I can see the honesty in her words, and I drop to my forearms and hover above her before laying my forehead to hers, our breaths mingling. "No?" I ask as I push in a little more, almost fully seated, watching her face for every reaction.
"No," she pants, her chest heaving. She licks her lips, eyes holding mine. "Is it good for you?"
"Are you serious right now? Don't ask about me. There aren't enough words."
I flip her over so that she's on top and in control. I need her to understand the depth of what I'm feeling. "Find what you like. There's nothing you can do that isn't already everything I envisioned my first time would be."
Her eyes widen with realization. "You haven't... I mean…I'm your first?"
"I'm a little offended you think I'd give this to anyone else—" My hands glide up her back, pulling her close and eliminating any space between us. Her mouth eagerly covers mine, and a new intimacy settles between us. This is ours. No one else has had these parts of us.
She starts at a slow pace, which can only be described as pure euphoria. I can hear and feel the moment it transforms for her, when what was discomfort turns to bliss. A delicious moan floats through our kiss as a rush of wetness seeps down my shaft. Her hands wind through my hair, nails dragging over my scalp as her pace quickens with a newly found confidence.
"Slow down, heartbreaker," I murmur against her jaw, gently holding her hips. "If you keep going like that, this isn't going to last." Her brow furrows slightly, misunderstanding. "You feel too good," I clarify, showing my vulnerability.
"Oh." She smiles, her eyes brightening with understanding. "So do you." Her tongue glides against mine before her hands press into my chest, and she pushes me back with playful confidence. "We can go again."
I toss an arm over my eyes, overwhelmed by the sight before me—one that's better than anything I've ever imagined, one that's fueled my private thoughts more times than I can count. The view of her naked, sitting atop me while I'm buried deep, is enough to make me lose all control.
"We can go again, but not here, not now. I only have one condom."
There's a small groan of disappointment that washes away the tendril of regret I have, admitting I only have one condom. I love knowing she wants more and that I'm the one making her feel good. I feel her nipples brush against my chest before her lips find my neck. "I hope you have more at home," she whispers. "This can't be our first and last before I leave."
I remove my arm and find her gaze locked on mine, a mixture of desire and something deeper reflected there. "It won't be," I promise. "I'm keeping you, Laney Hart...forever."
The weight of my words hangs between us, not as a burden but as a promise I intend to keep with everything I am. I'm with the only person I want until the end of time.
"Then I guess we have time," she says, returning to a slow pace that has my mouth parting in complete rapture. Her fingerstrace paths along my skin, like she's memorizing a map she never wants to forget. In the dim light, her eyes find mine, vulnerable yet certain, and the world around us falls away.
"Forever," I confirm as I let her take what she wants, how she wants, because it's what I want. There is only us, only this moment stretching into infinity.
Chapter 9
Prom Night
LANEY
"You should put your seatbelt on. We're almost to town," London says, his voice laced with concern, though his arm remains firmly anchored around my shoulder, contradicting his words. I snuggle deeper into his warmth, my body fitting perfectly against his. I want to preserve this night, and I'm willing to break the rules to keep it.
"Is that what you want?"
"No," he says, placing a kiss on top of my head.
"Good, me neither," I say, lacing my fingers through the hand of the arm draped around me.
The town lights start to come into view, and my chest tightens. I'm not ready to let go of the night. I want to fast forward ten years, where I am his, and he is mine, and I don't have to let him go because we're living under the same roof, sharing the same bed and the same last name. I know that's a big jump. I know we're young, and we still have a lot of living to do, but sometimes the heart just knows. I know there will never be anyone I want by my side more than I want him.
"Hey, can we stop for ice cream?"
"Ice cream?" he questions skeptically.
"Yeah, it's only 11:45 pm. Mom gave me a 1 a.m. curfew forprom, and Twisted Spoon doesn't close for another fifteen minutes."
They start staying open later when the weather turns warm. Willow Creek doesn't have many hangout spots, and the ice cream shop is happy to fill that void and bring in the extra revenue with extended hours.
I lean forward enough so he can't avoid my face when I say, "Please... I'm not ready for the night to be over."
He smiles a slow, sexy smile that leaves every part of me he touched tonight buzzing. "I intend to sneak in your window tonight and hold you until you fall asleep."
