He releases a breathy laugh and steps closer to me, our toes nearly meeting in the sand. “You keep looking at me like that, and I’m not going to be able to get through my speech.”
Feeling him so close and smelling his scent of cedarwood and lime mixed with the salty sea breeze makes me feel bold. Taking my own leap, I murmur, “Then hurry up and get to the part where I say yes.”
“Yes?” Felix echoes softly, his sweet smile taking over his mouth.
“You have to ask first,” I tease, fluttering my eyelashes at him.
He pulls my knuckles to his lips, kisses both hands, and then wraps my arms around his neck. Leaning his forehead against mine, he speaks my name like a prayer. “Callie, I’ve been in love with you since the moment I met you and have been falling harder ever since. As a ghost or a man, there’s no one for me but you.” His breath shudders from his chest, and he pulls me tightly against him, his chin now resting on the top of my head. I hear his heartbeat as a frantic pounding against my ear. Into my hair, he confesses quickly, “I know… I know you have feelings for the other guys, and I’m not angry about it. I’m not asking you to give up on them. I’m asking… I’m asking if there’s room in your heart for me too. Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Yes,” immediately springs to my lips, but it’s quickly sidetracked by the rest of what he said. While he’s leaning down to kiss me, in what I’m sure is an attractive shriek, I shout, “Wait, you… you know about the others? How I feel about them? Oh my goddess, was I that obvious?”
Felix winces from the surprise volume change. While sticking a finger in his ear like that will help stop the ringing, he blinks a few times before answering, “Well, your dream with all of us dressed in nothing but leather pants and a smile kind of gave it away.”
“You saw that?” I screech, tripping over my own feet as I try to escape my humiliation and the boy who apparently had front row seats to it.
“Crap, I shouldn’t have said that,” he curses, kneeling down into the sand next to me. “The others mentioned that it would only embarrass you.”
That’s how Donovan knew about the chocolate sauce! Blood drains from my head, and I can feel the sea air drying out my unblinking, wide eyes. In a pained whisper, I question, “Theyallknow?”
“Shit, Ireallyshouldn’t have said that.” His hands are in a hovering pattern around me, unsure where to touch or what to do to make things better. “I didn’t mean to tell them, I promise. It kind of just came out when I was trying to get them to understand how important it was for them to be there for you if I didn’t make it.”
Everything grows still inside of me at the mere mention of Felix no longer being part of this world. My gaze meets his worried stare, and tears immediately build along my lashes. Without any words, I get to my knees and hug him, my sand-dusted hands clinging to his bare back.
“Did I mess everything up?” he asks, his voice low and sad, while he gently wraps his arms around me. “Pretty girl, please tell me that we’re okay, and I didn’t screw up my one chance to be with you.”
“Of course we’re okay,” I cry, my radical tears breaking free to drip down my face. “I-I-I love you. Don’t ever talk about not being here anymore.”
He squeezes me tightly and rocks me side to side the same way he did so many times in the dream world, which makes me cry harder.So close to losing him. It’s worth it. All of it. I don’t care.
With an awkward chuckle, he whispers into my hair, “Of all the ways I thought this would go, you sobbing in my arms was not one of them, but hearing you say ‘I love you’ for the first time makes me the happiest man alive. I promise you won’t regret it. I’ll be the perfect boyfriend… or at least try to be. I may need lessons.”
“Not the first time.” I sniffle, pressing my body as tightly against him as I can, needing the heat of his skin to remind me how he’s alive and mine. “I said I loved you the night of the accident.”
“You did?” he exclaims, cupping my face with his hand and leading my chin up so he can see into my eyes.
“You said it first.” I huff, my bottom lip pulling out into a pout.
“I did?” His whole face turns pale. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you were drunk and concussed when you said it. Oh yeah, and until last Saturday, you already had a girlfriend,” I remind him, knowing that I’m acting like a brat, but I didn’t realize how much it hurt that he forgot. And yes, the irony is not lost on me that I’m mad about him forgetting something when as far as everyone else is concerned, he’s forgotten everything.
“I meant it,” Felix says quietly, leaning his forehead against mine. “I may not remember saying it, but I know I meant it and I mean it now. I love you, Callie.”
Moving my arms around his neck, I run my fingers through his hair and gently rub my nose against his. With my lips millimeters away from his mouth, I whisper, “I love you too. Can I kiss you?”
“Uh, yes. The answer is always going to be yes.” He nervously laughs and then closes his eyes.
“I’ve been wanting to do this all afternoon.” I sigh then press my lips to his.
It’s like a recreation of my dream, only with more clothes and less of an audience. At first, our kiss is soft brushing of closed, smiling mouths, and then with a happy hum, he deepens it, pressing so hard that my lips bruise against my teeth. His hands fall to my hips, pulling me against him, where he appears to be happy everywhere.
After sliding my tongue along the seam of his lips, I moan and open my mouth wide to him. He answers by dipping his tongue into my mouth, where I suck on its minty sweetness. Groaning, he falls to the sand, dragging me with him. From our sides, he rolls onto his back, and I follow, straddling his lap. When I rock my hips, a deep masculine sound of appreciation rumbles within his chest.
Our kiss is a wild, fumbling dance full of need, lust, and love. It’s strange to be the leader of this dance, with Felix full of desire but not much technique. He, however, is a fast learner, often reciprocating what I do to him. It’s a cute, glorious experience, and I’m ready to melt under every earnest touch.
Tilting my head back, I purr with pleasure as he grows bolder. He sits up and trails kisses down my neck toward the valley between my breasts. His heat and hardness make me dizzy with want, but before I turn into a complete lusty mess in his arms, it occurs to me that we are on a very public beach. Most people packed up as the sun started setting, but we certainly aren’t alone.
“Felix,” I gasp, my fingers digging into his scalp as he nibbles on my earlobe, his hot breath causing a wave of heat to ripple throughout my body. “Public beach. Very, very public beach.”
