She glances back over her shoulder at me, giving me anare you serious right now?expression. “You know verbal speech isn’t one of the five senses, right?”
I snort. “Are you sure about that? Because not only do you smell amazing, but you look gorgeous, your giggle is music to my ears, and you feel just right here in my arms. Bet if I tasted those lips again, I’d be just as enamored…”
She blinks in astonishment at me for a moment before replying, “So, you’re a gambling man, huh?”
I nod.
“Let’s see if you’re right then,” she whispers before twisting her body, sitting up on her knees, and letting her lips fall on mine.
Her delicate hands come up to cup my cheeks as she pulls me in closer. A slight whimper catches on her lips when my tongue darts out to part the seam of them. I’m using as much restraint as I possibly can to not be forceful with this kiss, as much as I want to pour myself into it, because I don’t want to frighten her off. However, with each lick of whatever gloss she’s painted onto her lips—cherry, if I’m not mistaken—I’m finding it hard to maintain the same composure I’ve had with the other times I’ve kissed her goodnight.
My hands grip her hips, holding her steady, as she grants my tongue access, tangling with hers. Lauren tilts her head, allowing us to melt together even further. She’s pressing in harder, showing me she wants more, and I’m eager to give her whatever it is she wants.
My cock is straining hard against the confines of my pants, at this point. She’s rocking her body against it too, there’sno wayshe doesn’t feel how hard she’s gotten me—tempting me to seek friction by grinding back. Suddenly, a loud boom echoes across the cove, followed closely by the twinkling of red, white, and blue falling sparks of color.
She gasps, rearing back quickly. So quickly, in fact, that she accidently knees me in the balls. Not just a love-tap either. No, she got merealgood. My hands instinctually fly to my lap to cup them as I double over in pain.
“Oh my gosh! Caleb, I am so sorry!” she cries out.
I raise one hand up, wincing as I sign, “It’s okay.”
There’s a groan that wants to break free from my gut following that statement, but thankfully, none makes it past my shredded vocal cords. Neither does the bile that’s risen in my throat, thank fuck. As bursts of color and pops of noise continue to fill the night sky, she fumbles around on the blanket, trying to put more distance between us.
I shake my head, reaching for her. Before I can tell her that I’m fine, that I just need a minute, she starts to dart off without seeing my words. Not for the first time tonight, I find myself wishing I could call out to her, cursing the situation I’m in. Goddamn my inability to do something simple like shout to get her attention. Regularly mourning the loss of my voice is nothing new to me, but right now? I'm beyond frustrated.
I just want to be heard. Why is that such a tall ask? I. Just. Want. To be. Fucking.Heard.
Overriding the pain I’m in, I shoot up off the blanket and jog over the pebbles and gravel on the shore to catch up to her. My arm curls around her waist before she can hop back up on the rock and leave the same way we came. With a bit of a tug, I manage to pull her into my arms as she pants to catch her breath.
She spins to face me and I hold her here, in this embrace, for a moment until I can feel her breathing settle down a bit. She finally relaxes enough to melt into my arms, nuzzling her face in the crook of my neck. “I’m so sorry, Caleb. I’m—I’m just so bad at this dating thing,” she murmurs, her voice cracking a bit, as if she’s holding back a sob.
I rub her back and lightly press a kiss to her crown, hoping the gesture will articulate what I wish I could say out loud: “No, you’re absolutely fine. Accidents happen.”
The message must have been received because she huffs out a breath and replies. “It’snotokay. I’ve run off on you twice tonight, and now we’re missing the fireworks because of it.”
I pull away and tilt her head up. Her gray-green eyes glisten with unshed tears. “I’m not mad. I’m beating myself up for not being able to call out to you, Lauren, so this isn’t on you. As for the fireworks? They’re still happening. This date is salvageable, trust me. I don’t want it to end, if you don’t.”
“Is everything between us going to be so messy?” she asks, followed by a sad sounding chuckle.
I smirk. “If it isn’t at least a little messy, is it even worth it?”
Her lips twitch. “That’s fair.”
“I’ll just wear a cup for our next date. It’ll all work out, you’ll see,” I tease.
She lightly bats at my chest, feigning annoyance. “Youwantanother date, seeing as though I’m such a threat to your balls?”
“Without a doubt. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.” I wink at her. “Come on, let’s watch the grand finale, shall we?”
She nods, and I escort her back over to the blanket, allowing her to settle back into the same position she was in before we kissed. Shepicks up the flashlight I brought. “What’s this for, anyway? Doesn’t look normal…”
“I was hoping to show you what makes this section of beach so special, after the fireworks were over. It’s a UV flashlight.”
“Like a blacklight?”
“Yeah. There’s a ton of seaglass down here that glows in the dark. In the daylight, the color of the glass kind of matches your eyes.”
“Are you”—she pauses, thoughtfully—“tryingto melt my panties off?”
