They ate and talked for a long time, yet it didn’t feel like enough. They had a lifetime’s worth of memories and opinions and stories to share with one another, hopes and fears and everything in between.
They finished off the pizzas and baked cookies, which he let her take charge of, and when those were done, they moved from the dining table to the couch, sharing a blanket and getting comfortable.
He kept an eye on the clock, waiting, and whenever she got up to leave, he asked her another question, and she sat down again, the conversation starting down a new path.
Then, when it was almost time, she said, “I really should go, now.”
He stood up, catching her hand to stop her. “Just a little longer,” he asked, and she smiled.
“Thank you for a lovely night,” she said. “Really.”
“It’s not over yet,” he said. He glanced over at the clock just as it struck twelve, and he smiled. Bridging the space between them, he leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Happy birthday, Em.”
Her face lit up with surprise. She turned to look at the clock, noticing the time. “Sothat’swhy you were stalling me,” she said, as if she had cracked the code.
He shrugged. “I wanted to be the first one to wish you a happy birthday,” he said. “I hope this is your best year yet.”
“I hope so, too,” she said, voice soft.
Gently, he cupped her face in his hands. Everything else faded away. It was just the two of them. His heart pounded, his blood quickening in his veins like a river rushing towards a waterfall.
Her hands fell to his waist, holding him, and she closed her eyes. At long last, he brought her mouth to his, kissing her. It was a soft brush of his lips against her, achingly sweet.
His body hummed with desire, aching for more, but he pulled back, and she opened her eyes, gazing up into his.
“You won’t break my heart, will you?” he asked, voice a whisper.
She smiled. “I can’t make any promises.”
He didn’t care. He pulled her in for another kiss.
Chapter 26
Kissing him again after all these years felt like winter’s first snowfall: the return of all that magic and wonder and awe.
It was even better than she remembered. She had wanted to kiss him all night. She had wanted to kiss him for weeks, if she was being honest, maybe even for years, ever since that first time when they were bright-eyed university students.
His hands moved down to her bare shoulders, skirting down her arms to hold onto her waist, pulling her closer. Everywhere he touched her felt lit with flames, and she moved her hands up his chest, to hold onto his shoulders as he kissed her slow and sweet.
It felt as if she had never been kissed before, not like this, like she was someone to be revered, someone to be savored. Her chest ached; her heart so full it felt like it would burst.
He pulled away, and they both caught their breath, foreheads pressed together.
“I’ve wanted to do that forever,” he said, voice rough. He pulled back to gaze into her eyes, searching.
“Me too,” she admitted.
He gave her a grin that was full of such simple joy that her heart swelled. She liked making him happy.
He pulled her in for another kiss and she slid a hand from his shoulder into his hair, twisting the tendrils around her fingers. He deepened the kiss, opening her mouth against his as the kiss went from slow and sweet to frenzied and passionate, as if the floodgates of their desire had opened.
They had both wanted this for so long, and they were making up for lost time. He kissed her harder, lips bruising against hers, but it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. She tugged his hair, holding him closer. He released a desperate groan deep in his throat, the sound vibrating through her, sending every single one of her nerves aflame.
She gasped, and he kissed her cheek, her jaw, his lips trailing lower. There was a slight stubble on his face late at night, and it scratched against her skin in a way that made her feel weak in the knees. She made a strangled sound as he kissed her throat.
Her pulse raced against his lips, and he clutched her closer, fingers pressing into her skin as their hips aligned. Heat pooled low in her belly, and he kissed her collar, sucking at her skin, every touch scorching.
She brought his mouth back to hers, kissing him hungrily. He slipped his hands under her dress, and even through the material of her stockings, she felt his large hands searing into her. She ached for more as his hands went higher, over the curve of her hips to her waistband, fingers skimming the bare skin of her stomach.
