I lifted my face, breathing in his masculine scent. "It is."
"I never want this night to end."
I wouldn't worry what would happen at the end of summer. At least not tonight. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of his arms around me, pretending this could last.
Chapter Nineteen
Marshall
At the end of the party, Hayden went home with a friend who was hosting a sleepover to celebrate the success of their hard work. I had a feeling Hayden was going to have a hard time leaving at the end of the summer.
But tonight, I had Saylor to myself, and I wanted to do everything I could to make our time here memorable. I didn't want her to forget me or the time we spent together.
Hopefully, she'd come to the conclusion that she should give us a chance. I didn't have any answers to our geographical problems. I wasn’t even sure if I'd live on the island permanently. It wasn't fair to ask her to stay when I didn’t know what my plans were, or if I'd even be here.
The entire situation made it harder to sleep at night. I vowed not to talk about the future or what might happen. I wanted to get lost in her and forget about everything else.
I parked in front of the beach cottage, the one I would soon live in by myself. I wasn't looking forward to coming home to an empty house, waiting on either Saylor or Hayden to message me.
What if both of them moved on with their lives in Naples and Jacksonville and realized their relationships with me weren't that important? The pain in my chest made it difficult to breathe.
Saylor touched my arm. "Is everything okay?"
We'd been sitting in my truck for a few seconds with my headlights illuminating the cottage that I'd come to think of as home.
"Just thinking about things I can't control." I reached out and touched her face.
She turned her cheek into my palm.
"I want to forget about everything else but us tonight."
Her lips curved up. "That sounds like a good idea."
"I thought so." I reached over and kissed her softly as if I were a teenager dropping her off at home for the night. We'd never done this ritual because we'd met up on foot or bike before. If I picked her up in my truck, we always met somewhere else.
But now I wanted it all. I didn't want her to forget what made us so special. She'd never find anyone like me.
We were meant to be together. Wasn't there some saying about letting someone go, and if they're meant to be, they'll come back? Satisfied with my approach to our situation, I deepened the kiss.
Her hand touched my arm, and she pulled back. "Let's go inside."
Her eyes were bright with desire, and I wanted to be inside her, making my mark. I pushed the handle of the door, climbing out and meeting her on the porch. I clicked the locks to the truck and inputted the code for the front door of the cottage.
I pushed open the door, holding my hand out to her. Tonight felt important. It was part goodbye and part promise to always be here when she came back. But I couldn't say any of that with words.
She placed her hand in mine, and I hesitated for a second. I intended to tug her inside, close the door, and push her against the door. Instead, emotion swirled in my chest.
I shifted course, lifting her into my arms, bridal-style, and crossing over the threshold as if she was my sweetheart.
I wasn't sure if I'd ever get the chance to do that with Saylor, but I wanted to make tonight special. Different than every other night we'd spent together.
I carried her up to my room and laid her gently on the bed. I knelt on the bed, hovering over her body.
Her eyes tracked my movements as I lowered my body to cover hers, bracing my forearms on either side of her head. Then I kissed her, pouring everything into it that I couldn't say out loud. I loved her but wouldn't hold her back. I loved her but wouldn't ask her to stay. I loved her so I was letting her go.
Please come back to me.
The emotion bubbling inside of me was overwhelming. I needed to get control of it, or I wouldn't be able to be with her.
