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She shrugged. “I don’t know, what?”
“Smells like carrots.”
She didn’t get it, but Dominic laughed.
“Anyway, I just wanted to say hi,” Nicholas said. “I’ll catch you guys later.”
He walked away, and Haven looked at Dominic curiously. “You still like him after he said something bad about your mama?”
Dominic nodded. “Nicholas shouldn’t have said what he said, but he just wanted to hurt Carmine. And before you came along, Twinkle Toes, the only way to hurt him was through Mom.”
Dominic swung her back around to join the others, and they chatted as she drank the rest of her beer. A little later, she heard a chuckle nearby, so close it made her skin prickle. Carmine leaned down, his lips beside her ear. “Hey, hummingbird.”
Carmine’s breath hit her neck, the smell of mint and alcohol intoxicating her senses. She couldn’t focus on what was going on, the electricity sparking off him sending currents through her. She felt lightweight, buzzing, on top of the world.
She worried she was going to fall over.
He pulled her to him from behind, resting his chin on her head as he held his drink to her lips. She took a sip, his warm beer as bitter as hers had been.
Dominic groaned. “Didn’t I tell you not to take cups from people?”
“It’s just Carmine,” she said.
“So? He could drug you.”
“I could,” Carmine joked. “I did once, remember? Actually, no, twice. I forgot I got you high that time, too. Not to mention the time I got you drunk. Christ, I’m horrible. I’ve corrupted you.”
She wanted to disagree but could only grasp on to his forearms as he kissed her neck. The feel of his mouth against her skin ripped all coherent thought right from her head.
“You’re trembling,” he said. “Let’s take a walk.”
Carmine grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together as he wordlessly led her through the parked cars. He kissed her, and she parted her lips, deepening it as he walked her backward to the Mazda. Breaking the kiss briefly, he grabbed her, and she yelped with surprise as he set her down on the hood. He settled between her legs, and she laced her fingers through his hair as their lips met once more.
Her heart raced at the closeness. His body was flush against hers, the heat radiating from him warming every inch of her. He pulled away slightly to take a breath, their foreheads touching with a light sheen of sweat on his. Her nose brushed against his as she stared into his eyes, the green radiant. Looking into them, she could see the emotion inside him, hints of all those things flourishing in her. To Carmine, she wasn’t a possession. She wasn’t a title. She was just a girl.
A girl who suddenly felt like she was floating.
“I love you.” The words tumbled from her lips easily, like they had rolled from her tongue hundreds of times. But they hadn’t. She had never said them before, but as she heard them in her own voice, every cell in her body knew they were true. She hadn’t known what love was, but she knew it now. Love was the fluttering in her tummy whenever Carmine was near, the twinkle in his eyes when he laughed, the heat in her body from his words. Love was happy. Love was safe. Love was green.
Love was him—the beautifully flawed boy who made her glow.
He stared at her, those words hanging in the air between them.
“And I love you,” he said, his voice a whisper, but Haven felt it powerfully, deep down in her soul. “Per sempre.”
“Sempre?” she asked.
Cracking a smile, he brushed his pointer finger softly across her lips. “Always and forever.”
A loud whistling sounded out at that moment, followed by a thunderous bang. Haven ducked and covered her ears as Carmine continued to stare at her. “It’s fireworks.”
He helped her down and leaned against the car door with her to his chest, his arms around her. There was another loud whistle, and she looked in the direction of it as the bang rang out with a burst of color. She gaped at the vibrant lights in the sky, and Carmine chuckled. “See, just fireworks, tesoro. Nothing to be afraid of. They won’t hurt you.”
They watched them quietly before the crowd by the bonfire counted down. Carmine swung her around to face him, more fireworks going off in the distance. He leaned down and kissed her deeply when the countdown reached one.
“Do you have any idea how important you are to me?” he asked, pulling from her lips. “I’m finding myself again because of you. I never thought it would happen. My mom used to talk about fate, and I think you’re it . . . you’re my fate. You were brought to me for a reason, for us to save each other. Because you weren’t the only one needing to be saved, Haven. I was drowning, and you rescued me.” He paused. “Happy new year, hummingbird.”
She laughed. “You said all of that without cursing.”
