“Is your family in the mob?” I asked Tori, my fingers running through her hair. She was leaning on my chest, flipping channels on the television.
“No,” she said with a laugh. “Why?”
“Eh, just the few threats to my life I’ve received today.”
Her eyes popped up from under her tangle of hair. “They get a little dramatic, especially Cindy.”
“A little,” I scoffed.
She nestled her head back into my chest and returned to channel surfing.
“I remember that day,” I said as she landed on a cooking show. “At your parents’ resort.”
Blue irises peeked back up at me. “You do?”
“I do. I remembered when you first told me they owned it.”
She pushed herself up and folded her legs in front of her.
“You must have been four since I was about seven. Sprawled out in front of this enormous fireplace, you were intent on coloring your princess. Staying within the lines, of course.”
Her head tipped as she listened.
“You had pigtails and a pair of overalls on. I only remember because I’d never seen them before. My father only allowed my sister to wear dresses, and I don’t think I owned a pair of jeans until I was old enough to buy them myself.” I scratched my ear, remembering how curious I’d been about her. “You looked up at me and gave me a smile before offering a crayon to me. We colored for a few minutes, and you asked me questions with no filter until my father dragged me away for acting like a child.”
“I don’t remember that,” she said, sadness stressing her words.
“You wouldn’t. You were too young.” I looked over at the television, where someone was preparing risotto.
The couch shifted, and Tori’s hand turned my face back to her. “It’s almost like our paths were meant to cross.”
My sight fell to her hands, and I took one, rubbing my thumb over her fingers.
“Maybe that’s what brought me back to you,” she continued. “So this isn’t really our second chance. It’s our third.”
My eyes lifted, meeting cornfield blue that knocked the air from my chest. “We were a little young that first time,” I teased.
“But what if your father hadn’t taken you away…”
Chuckling, I said, “We lived in different states and were just kids.”
Finger against my lip, she shushed me. “Don’t destroy my romanticized version of us with your reasoning. Just let me think this was meant to be.”
I took her hand and kissed her palm before pulling her into my arms. “Fine, you can keep thinking that, but this is still our second chance.”
Adjusting herself so she was straddling me, she took my face in her hands and kissed me. “Killjoy,” she murmured as I pulled her further into me.
My fingers tangled in her hair while my other hand ran the length of her body, stopping on her hip.
“Tori,” I groaned when she pressed down, grinding into me. “You’re making this very difficult.”
“I know,” she breathed.
Hand slipping below her shirt, I followed the curve of her waist. Her hands played in my hair, and I deepened our kiss, pushing her mouth closer. There was no way I could take this slow, no way I would honor her father’s rule that I sleep in another room if I didn’t stop this. But my body had craved her for so long that it seemed an impossible feat.
“Tori,” I tried again, forcing my hands from her skin and taking her waist. Pushing her back, I tried to ignore the pout of her swollen lips. “We can’t. Slow, remember? I promised you, and I’ll never break another promise to you.”
She nodded, smoothing my shirt out as her eyes followed the path of her hands. “Middle never seemed so far.”
