“Yes,” I breathe. “Don’t stop.”
He kisses me again. This time, it’s harder. There is an edge to it. A longing finally being released.
His hands slide down my sides. They rest on my hips. His thumbs brush the strip of skin above my waistband.
I shiver. The heat is building again, but it’s not the fever.
It’s pure, liquid fire.
I slide my hands up his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart under my palm. I trace the line of his collarbone.
He nips at my bottom lip, and I gasp. He takes the opportunity to sweep his tongue into my mouth.
He tastes me. He explores me. He claims me.
I’m lost in him. The smell of the barn, the sound of the horses, the chill of the morning—it all fades away.
There’s only Seth. The press of his lips. The scratch of his stubble. The strength of his hands.
He pulls back, rests his forehead against mine. We’re both breathing hard.
“I’ve wanted that for so long,” he whispers.
“Me too,” I admit. It’s the truth. I didn’t know how much until this moment.
He smiles. It’s a real smile, one that reaches his eyes.
“You have no idea how hard it was,” he says. “Watching you with him. Wanting to be the one making you laugh. Wanting to be the one holding your hand.”
“I’m sorry,” I say again.
“Don’t be,” he says. “Just… stay. For a minute. Just stay here.”
He doesn’t let go. He keeps his arms around me, holding me against his chest. I rest my head on his shoulder.
I listen to his heartbeat. It’s steady and strong.
Everything that’s happened over the last few days seems so far away. The parasite. The quarantine. The fight with Joey. The confusion with Billy.
Here, in this barn, it’s quiet. It’s just us.
“I don’t know what happens next,” I whisper.
“Neither do I,” he admits.
“Billy knows. Tex knows.”
“I know.”
“It’s a mess.”
“Yeah,” he says. He presses a kiss to the top of my head. “It’s a disaster. But right now, I don’t care.”
I close my eyes, and then I lean in and kiss him again.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Billy
