Page 29 of The Equation of Us
She tastes like mint and something sweeter—honey, maybe, from tea. Her body is warm and pliant against mine, fitting perfectly. One of her hands slides into my hair, nails scraping lightly against my scalp, and I can’t suppress the low growl that rises in my throat.
I back her against a nearby tree, never breaking the kiss. The bark must be rough against her back, even through her coat, but she doesn’t protest. Instead, she arches into me, seeking closer contact.
I could lose myself in this—in the taste of her, the feel of her body against mine, the small sounds she makes when I deepen the kiss. But I need to maintain some control. For both our sakes.
I pull back slightly, enough to look at her face. Her lips are swollen, her cheeks flushed, her eyes dark with desire. She’s breathing hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
“Is that what you’ve been thinking about?” I ask, my voice rough. “When you look at me during our sessions? When you watched me at practice yesterday?”
Her eyes widen slightly. “You knew I was there?”
“Of course I knew.” I brush my thumb across her lower lip, still damp from our kiss. “I always know when you’re near.”
She looks startled, and something else—intrigued, maybe. Or excited by the revelation.
“What else do you know?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
I lean in close, my lips brushing her ear. “I know exactly what you want, Nora. Even if you don’t quite know it yourself yet.”
I feel her shiver against me, not from cold.
“Do you still want to try this?” I ask, pulling back to see her face. “Friends with benefits?”
She nods, eyes never leaving mine. “Yes.”
“Then we do it my way.” I keep my voice firm, watching her reaction. “We follow your boundaries. Keep it separate from our academic relationship. Tell no one. Either of us can end it at any time. All of that works for me.”
She waits, sensing there’s more.
“But when we’re together like this?” I continue. “You let me lead. You trust me to know what you need. You tell me if something doesn’t work for you, but you let yourself let go. That’s my condition.”
Her breath catches. “And if I say no?”
“Then we walk away now. Go back to being just tutor and student. Project partners. Nothing more.”
It’s a gamble. I’m giving her an out, and part of me—the sensible part—hopes she takes it. But another part, the part that’s been awakened by the taste of her, by the feel of her body against mine, by the vulnerable honesty in her eyes when she admitted what she wants—that part prays she says yes.
Nora studies my face for a long moment, and I can almost see her weighing options, calculating risks, making her decision.
“Yes,” she says finally, her voice steady despite the flush on her cheeks. “Your condition. My boundaries. We try.”
Relief and desire crash through me in equal measure. I lean in and kiss her again, gentler this time but no less intense. Her lips yield under mine, responsive and eager.
When we finally break apart, both breathless, I rest my forehead against hers.
“We need to talk more about this,” I say. “Establish details.”
She laughs softly. “Always so thorough.”
“In everything,” I promise, and watch her pupils dilate at the implication.
“Okay.” She nods. “We’ll talk. But not right now.”
“No?”
She shakes her head, then rises on her toes to press another kiss to my lips, this one tentative but deliberate. “Right now, I just want you to kiss me again.”
And because I’m already breaking every rule I’ve set for myself, I do exactly that.
