We’re twenty minutes into the walk and I can see Eden is already struggling. So far we haven’t talked any more about our dating expectations, but I feel confident. Now that we’ve stopped being awkward with each other, that is.
“Do you want some water?” Taking a bottle from the side pocket of my pack, I hand it back to her.
“You see now what a massive job you’ve signed up for? I can barely walk up a hill and you think I’m gonna be running five kilometers?” she pants.
“I do. I have faith.” I also have a new way to motivate her. Coming to a stop, I slip the pack off. Eden is too busy pulling her hoodie off to notice. She almost bowls me over. Thankfully, I grab her before we end up on our asses.
“Shit, sorry,” she mumbles through the fabric of her top. When she frees herself, her breath catches at my closeness.
“How are you feeling?” My voice is low.
“Better now,” she says just as quietly.
“I figured we could stop here and eat. It’s a nice place.” It’s nowhere near where I wanted to stop, but I don’t want her overdoing it and hating our date.
Instead of answering, her eyes drop to my lips. My hormones take over and I pitch forward. Eden meets me in the middle.
We’re kissing. I’m kissing Eden Sawyer. On the lips. And it is good!
11
Eden
Sloane kissing me is like my Christmas and birthday wishes coming true all at once. I wasn’t expecting it. I thought we’d maybe have a couple more dates before we got to the lip-locking stage.
Not that I’d want it that way. Kissing her now is way better!
Sloane tastes like cherry lip balm. Her lips are soft, but I can feel the imperfection from her lip biting. My tongue instinctively snakes out to soothe the bitten area.
“Oh my god, Eden,” she groans against my lips.
Her tongue pushes against mine, seeking entry. My kissing history is as thin as my dating record, so I hope I’mdoing a good job. Sloane certainly is. Parting my lips, she slips in, and it’s my turn to moan.
So far, my hands have had a good grip on Sloane’s hips, but as the kiss goes on, they begin to wander. I’ve never felt myself get hot this quickly. Even when I’m taking care of myself, it takes a minute to get in the mood. With Sloane, I’m there in seconds.
Not that we are anywhere near takingthatstep. I’m no prude, and I’ve never subscribed to the idea that I should wait until I’m in love to finally have sex. On the flip side, though, I want to look back on the experience with fond memories, not regret.
“S-sloane,” I gasp. “We…we need to slow down.”
Sloane rips herself away from me. Her hair is slightly mussed, and her lips are now swollen. I wonder if my eyes are as wild looking as hers.
“Wow. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” she stutters.
“You didn’t,” I’m quick to reply. Not a chance that I want her thinking I didn’t want her mouth on mine. “I promise, I wanted and enjoyed kissing you. Like, a lot. That’s why I stopped us. Um, we were getting hot, quite fast.”
She blushes as much as I do. “Yeah.”
Scratching the back of my head, I take a quick breath. “I…um, I’m not ready to go there. If you know what I mean.”
“Sex,” she blurts. We devolve into laughter.
“Hey, I’m the one who blurts out awkward things. Don’t take that away from me, Bishop.”
She smiles. “My bad. I won’t do it again. And to be clear. Iamready to have sex, but I want us to get to know each other before we go there.”
“Oh, you’re…you’re ready?”
Blimey. We’ve only just admitted to liking each other and now we’re talking about sex! This has to be some sort of record.
