Page 97 of Head Under Water

He groans, crushing his mouth to mine once more. “Fine. You’re right. Responsible adults.” He says the words like he’s convincing himself right along with me.

Eventually, he steps back. “Tonight.” He checks his watch. “Twelve-ish hours. I can wait that long.” His eyes flick back over me. “Maybe.”

“You’ve waited all this time.” I brush a finger along the inside of his bicep.

“Miserably.” His eyes trace a line down my face.

I press my tongue between my teeth. “Well, see if you can hold out another twelve hours for me, okay?” I pause, a smile playing on my lips. “I’d hate to come home and, I don’t know, overhear you having fun again without me.”

His face goes slack, then his lips curl into a wicked grin. “About that…”

I chew my bottom lip, delight sparkling through my gut. “Yes?”

He’s back against me, pinning us to the door. “It was your fault.”

“My fault?” I balk.

He nods, running his teeth over his bottom lip slowly. “Oh, yeah. After you moved in, that first night, I could barely keep my hands off you. I knew I had to control myself, so…every day right before you got home…” His brows rise, filling in all the rest. “You were early that day.”

My core fills with thick, heavy smoke that curls up through my chest, making my mind fuzzy with heat.

“Every day,” I repeat, the words feeling magical in context. It sends a shiver through me.

He wanted to touch me the first night.

He had to take care of himself to keep from touching me every night since.

“It was the only reason I didn’t make an ass of myself.”

I smirk, holding his gaze. “Who says you didn’t?”

He leans forward and drags his lips across my ear, the sensation almost punishing. “I was thinking about you.”

My hand traces the lines of his shoulder. “Mmhmm. I bet.”

His eyes meet mine with sudden seriousness, stealing my breath. He tilts his head. “It’s always you, Opal. For as long as I can remember. Even when I try to think of literally anyone else…” He gives a dramatic sigh and rests his forehead against mine. “My mind is a monogamous bastard. Always craving you.”

His words cause the smoke to catch fire in my belly. It spreads down to my fingers. Lower. I check the time, wondering how quick we could be.

He squeezes my ass, kissing me once. Twice. “Now go. Before I drag you back to the bedroom and prove it.”

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

PRESENT DAY

I make it to school and through most of the day in somewhat of a haze. My body still buzzes with thoughts of him, and every once in a while, a memory from last night will come back to me, and I’ll get this intense sweep of heat through my core.

I’ve quite literally never experienced anything like this.

The intense desire that doesn’t seem to fade.

My skin is sore in random places—where his stubble scraped my inner thigh, where he gripped my hips too tightly while I was on top of him.

I’m trying desperately not to focus on any of that while the kids and I go over the water cycle, and then later as we begin to memorize the western part of the US map.

The final bell rings at 3:15, and the kids gather their things, waiting for the announcement to call their departure group.

Walkers first, then buses, then car riders.