Page 16 of Dandelions and Smoke

We all cheer as they belt the chorus. On the second verse, they’re dragging me and Della up with them, and by the end, the entire bar has joined in, with hockey players shouting the chorus completely off-key, but loud and proud. It’s one of those moments that doesn’t feel real, like I’m in one of those Rom-Coms that Emma likes to watch during our girls’ nights.

We hop off stage, and I’m riding a high that only comes from pure joy. Feeling flushed and out of breath, I take a second, hanging back to watch as Lucas’s teammates, Sammy, Andrews, and Wilson, launch into Don’t Stop Believin’ while Reed, their captain, scowls beside them, creating the most hilarious quartet I’ve ever seen.

The crowd is losing it, and as I turn to join everyone back at our tables, I stumble directly into someone. My head bounces off a strong chest, but the words “excuse me” are lost on my tongue. They drop off as my mouth runs dry and my hand flattens across abs that feel all too familiar. Slowly, I raise my gaze, taking in every inch of the man before me. My heart stutters as I struggle to breathe.

Six months…

It’s been six months since I last stood this close to him, since he last saw me, but in an instant, I’m transported back to that first night as I peer into his baby-blue eyes.

Six Months Ago

He carries me through the station, up a flight of stairs, and closes a door behind us. I barely come up for air as our lips mash, pull, and tug. I’ve never been kissed like this. I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone like this. All my previous interactions with men have been nothing but meaningless hookups to see what all the fuss is about. But this? This is the first time that I think I finally understand.

My arms are wrapped around him as his kisses trail with desire from my mouth down my neck. I shift slightly, opening myself further for him. Goosebumps erupt across my body as he sucks my skin between his teeth. My stomach flutters, and heat builds in that aching spot between my thighs. The intensity of the sensation has my mind reeling, pulling me in and out of this moment with questions and insecurities. I don’t even know this man, but it feels like I do. It feels like I’ve always known him, as if a part of me has been waiting for him my whole life.

Slowly, like he senses the shift, he lowers me until my feet touch the floor. My legs feel weak, but he doesn’t let go. His arms are wrapped around me, supporting me until I’m able to stand on my own, but still, he doesn’t let go. He looks down, his gaze sending chills down my spine while water drips from his hair and nose. I smile and reach to wipe his face, only to realize I’m as soaked through my clothes as he is, the area beneath his jacket my only reprieve.

“Whoops,” I say breathlessly, not recognizing my own voice.

His smile is warm, but his baby-blue eyes are smoldering as they look into mine.

“I’m not sure what to do here,” he admits, gripping the back of his neck with his free hand. “I’ve never done anything like this before.” He chuckles nervously.

I look around, taking in my surroundings for the first time. The layout is like a studio apartment but spacious, with the only door presumably leading to a bathroom. Against a wall of tall windows that look out over the town with a view of the mountains in the distance sits a giant bed. Even with only the faint light cast through the windows, I can see the way his cheeks redden. His vulnerability has my whole body relaxing, like a part of me recognizes how safe I am with this man, even as my stomach flutters and the heat inside me rises. My lips tilt up, but instead of making a joke, I decide to press into this moment with honesty.

“Neither have I, not like this. This feels different.” I swallow hard, offering him the softest part of myself and trusting him not to bruise it. “I want this if you do.”

My heart pounds in my ears as I wait for his answer, but it’s already written in his eyes.

“Promise to go easy on me?” he teases as he slides his jacket off me. “I’m a bit out of practice.”

Feeling brave, I remove my shirt and bra in one swipe and drop them on the floor. “I make no promises.”

His gaze roams over my breasts with a hunger and appreciation that has me needing more.

“Your turn.” I point to his shirt with a mischievous grin that only grows as he peels it off, revealing defined abs, a strong frame, and the faint dusting of hair across his skin.

This man is beautiful.

“Yeah, fuck easy,” I say before closing the gap between us.

Jumping, he catches me, and I wrap my legs around him. Pressing my bare chest to his, I let go of any doubts and fully surrender to this moment with him. Our lips reunite, and his groan reverberates through him and into me, spurring me on. His hands roam my bare back, sending goosebumps across my skin, his fingers twining through my wet curls before he gently places me on the bed.

With a gasp from my lips and a nervous excitement fluttering behind my ribs, he peels the remaining wet clothes from my body and his, until we’re both bare with nothing but the night separating us. He crawls up the bed toward me, a salacious grin spreading across his face that has my thighs clenching together with anticipation. With every carefully guarded piece of myself laid bare before him, I draw in a shuddering breath as he gently parts my legs. Gripping my leg in his hand, he moves my ankle over his shoulder. My back arches off the bed as he forges a path of kisses up the inside of my leg at a pace so agonizingly slow it should be criminal.

It takes everything in me not to writhe. The pressure building inside me feels as though I’m ready to explode, but instead of pressing himself inside me like I’m expecting, he lowers his mouth to my center.

“What are you doing?” I ask, suddenly, my voice strained.

“Is this okay?” Concern is etched into his brows.

“I–” I hesitate. “I don’t know, I wouldn’t know.”

I see it the moment that realization dawns on him, and a wickedly handsome smile spreads across his face.

“Oh, yeah, Little Lion. We’re going to enjoy this.”

Before I can ask him what he means by that, his mouth meets the place where I’m throbbing for him.