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“Is … this still part of your ‘deep end’ metaphor …?”
“Whatever we’ve got here, it’ll fade the moment you get home. I just know it.”
I frown. “How are you so sure?”
“I’m not,” he whispers. “That’s why I’m still afloat.”
“But you’re wondering whether you should dive in or get out …?”
“You’re in control here. You’re the one who runs off to Houston after this. I’m already home.” He shuts his eyes. Our breath is the same. I feel like we’re inside each other, our faces so close. “I’m the one who has to … to …” Then he goes silent again.
The sound of his whispered words makes my heart flutter. The feel of his body beneath mine. My lips so close to his face. The way we held each other last night at his house. The way we can’t seem to let go of each other.
Then I see it. “So many people have left you.”
He opens his eyes, yet remains silent.
I go on. “Not just your dad, but … your oldest brother Brett, too. And you feel like you’ve lost Adrian after he did what he did … which also involved yet someone else being taken from you.”
Kent’s jaw tightens. His eyes flutter uncomfortably. “Okay, so … I have abandonment issues or whatever. I get it. I’ll just … stop worrying, stop moping, stop being me.”
“You don’t have to stop being you. I like you. Exactly the way you are. Mopey and worrisome and touchy. It’s kinda cute.”
He gives me a look. “Cute …?”
“This side of you doesn’t scare me away, Kent. I like it. Raw, all pulled back … vulnerable. It’s real. It’s you. And I respond to that. It’s what I’ve been looking for in a—”
I catch myself.
The words freeze.
Fuck.
Kent sits up, pulling me with him. Suddenly we’re in each other’s faces, eyes locked, our breath held.
“What you’ve been looking for?” he prompts me. “Looking for in a … what?”
“Sorry.”
“Say it.”
“I went too far.”
“Just say it.”
And so I sigh out the words: “In a boyfriend.”
His fingers touch the bottom of my chin and take hold of it. “It’s what I’ve been looking for, too. It’s right here. It’s you. I don’t care what the price is. I don’t care if it hurts. It’s worth it.”
“Kent …”
“It’s fucking worth it.”
Is it the needy little whimper in his voice? Is it that infinite look in his eyes? I take hold of him and bring my lips to his, all the rest of my words put into this kiss. Then it’s electricity all over again as I roll on top of him and pin him to the cushions of the couch, kissing him even deeper. The beauty of the view and the stars in that wide, endless night sky above hold nothing to the man whose lips hold me prisoner—the man I don’t ever want to let go of again.
Chapter 18 - Kent
So … are we boyfriends now?
Did that just happen?
Or was it just fleeting words of passion, caught in the moment, forgotten by the time the sun rises?
I wake to the soft sound of Jonah sleeping on top of me. Again. To my surprise, no one found us all night. After we fell asleep out here under the stars on this big balcony, we must have been left alone completely. I don’t doubt it; Mr. Hopewell was most likely kept up all night with the festivities, and no one else would have gone into his room.
Jonah must sense my movement, because he stirs at once, as if startled awake, then opens his sleepy eyes onto me. He smiles. “Hey there, handsome.”
I feel anything but. Still, his words and that hilariously sleep-drunk look in his eyes make me smile right back at him. “You’re a fine sight to wake up to.”
“Speak for yourself.” He sits up and stretches, letting out a yawn that could challenge the bright, morning sky. “Oh, what time is it?”
“Probably around nine, if I had to guess.”
He pulls out his phone to check, then nods at me with admiration. “9:15 AM. Impressive.”
“My body clock is never wrong.” I sit up and embrace him. The inevitable heaviness has already sat in my heart like a stone. I don’t want to let him go. “Fucking Monday.”
“Well, at least I took the day off. But … that was just for the long-ass drive.” Jonah frowns at me. “And I really, really don’t want to think about the long-ass drive. It’s going to be so awkward with Rico. I think he hates me.”
“No one could ever hate you.”
He sniffs the air, then frowns. “Why do I smell the most delicious thing in the world? It’s like … maple syrup bacon bliss …” His eyes grow wide as he spins to look at me. “Are you telling me someone’s serving breakfast?”
“I told you, didn’t I? These parties can go on for days, even. It’s like a 24/7 bed and breakfast here ‘til everyone finally goes home.”
