"Appreciate?"
He inches closer, now aware that I'm playing coy with him, and his head tilts as he prepares to take charge.
Now my smile is in full force. "I undeniably want you to kiss me and have been thinking about it all day."
"That's better."
His grin doesn't get a chance to shine as his hand slides along my cheek until his other hand follows on the opposite side of my face. Stone cradles my head, supporting me to ensure I don’t lose the strength in my legs, because that’s what is beginning to happen. I’m weak from his touch, with his thumb tracing my lips. I press against his finger with my lips to encourage him not to stop.
Stone dips his head down and slowly his mouth meets mine. Closing my eyes, my senses magnify. His kiss is soft at first, allowing my body to adjust to what’s happening. It’s electrical, awakening things inside of me that may have been dormant. Wait, no, that’s not true. This is all new. Different to anything before. A kiss that will be far too memorable.
I murmur into his mouth, inviting him to explore with his tongue. He groans when he angles the kiss in a different way, capturing more of my desire for this man who I only met a few days ago, but it feels as though we were meant to cross roads.
Kismet is apparently real.
We part, only to feather one another’s lips. A delicate brush that I feel all the way down to my toes.
Then another kiss, this time deeper. More together.
An intensity takes over. Enrapturing me into a space that feels enticing, and I want to explore more. How far can I go to give and take?
Then it hits me.
I’m broken goods. This man needs someone to match his needs and persistence.
I’ll just ruin it for us somehow.
Which is why I break this kiss, even though I think that I could ever stop. But I can’t lead us down a lane with no clear ending.
“Tomorrow I Ieave, but maybe it’s better to part now… Goodbye, Stone,” I whisper.
“Harlow,” he warns before I walk away, our fingers only letting go at the very last moment.
I don’t look back.
I should have known that it wouldn’t stop Stone Madden.
6
HARLOW
The Florida sun provides the vitamin D I need. It’s supposed to lift your mood, isn’t it?
Instead, I’ve been wallowing around, trying to shake the days that I had with Stone.
I wish there was another way. Alas, I’m back to where I was before the retreat. Sitting at my desk with a veggie wrap that I picked up from the deli down the street and my screen open to a Word document mid-chapter.
Maybe I should head to the beach. The Gulf is still warm from the summer, yet there are fewer tourists. But somehow, a spurt of fictional ideas has been uncontrollable lately.
The ping of an incoming email doesn’t faze me, until I notice the name on the corner of my screen. His name strikes me within, and curiosity pumps up to full swing. I click it open after waiting a few seconds, as there is no way that I can be patient enough to wait.
Harlow,
You said email was faster. Speed of light would be better. How are you?
-Stone, Murderer of Deer
I hate yet love the smile hitting my lips and the fact that my fingers begin to type so eagerly.
