I look up at him, and he faces me. I can see the moonlight in his eyes as I put my hand on his chest. He’s completely still. I can feel him holding back, waiting. But I can feel his heart, too.
George holds more of me than any other person. My childhood. My adolescence. My young adulthood. He knows where I come from. He knows me at my absolute worst and my very best. He knows me better than anyone. There’s only one last barrier left between us, and I’m ready to tear it down.
“George,” I breathe. “Can I kiss you?”
I’ve barely uttered the question when he swoops down, bringing his smile to my lips.
Chapter Thirty-eight
George moves so fast I would have been knocked back a step if it weren’t for his hands clutching my hips, holding me firm. This kiss is an answer and an oath, a pledge to discover what lies ahead. There’s no mistaking it for anything other than what it is: our friendship turning into something more. No more secrets. No more walls. No more being left behind. We are all laughter and searching tongues. I can sense the same joy in George that fizzes through me—a bright, bursting happiness. It’s even more shattering than the kiss we shared in the rainforest. There’s no turning back.
“Does this mean you want a second date?” I ask as George’s lips skate down my neck. His teeth scrape over my collarbone, then he kisses his way back to my mouth. His tongue meets mine with insistent strokes, and I pull him closer to me so I can feel how much he wants this. Wantsme. I’m not sure how long it will take to comprehend it.
George wants me. My George. Mine.
“What if I said I want every one of them?” he asks, his fingers tangled in my hair.
I think about how his body felt against mine the morning when I woke in his arms. I think about the scar that sits above his hip. I think about the tattoo. It all feels as if it’s been waiting for my lips.
“I think there’s only one way for us to do this,” I say. “All or nothing.”
His thumb brushes across my lip. “I have so much I need to say to you.”
“My thoughts are a lot more action oriented,” I tell him.
He shakes his head as if he can’t believe it. “Then let’s start with this: You never have to ask if you can kiss me. You have free rein.”
My nose brushes his. “I thought it was a romantic gesture.”
“Are you going to argue with me right now?” He kisses me again. Quick, playful.
“Maybe,” I say, pressing against him. “It feels like you’re into it.”
“At the moment, there’s very little I wouldn’t be into.”
He lowers his mouth to mine. Soon, there’s nothing to laugh about. Soon, there’s only George’s lips and the scrape of his teeth and the drag of his tongue on my own. We could be anywhere, or nowhere. My body is elastic, stretching and bending to touch as much of George as possible. My mind is at peace.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” George whispers against my lips.
“Let’s test that theory,” I say. “Let’s go back to our room.”
• • •
It takes usthree times as long as it should to get back to the villa.George!the giddy voice in my head shouts.I’m kissing George! I’m holding hands with George! I’m almost definitely going to have sex with George!
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I say between kisses.
“I can’t believe how many times you’ve said that in the last five minutes,” George says, trying to tug me along another step. But I yank his hand and pull him to me.
He bites my lip and I shiver. I tunnel my hands in his hair, trying to pull him closer, even though there’s no getting closer without breaking the law.
“We need to get back to the room,” I say. He’s hard, and I’m throbbing.
“Agreed.”
“Race you?”
He grins. An eyebrow arches. “I’m faster than you.”
