He murmurs something, the words muffled against my hair.
“Never… anyone… the way I…”
I don’t know what he’s trying to say, or if he’s even conscious of speaking. He seems like he’s almost half asleep already, and I’m tempted to try to scoot away from his hold, but I don’t want to rouse him again. So I stay completely still, allowing my muscles to relax one by one.
And somehow, despite the fact that sleep has eluded me for hours tonight, my eyelids eventually start to droop. Then they close entirely as I slip into dreams.
* * *
I’ve felt the sheets on Aiden’s bed beneath me before when I’ve come over to his house to study during the day. But they feel different now, raspy against my bare skin, each brush making me shiver. I’m lying on my back, my heart pounding wildly in my chest as I look up at him, barely able to believe this is real.
That it’s happening.
In our junior year, Aiden and I became friends before we were anything else. We started hanging out after school, both a little lonely and unsure of where we fit. I’ve seen the gorgeous dark-haired boy with shuttered eyes and a blank face, withdrawn from everyone else. I’ve seen him shut off, brooding in the corner of the classroom.
He isn’t like that now. His blue eyes are focused on me, and they look different.
They look consumed.
There’s something nervous in his gaze, something entranced. I can see myself in his eyes, and I can read all the same emotions I’m feeling in their depths.
We’ve been dancing around this moment for weeks, been playing around the edges of the inevitable, catching stolen kisses at school and in public. We’ve gotten lost in each other, our “study sessions” devolving into make-out sessions when we couldn’t control ourselves. He’s put his mouth on me, and I’ve done the same for him. He’s made me come on his hand, watching my face as he leans over me, braced on one elbow.
Every touch seems to leave us wanting more, and finally, today, we’re going to take it.
But despite the way my heart pounds wildly in my chest, there’s no urgency between us, no fumbling pressure to hurry or hide.
We’re alone.
There’s no one else home. We’re upstairs in Aiden’s bedroom, and his father and brothers are out of the house. We don’t have to rush, which is good, because I want this moment to go on forever.
“You’re so handsome,” I whisper, and Aiden grins, one side of his lips curving up.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” he whispers devilishly, and I chuckle.
“Is it working?”
“Hell, yes.”
“Good.” I bite my lower lip, grinning back at him.
He really is handsome, the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen. He always has been, despite the way he was always stony-faced around me before we got to know each other. He has a strong jaw and lips that kiss me breathless, and blue eyes that look like a Caribbean ocean.
Hooking the back of his neck with one hand, I pull him down to kiss me. His mouth is soft and warm as his lips move against mine, and a small sound vibrates in his throat. The pressure of his lips grounds me, a steady weight that draws me in like gravity as my pulse pounds in my ears.
“I want you so fucking much, Rose,” he groans.
His hand tangles in my blonde hair, his tongue sliding over the seam of my lips until I let him in. When I open my mouth, he licks against my tongue like he’s been starving for me, and the edge of desperation in it makes me ache. I cling to his shirt, my arms around him, hands on his back. I hold on for dear life, like I’m trying not to drown, even though I want to lose myself in him.
His kisses grow harder and hungrier. I can feel a moan in my throat and I hope he can taste it, hope he knows how much I need him.
When he switches our positions suddenly, I go with it, allowing him to guide me. I wind up on his lap, thighs spread over his legs. I mindlessly rock against him, stars bursting behind my closed eyes when Aiden growls. I can feel the hard bulge under his jeans, tantalizing. I know he’s hard for me, know he wants to spread my legs and press into me. It’s powerful knowledge, an even more powerful feeling.
I made him like this.
I made him want me like this, made him hard, made him cling to me the way he does. Aiden’s hands spread over my ass, digging in as he guides me along. I know he wants to be inside me, and fuck, I want that too.
We could go on like this, fully clothed and needy. We’ve done it before, so many times I've lost count, grinding against each other without ever taking that last step.
