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But Eden’s pulse taps at the base of her jaw, fast and urgent, and I can see it, can feel it thrumming beneath my fingertips, and holy shit, this is happening. I’ve been dreaming about this girl for weeks, and now she’s solid beneath my hand.
“N-no,” Eden whispers.
“How about this?” My palm moves to cup the side of her neck, thumb brushing against that frantic pulse point. When Eden swallows, her throat shifts against my hand, and fuck, I want to touch her everywhere. Every inch.
“No,” she whispers, glancing over my shoulder again. “K-keep going.”
“Here?”
A single fingertip trails down her upper arm.
Eden shakes her head, blowing out a breath.
“And this?”
I pluck one hand away from the clipboard and knot our fingers together—and it feels so right. Eden grips back like she needs this too, like we’re both clinging to a lifeline, and god, I don’t know what I’m doing here. All I know is I never want to stop.
“N-no,” she says.
But that stammer is still there, and she’s still tensed up and fidgety. Eden gazes up at me like I hung the goddamn moon—but she is nervous, no matter what she says.
“Liar.” Ignoring the good sense howling in the back of my brain, I raise our joined hands and brush a kiss against Eden’s knuckles. Her hands are chapped and raw, and I make a mental note to bring her hand cream tomorrow. “Don’t be scared of me, sweetheart.”
Though I hate breaking contact, I let go of her hand and step back.
And just in time—Jeremiah clatters around the corner and stomps off the path, moving with as much stealth as a cranky elephant, despite his gangly frame. He shows me a sample, frowning at the slick of algae on a lollipop stick. “Is this going to be a problem?”
I sure hope not.
* * *
From: [email protected]
Subject: Our experiment earlier
Sometimes nerves are a good thing. Just saying.
Eden
* * *
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Our experiment earlier
Tell that to my blood pressure. ;)
Kai
Six
Eden
Sometimes, when my thoughts are loud and buzzy and my body is restless and it feels like I’ll never, ever fall asleep again, I go wandering around campus late in the evening. There’s something soothing about seeing the lights on in the library windows, and knowing that people are studying for exams and writing essays and stress-eating snacks from vending machines, all of them also too wired to think about sleep right now.
