Page 53 of We Were Once

“What are you doing? You’re going to hurt yourself, Evans.”

“You’re light as a feather, Fox.”

Carrying me to the door, he adds, “I have lots of ideas, but none of them include being down here.”

I finally catch my breath, my cheeks hurting from smiling so big. We make it to the second floor before I’m righted onto my feet. Starting up the next flight, I shrug, poking him in the chest when I pass. “And here I thought you worked out.”

“I’ll show you a workout,” he says, chasing me up the stairs. “As soon as we get in that apartment.”

I run faster. “You have to catch me first.”

He does too. Just as I reach the door, I’m spun, my back pressed to the wall, his lips on me. Despite the searing kiss, his hands are gentle, dragging along my arms until he reaches my wrists. Pinned by his middle, he brings our palms together high against the wall.

As he tilts his head to the side of mine, his breath is harsh against my ear. I turn to plant soft kisses on the corner of his mouth while my arms come down and around his neck.

“Chloe?” His breath is still jagged, the darker pupils overruling the molten chocolate when he stares into my eyes.

Kiss.

Kiss.

I wrap myself around him. “Yes?” I whisper, the question only a breath.

“I never want to be without you. Not ever.”

It’s not his tone, but the sincerity and the intensity in his eyes that have me believing him.

19

Joshua

The door down the hall opens, and just as Ruby catches us in action, I’m tugged inside.

Ruby yells, “You’re no fun, Fox.”

“He’s for my enjoyment only, Darrow. Find your own hot chef.” She kicks the door closed.

“Cook,” I correct, kissing the soft skin of her neck and moving lower.

“Everything you cook is amazing.” Pulling back, she cups my face. “If you wanted, you could be the greatest chef the world has ever known.”

The significance of her belief in me is bigger than she realizes. Like how my mom supports me; it means a lot that she believes in me. As a disappointment to my dad, I can only hope she never sees me as the bastard kid no one cares enough about to want to succeed. I’m about to get mushy, but fuck, she’s distractingly sexy. “Now, where were we?”

Excitement flickers through her eyes. “Love. We were saying how much we love one another.” She tugs me hard, so close until I’m pressed against her, causing the door to rattle on its hinges. “And this.”

We kiss, and when I start to lower, our mouths unwillingly part. I unbutton her jeans and tug them over her hips, kissing her hip bone and then across her stomach. Flipping off her shoes, she wiggles out of the denim while balancing on me. I hold the bow of her hips, putting enough pressure to keep her still as I kiss one inner thigh and then the other before moving to the apex.

When I glance up, her eyes remain on mine. So much beauty in such a small package. Kissing her soft center, I then prop her knee over my shoulder and take it deeper with my tongue, wanting her to fall apart for me like she did in the back of the Blazer.

She’s utterly distracting in the best of ways—her body pliable and welcoming, her moans of pleasure as she wriggles in reaction. How she tastes. Fuck, I can’t wait for her to take me in that sweet mouth of hers.

Her body tremors, my name coming in waves off her tongue as she comes on mine. Her hands tap once against the wood before they whiten from the pressure. Standing, I collect her in my arms and carry her to bed.

She lies back on her elbows with her legs hanging over the edge, steady breath just out of reach. Watching me undress, she says, “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“It’s not wise to wear your heart on your sleeve.”

“Even if I only wear it for you?”

I shift onto the bed and lie back next to her. “Yes.” With her curled against my side, the quiet of the room has me thinking about being at the lake. It’s then that I realize I’ve done the same thing I’ve accused her of—lying by omission. I kiss her head, and my arm tightens around her. “You know, I haven’t exactly told you my life story, have I? I was bothered because you concealed part of your past, but now I see that if I’m asking you for the whole truth, and to trust me, then I need to do the same.” I take a deep breath, exhaling the darkest part of my life, “My father is in my life, but few people know.”

Her shirt hangs off her shoulder as she pushes up on her hand and looks over at me. “He is?”

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