Damn the rules.
Damn the distance I kept pretending was for her sake when she clearly wants this. Wants us like I do.
I move toward her.
The rain has softened, no longer crashing down and soaking into my clothes. It darkens the fabric of her dress until it moulds to her body as if it were made just for her. Water beads along her collarbones, tracing the curve of her tits.
She looks up at me, wide-eyed and breathless, unsure whether to run or hit me. Her breath stutters, her lips parting slightly, and the space between us feels unbearably thin.
I stop so close I can feel her warmth despite the icy rain.
She opens her mouth, no doubt to tell me to back off, to put space between us again—but I stop her before she can say a thing.
I’ve wanted this.
Wantedher.
And the second our lips meet, I know there's no pretending otherwise anymore.
Chapter 17
Willow
Elijah iskissingme.
In the rain.
I've imagined this moment more times than I’d ever admit, but nothing prepared me for how it actually feels. He kisses me, and it's so devastatingly gentle. Like he's been holding back for far too long. His hands settle on me with quiet confidence, thumbs brushing my waist, drawing me closer until there's no space left to doubt.
It feels like magic.
I don't even care that I’m soaked, rain plastering my hair to my face, tears mixing freely as he pulls me flush against him. I can taste the salt when our lips part and meet again, and all I feel is relief because he's finally kissing me.
I clutch his rain-soaked jacket, fingers curling tight, because I don't want this to end. Just like that, all the hurt, the confusion, the humiliation—it dissolves. Washes away.
His lips leave mine, but he doesn't step back. He stays right there, forehead nearly touching mine, breath warm against my skin, eyes searching my face like he's memorising it.
“You have no idea how much I like you, princess or how long I’ve wanted to kiss you.”
“How long?”
His hand slides up my spine until he cups the back of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair.
“The moment I saw you.”
I blink at him, genuinely stunned. “You're kidding,” I say. “I was rude. And I literally ate the floor in front of you.”
It was so embarrassing, but at the time, I was more annoyed that I thought he was pretty as soon as I saw him.
He laughs, deep and warm, like he finds the whole thing charming. The grin that spreads across his face makes my stomach flip. “Seriously.”
I study him for a beat, searching for the joke, but there isn't one—just honesty.
“I’m so fucking gone for you, and now that I've kissed you, there's no turning back for me.” His thumb strokes just under my jaw, grounding, possessive. “I tried to be good. I tried to give you the space that you needed and not drag you into something that will be complicated.”
His forehead rests against mine, and his other hand settles on my ass. The evidence of how badly he wants me is impossible to miss.
“You're mine now, Willow. I want all of you. I want my days filled with you, watching you dance, watching you win, watching you become everything you're meant to be.” he pauses. “I want you in my bed to fuck whenever I want, to wake up next to your beautiful face, and to have your taste on my lips before I go to work for the rest of the day.”
