I lean closer, already hovering. “I love undercooked cookies. Can we have one now?”
He glances at me, smiling. “You can have them all right now if you want.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Share one with me?”
“Of course.”
I pick the one that looks the softest, lifting it carefully before the heat seeps into my fingertips. It bends easily when I pull itapart, steam escaping from the center, the chocolate stretching slightly before melting back into itself. The inside is soft and chewy, almost too warm to hold.
I hand him half, and he takes it with an easy smile.
The first bite practically melts on my tongue. Warm, buttery, and sweet, with a faint crunch of salt on top. I close my eyes, letting myself enjoy it, and when I open them again, he’s watching me, amused.
“Good?” he asks.
I laugh softly. “Dangerously good.”
The warmth of the kitchen starts to feel almost too cozy, so I carry the rest of my cookie toward the back door, slide it open, and check on the dogs.
Neptune and Skye are rolling around in the grass, chasing each other in chaotic circles, tails flying, completely lost in their own world. The air outside is cooler now, the fire still glowing low, and the ocean stretches beyond the yard, the low rhythm of the waves carrying through the night air.
I stop near the edge of the patio, watching them play, a quiet sense of peace settling over me.
Aiden steps outside a moment later, standing beside me. His body is close enough that I can feel the warmth coming off him.
We watch the dogs together, the comfortable silence stretching between us, easy and unforced.
Without really thinking about it, I reach for his hand, and his fingers close around mine right away, warm and familiar. I look down at where our hands fit together, surprised by how natural it feels, how easily the moment settles between us. When I glance up, I find him watching our hands too, his gaze lifting slowly until our eyes meet, his grip gentle and unhurried.
He raises our joined hands slightly, turns toward me, and kisses my wrist. The brush of his lips against my skin sends a slow rush of warmth through me. The air feels quieter somehow,the space between us shrinking until I’m aware of nothing except him standing there, steady and close.
Our eyes stay locked, and I let myself feel the moment. My free hand slides to the back of his neck, gently guiding him down toward me before I finally kiss him.
Chapter 35
Ican’t say I expected this to happen.
One moment we’re standing side by side, hands joined, the quiet stretching between us, and the next she’s guiding me toward her, her hand at my neck, her lips on mine.
Her mouth is soft, warm, tasting faintly like cookies, and every imagined version of this moment disappears because the reality of it is so much better. The kiss starts slow, careful, almost curious, but it deepens quickly, weeks of restraint melting away the second she pulls me closer.
My arm moves around her waist instinctively, drawing her closer, the need for more of her rushing forward all at once. She fits against me as if she’s always been meant for this space, her arms sliding around my neck as we kiss, her fingers moving slowly over my skin, across my shoulders, down my back, sending a shiver through me.
I want to lift her, take her inside, sit her on my lap, and kiss her for hours.
Instead, I stay right where I am, holding her, letting the moment exist exactly as it is.
The world narrows to warmth and breath and the sound of the ocean somewhere behind us. We kiss like we’re both trying to memorize it. We’re slow one second, desperate the next, and only when something brushes past my leg do I come back to the moment around us.
Skye and Neptune are running circles around us, tails flying, probably trying to figure out why their owners are suddenly tangled up together.
We ease back just enough to look down at the dogs and laugh, breathless, still holding onto each other while they continue their chaos.
She leans her head against my chest, and I breathe her in — her hair has a faint smell of coconut, and it just smells like May. I hold her tighter, not ready for the moment to end yet.
When she looks up at me, I can’t stop smiling.
I lean down and kiss her again.
