“Oh God.” I press my hand to my chest. “I’m sorry, I just . . . I guess I got carried away.”
“That’s okay, so did I.” A boyish grin spreads across his face. “You’re a really good fucking kisser.”
My cheeks heat as I say, “I was going to say the same about you.”
He pulls on the small strands of his hair as he says, “Just another regret of mine. We could have started doing that a long time ago.”
“Looks like we have some time to make up for.”
“We do,” he says as he grips my chin and places one more kiss on my lips. Even though it’s a light, featherlike kiss, it packs a powerful punch because it was willing and a way to express his desire for me.
It makes my stomach flutter. It’s confirmation that we are doing this . . . we are becoming an us. And I shiver as I hear my mom’s sweet voice saying, “About time, sweet cheeks. About time.”
ChapterTwenty-One
BREAKER
Hands gripping the bathroom counter, I stare into the mirror and take a few deep breaths.
I love her.
I’m in love with her.
I want nothing but her.
That fucking kiss nearly knocked my socks off.
I’ve never experienced anything like it. Like the moment our lips met, an electrical charge shot through me, rebooting me to be a different man.
I feel the need to always have her at my side.
I feel the need to compulsively touch her.
I feel the need to strip her down and make love to her.
I want her to know that I’m hers, forever. That I don’t want anyone else but her.
But I also need to take this one stride at a time.
I don’t want to scare her away.
One goddamn step at a time, man.
I push off the counter and grab my toothbrush and line it with toothpaste.
After the fireworks, we walked back to the car hand in hand. On the drive home, I rested my hand on her thigh, and she placed her hand on top of mine. We talked about a new board game coming out that we wanted to play while reminiscing about the time we went to Disney when we were in college. It was a total disaster since we went during a peak time and were able to ride three rides total. Brutal.
When we got back home, I walked her to her apartment and lightly kissed her goodnight, reveling in the way her lips felt on mine and how I desperately wanted to invite her back to my place. But I said my goodnight and came back here to take a shower.
Hair still damp, with a towel wrapped around my waist, I brush my teeth just as I hear my front door shut.
“Lia?” I call out, my mouth foamy.
“Yeah, it’s me,” she says as I hear her approach.
I finish up brushing quickly, rinse my mouth, and head out to my bedroom where I find her standing in the middle of the room, wearing a silk robe, her hair damp as well.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
