We are the first to reach our floor. The people part for us to get off, and I wonder if they notice our lack of luggage also. Then again, we could already be settled into our rooms and coming from dinner. Nobody knows us or what this means. Nobody knows the pool we have already dipped our toes into or the fact that we are about to dive in headfirst.
We get to our room and I slip in the key card. It flashes red twice, then green. Natalie giggles nervously.
I push open the door and Natalie steps through. She removes her shoes and drops her purse on a chair. The door slips into place behind me, the lock sliding across with a soft thud.
I’m not sure how to close the few feet that separate us. It is not a great distance, and yet it is. What I’m really crossing are lines, not mere inches. The weight of it keeps me rooted in place.
But not Natalie. My brave, beautiful Natalie. If she fears this, she doesn’t show it. She comes to me. She wraps her arms around my neck. She kisses me, her lips coaxing me from my apprehensive state.
Her hands run over my cheeks, scrape along my jaw, skim over my arms. My own hands are on the small of her back, running up her sides and into her hair. I thought I knew Natalie better than anyone else, and now I see how much more there is to learn.
Natalie tugs lightly on the front of my shirt. Without breaking our kiss, I reach down and grip the backs of her thighs. Her small, surprised gasp steals the air from my mouth. She wraps her legs around my waist, and I carry her to the bed. Gently, I lay her down on the ivory comforter. Her hair spills out around her head, her cheeks rosy.
“You are so beautiful, Nat,” I tell her, and she smiles and reaches for me.
I slip her dress down over her shoulders and kiss her skin. I keep going this way, a few inches of dress lowered, followed by my mouth on her exposed skin. Her hands clench in my hair. I keep going until she is free of every article of clothing, and her cheeks are flushed. As quickly as I can, I remove my clothes, tossing them on the ground near hers. When I look back down, she’s smiling.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s you.”
I lie on top of her, supporting my weight on one forearm, and kiss her. “And you,” I tell her between kisses. “Me and you.”
I don’t get a condom, and she doesn’t ask me to. I can’t bear to experience Natalie with a barrier. I kiss her slowly as I push into her. Her whole body tenses and she moans. I smile against her. I can’t help it. It’s her dark chocolate cake moan, only better. My movement becomes a rhythm, and Natalie’s legs begin to tremble. I keep going, our gazes locked, and hold her as she falls apart beneath me.
Until dawn the next morning, I learn about Natalie.
She likes to be kissed on the back of her neck and the inside of her thighs.
I found her birthmark.
I know that nothing will go back to the way it was before. And I don’t want it to.
16
Natalie
“Where were you two?I was worried. Just because you’re grown doesn’t mean parents stop worrying. I told you to call me if you needed a ride.” Diana stands in the doorway, one arm propped on the jamb and the other firmly on her hip. Her concerned expression is slowly melting away, irritation taking its place.
“Sorry, Mom,” Aidan says, walking up the steps and coming to a stop on the welcome mat. He offers no explanation, and I wonder what she will make of that. She peers around Aidan to where I’m standing at the foot of the stairs. My shoulders tuck in as she scrutinizes me, and I ignore the desire to run a hand over my face, as though Aidan’s kisses have left imprints.
But they have left a mark. Invisible, but just as permanent.
Diana steps away from the door. I hurry up the stairs and follow Aidan into the house. I long to reach out and touch him, but I can’t. When we woke up this morning, we decided we’re not ready to tell anybody about us. We want to be alone in our newfound place, cocooned only by our own emotions. The thoughts and opinions of others can come later.
We both head for the kitchen. In an effort to get back to Aidan’s house this morning, we skipped breakfast. After last night’s physical exertions, it’s safe to say we are both more than a little hungry.
Aidan goes right to the fridge, and I go to the pantry. I grab the first thing I see: tortilla chips. Aidan pulls away from the fridge with eggs, sausage, bread, and a canister of cinnamon rolls.
He sees what I’m holding and opens his mouth. I feed him a chip as he unloads everything onto the counter.
“Good idea,” he says, leaning down and giving me a quick kiss.
“Aidan,” I whisper-hiss, stepping back and looking around. We are lucky this time. Nobody is around to catch us.
He makes a face. “I don’t know how long I can keep us a secret.”
“Then don’t. We could just tell them now.” If it means I can touch Aidan when I want to, then maybe it’s worth it.
