Page 34 of Lovestrung

“Then what?”

Adrenaline coursed through my body and I wet my lips. It was now or never – whatever the outcome, I’d face it with my head held high.

“Let me ask you something,” I hedged and sat down on his bed. I pushed my dress down to cover my thighs. “Do you still think of me as a sister?”

His eyes widened in surprise.

“What?”

“Answer the question.”

He rubbed his hands over his eyes and started to pace in front of me. Clearly, he hadn’t expected that question.

“I don’t know,” he mumbled, his movements tense. “Maybe not like a sister but…” He stopped and glanced down at me, crossing his arms. My eyes flickered down to the clenched fists at his sides, making me wonder why my question made him so tense. “You’re family.”

I breathed a small sigh of relief. If his answer had been yes, I’d have let go of the madness at once, but this…this was good. It was better than that.

“All right. I can work with that,” I muttered.

“What’s going on, Penelope?”

I stood up and stepped into his space before I met his eyes. The line between them was deeper than ever, and the suspicion that shined down on me almost made me waver.

Almost.

“I want to kiss you, Ethan. Let me tell you goodbye in my own way.”

He gritted his teeth and I held my breath. I’d prepared for his rejection all night, steeling myself against the hurt I was bound to feel when he turned me down. But he didn’t. He kept staring hard into my eyes, as if he could read my mind. I didn’t dare to let go of his gaze and like the stubborn mule I was, I held it. I hoped he could see how determined I was. That I wasn’t going to go down without a fight this time.

“All right.”

The hoarseness of his voice surprised me, and I gulped for air.

“What?” I whispered.

He uncrossed his arms and took a step closer.

“If that’s what you need before you leave, I’ll give it to you.”

The tension inside his room was so thick it was palpable. Our chests were so close, they almost touched, and as he kept staring down at me, I felt a flush spread on my skin. I couldn’t read him, but it didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that what I’d hoped for, no craved for so long wasn’t out of my reach anymore. Instead, it was so close I could taste victory.

With slow movements, he raised his hands to frame my face. The warmth from his skin made me burn and as he bent his head, I gripped onto his shoulders. A part of me still feared that he’d regret saying yes this time, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Penelope,” he sighed.

I liked the way my name sounded on his lips. Heated. Soft. Exasperated. If he’d say my name like that for the rest of our lives, I wouldn’t mind. I’d rejoice each and every time and cherish the sounds as they fell from his mouth.

“Ethan,” I whispered. “Kiss me.”

He leaned closer and brushed my lips with his, all the while keeping his eyes open. The kiss should’ve felt innocent – it was so light, the touch of his lips so faint – but I felt the burn as if was the most passionate of kisses at once. Then the burn intensified, and I fell under his spell. Sighing into his mouth, I kissed him back, longing for more than this.

He gave me more.

His hands around my face tightened, then moved until I felt his fingers buried in my hair, and I hummed when he tilted my head to the side. Unable to keep my eyes open any longer, I gave in to the flames coursing through my veins. When he deepened the kiss, my knees buckled, but he didn’t let me fall. Instead, his left hand left my face and he banded his arm around me, keeping me up and close to his body. The groan that fell from his mouth was the most erotic sound I’d ever heard, and I wanted to hear it again. And again.

This kiss was nowhere near the innocent kiss he’d given me when I was fifteen years old. It was so much better. Instinctively, I knew that this kiss between us would be the last, but I was determined to prolong it. The tip of his tongue ran along my lips and I opened my mouth while I pulled his body closer. His tongue swept in to tangle with mine, and I delighted in the way he pressed his hips into my tummy; when I felt the hardness of his cock, the throbbing between my legs gave way to wetness. I couldn’t believe that I had the power to make him want me, but the physical evidence of his arousal wasn’t a lie.