I brushed my fingers over his arm, then his shoulder, then let my hand rest against his chest like I was checking to make sure he was real. He glanced over at me with a small, knowing smile.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Better than okay,” I said, laughing softly.
I leaned closer, resting my head against his shoulder for a moment, just breathing him in. The night, the game, the bar, the cheering, all of it still lived inside me, bright and restless.
And so did this want.
This joy.
This feeling of being in my body and in my life again.
We were heading home, but everything inside me was still racing forward.
My phone chimed, bright and sudden in the quiet car.
I glanced down and laughed softly. It was a picture from Becca. Ava and Leo were asleep in a messy blanket fort, faces smushed together, both of them out cold. Under it, she’d textedTake your time.
I showed it to Alex. He smiled, that warm, soft smile that made my chest feel full, and his hand slid more firmly over my thigh.
That small touch was enough to tip me over the edge of all the buzzing, glowing want inside me. My hands got a little bolder, tracing along his arm, his shoulder, letting myself feel him.
He looked over at me, amused and tender all at once.
“Sorry,” I said, suddenly shy. “If I’m being too forward?—”
“Don’t you dare apologize,” he said, cutting me off gently. “In fact . . . I’ll do you one better.”
He turned off the main road onto a quieter back way, trees arching over us, the night growing softer and darker around the car.
“Where are we going?” I asked, heart thudding in a good way.
He smiled. “Do you trust me?”
I nodded without hesitation. “Yes.”
He pulled into a small clearing that felt like a secret, grass and sky and stillness. He parked, got out, and opened the trunk. I watched him grab a blanket before coming around to open my door, his eyes bright and a little mischievous.
Whatever he was planning, I was already glad I was here with him.
43
ALEX
Itook her hand and walked to the place where we had our first date. It was amazing how far we had come since then. She was blossoming before my very eyes. I counted myself lucky to see it up close and personal. As we walked with her hand in mine and a blanket in the other, I was hoping to get up close and personal with her in another way tonight.
“Is this the same place you brought me?”
I nodded as I spread the blanket out. “I love this spot . . . and it was on the way, so I figured . . . ” I gave my shoulder a little shrug.
“It’s perfect,” she said, plopping down on the blanket.
I sat down behind her, pulling her back between my legs so she could rest her back on my chest. The fact that I could look down her shirt was a simple bonus.
“I had so much fun tonight. While I am terrified to do that, I can’t wait.”
I rubbed my hands up and down her arms. “You’ll be amazing.”
