mine.
I tug her into me. Any inch of space is a cold reminder of what no longer describes us. I press my lips to her temple. “Good choice.”
She nuzzles into my chest. “It was the only one I could choose.”
“Should we go?” I can almost feel prying stares boring into me through the window.
Sutton nods. I guide her down the stairs and onto the dark path. We walk side by side, our fingers tightly intertwined.
She scans the driveway as we pass by. “How’d you get here?”
“Jace dropped me off.”
“Well, you’re still in one piece. Must have gone all right.”
I squeeze her hand. “He came around.”
A spotlight from the barn catches the tension in her features. “What if he changes his mind?”
I let the corner of my mouth twitch. “He promised no take backs.”
