“Kaden...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have read the letter. I don’t know why I did it...but—”
“But what, Hope?” I burst out, slamming the tap shut and spinning around to face her. “That wasn’t for anyone to see. It was private. There were things on there, things personal to me that I… I…” I struggle to get the words out, too overwhelmed by the fact that she now knows what not even Skylar ever did.
“I’m so sorry, Kaden,” she murmurs, her voice gentle and hesitant. “I never meant to snoop, I swear. But when I saw Skylar’s name on that envelope… I don’t know. My curiosity just… got the best of me. And I know that’s not an excuse, but it’s the only one I can give you. Please don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad, Hope. I’m just...disappointed.”
Her expression sinks, and she casts her gaze down to her hands gripping the edge of the island counter. “I know you are,” she says softly, looking up to meet my eyes again. “I’m sorry for reading that letter… but if I’m being completely honest… I’m glad I did.”
I frown, and she slowly walks around the island, stopping to stand directly in front of me.
“I’m glad, because it’s helped me understand you so much better—the fear, the shame, the guilt, the pain… everything you’ve carried for so long. I understand now. And I just want you to know—” She pauses, her hand rising to gently cup my cheek. “—that you don’t have to carry any of it anymore. I see you, Kaden. You are not that person anymore. You were never unwanted, never unworthy. Because to me, you are wanted, you are worthy… and I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to see it.”
Instinctively, my eyes close, my hand rising to cover hers on my cheek, as I let the words I’ve been waiting to hear wash over me, sinking deep into my chest. When my eyes open, our hands falling to our sides, I find myself staring into the most beautiful arctic blue.
Her eyes have always held me captive, but now they burn with a longing and intensity I’ve never seen in her before.
“Kaden,” she breathes, her chest rising and falling in quick, desperate gasps.
“Yes, angel?”
“I want you to kiss me,” she whispers, her voice low and almost pleading.
I raise a brow, tilting my head. “I thought we agreed we were just going to be friends?” I tease.
She shakes her head slowly, and in the most sultry voice, murmurs, “Fuck just being friends.”
The corners of my mouth curl into a slow grin, and with one deliberate step, I close the distance between us, crashing my lips to hers.One hand slides around her waist, the other cradles her jaw, her soft moans driving me to kiss her harder, deeper.
She winds her arms around my neck, drawing me close as if she wants—needs to fuse herself to me. I lift her by the back of her knees, her legs instinctively locking around my back.
Caught up in the heat of the moment, I nearly forget about the pizzas still baking in the oven, and reluctantly pull back just slightly. The frown that flashes across her face is so fucking adorable, it only makes me want to kiss the life out of her until she’s breathless and her bones feel like jelly.
“Why did you stop?” she pants, her breath warm against my mouth.
“I have to switch the oven off before we end up burning this place down.”
“Oh, yeah,” she lets out an airy laugh. “Good idea.”
With her still wrapped around me, I press my lips to hers once again and bend slightly, reaching back to switch off the oven without ever breaking our kiss.
Then, as if my legs have a mind of their own, they lead us straight to my room, and towards my bed, my lips never once leaving hers the whole way there.
As soon as my knees hit the edge of the frame, I slowly lower her onto the mattress, her legs instantly unhooking from my back, and widening as I ease myself between them.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I murmur, my lips trailing from hers to the curve of her jaw. “Because the moment you say yes, there’s no telling what comes next.”
She angles her head to the right, offering me her neck, and my mouth glides over it until I reach the crook.
“I’ve never been so sure in my life,” she whispers, and the moment she does, I sink my teeth gently into her soft skin, and a shaky, breathy moan escapes her.
She responds so effortlessly to my touch; every subtle brush of my lips, every slow glide of my fingers across her skin, sends a shiver racing through her. Goosebumps prickle beneath my hands, and the soft sounds that spill from her mouth are wickedly intoxicating—so dangerously seductive they ignite a fierce, consuming need to pull her closer and lose myself in her completely.
My hands find the hem of her shirt, and slowly, I lift it over her head, letting it fall to the floor. She quickly moves to cover her stomach with her arms, but I catch her wrists, drawing them up above her head with one steady hand.
A soft chuckle leaves me when she shuts her eyes, as if to hide from my gaze.
“Open your eyes, Hope.”
