“And what part was that?”
“You.”
She shakes her head, clearly trying not to smile.
“Well,” she says, “I should probably go before you forget how to read completely.”
Then her hand settles lightly against my arm. My gaze drops to her fingers where they rest against my sleeve, then slowly lifts back to her face. My mind immediately flashes back to last night, the way she sounded against my ear, her legs wrapped around my torso. And now that I know her lips taste like cherries—I suddenly love cherries.
And the way she’s looking up at me now completely wrecks whatever self-control I had left.
“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter and before my brain can talk me out of it, I take her hand and start walking.
She lets out a surprised laugh, stumbling half a step as I guide her along the side of the restaurant where the light fades into shadow.
“Ryan—what are you doing?”
“Just come here,” I murmur, not slowing down.
We round the corner into the narrow alley, quiet and dim, hidden from the street. The noise from the parking lot fades behind us until all that’s left is the sound of our breathing and the distant hum of traffic.
I stop when her back meets the wall. My hands settle at her jaw without thinking. She inhales softly.
I lean in slowly, brushing a few loose strands of hair away from her face and tucking them behind her ear. My fingers slide down to the curve of her neck.
Her breath catches.
“Ryan…” she whispers, barely any air in it. “Maybe we shouldn’t—”
Before she can finish her sentences, I lower my head and press my mouth gently to the side of her neck.
She inhales sharply, her arms slowly sliding around my neck as her fingers thread into my hair. I press another kiss, slower,not because I want to stop, but because I want tofeelevery second of this.
The moment she tilts her head to give me access, my lips touch the spot beneath her jaw and her breath breaks into a soft, unguarded moan that sends my grip tightening.
Jesus.
“Ryan,” she says, almost whimpering. “Do you think maybe we need to… talk about it first?”
“I don't really feel like talking right now,” I whisper against her neck. And she lets out a breathless sound.
I trail upward slowly until I reach her lips. Cherry.
Kissing her feels like stepping into the last heat of a summer night—when the air is thick, the world is quiet, and nothing else seems to matter except the moment you’re standing in.
Her mouth moves against mine like she’s just as lost in it as I am. Is it actually possible to pass out from a kiss? Because I’m getting dangerously close to finding out.
I draw her closer until there’s barely any space left between us. She leans into me without hesitation, one of her hands tightening in my hair while the other grips the front of my shirt like she needs me closer.
I want to memorize every part of her. So that when I dream of this moment, which I’m gonna, I have every single fucking detail right.
And then a door slams open. We both freeze instantly. We hear some footsteps, followed by voices, muttering about trash.
The back door. Of course this is the back door.
I press one finger gently against her lips as we both stay still in the shadows. A waiter tosses a bag into the bin, grumbles to himself, and disappears back inside. The door shuts and there is silence again.
Maddy exhales first, a little shaky, and then we both start laughing.
