"You can't predict the future," she says. "But you can definitely enjoy the present. You both want the same thing. Don't let something like a little fear hold you back from having the best sex of your life. It’s okay to be a little selfish.” She wiggles her brows, and I can’t help but roll my eyes.
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Yo! Cecilia!” Gabriel's voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I spot him waiting outside our classroom door, a cocky grin on his lips. “You coming?”
He dips his head toward Adriana in greeting, and she mirrors his nod.
I exhale a breath of relief when I don’t spot any animosity in either of their gazes. I know they have history, but maybe enough time has passed that they’ve both moved on?
I glance at Adriana, who gives me an encouraging nod. "Go on," she murmurs. "Have fun with your man."
"He is not my man," I protest, but there's a smile on my face as I practically skip down the hallway toward Gabriel.
“Hey,” I say as I reach him.
"Hey, yourself." His eyes dart around, ensuring we're alone before he pulls me close.
“What are you doing?” I hiss.
His head dips forward, and my eyes fall to his lips. “Gabriel—” Any protest dies on my lips as he kisses me. This kiss is nothing like the one he gave me on my porch last night—this one is all-consuming.
My arms instinctively find their way around his shoulders, and I press myself against his chest.
His hand presses to the side of my neck, thumb tracing my pulse, as he angles my head the way he wants it and deepens the kiss.
There is no way we can stop doing this.
His lips on mine feel like a wildfire, burning away my doubts and fears. His mouth devours mine as though I’m the air he needs to breathe.
I am in so much trouble.
When we finally break apart, both of us are breathless. "We should get to class," I whisper, my lips tingling from the kiss.
I need to move. To walk away. Because if I don’t, we’re going to do that again and we’re too exposed. Someone is bound to see us.
"We should," he agrees, his grin suggesting he's not done with me yet.
Right. "Okay," I say, forcing myself to step back and walk through the doorway. Gabriel follows close behind, and we take our seats.
“What are your plans tonight?” he asks.
“Swim,” I tell him. “I don’t really know after that. Why?”
He shrugs, his gaze intense as he shifts in his chair. I can't help but notice the way his legs spread, and the very obvious bulge between them.
He chuckles, and I quickly look away when I realize I've been staring.
Cecilia. Get it together.
"Come over afterward. I’ll make dinner," he suggests, catching me off guard.
My brows pull together. We already completed our project and turned it in. Ours wasn’t one of the ones chosen at random by Professor Arndt, so we don’t need to go over how to present it or anything.
“What for?”
His eyes drink me in slowly, and I don’t miss the heat in his gaze. Right. That.
My skin prickles under his intense stare, and I'm acutely aware of the heat emanating from him.
