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Kiss her. Kiss her because she’s wonderful, she drove all this way, she’s not giving up on you, and because you’re falling for her so freaking badly. “What about this? Does this have any impact on your decision?”
When I touch Cass’ shoulder, she trembles, and it’s more than just the cold emanating from my body. Even just that touch scorches me, and I forget all about what it is to be cold. I cup her face next, and she leans in, her eyes closing and her head tipping back, waiting. My mouth finds hers, our lips crush together, and it’s game over for any lingering doubts I might have had. At least about this working out. I know it’s going to work because I’m going to do everything in my power to make it work. I still have doubts about other things, but it’s more the usual fears most people have. Just because I’m decidedly not normal doesn’t mean they don’t affect me too.
Cass groans as I bite her bottom lip playfully. Her hands twine around my neck, and she arches against me, even though I’m still soaked from sitting outside in the cold.
“Lennox,” she pants, threading her fingers through my short hair and tugging as her body curls against mine. “It’s always been this. Ever since the moment you kidnapped me. The wrong woman.”
“You were the right one all along. And it was kind of a mock kidnapping. We thought we were bringing Ayana back to talk. So, uh, not the kind of evil kidnapping people talk about. Never that.”
“I know. I knew it a few seconds in, and I’ve always known it. Just like I always knew you’d come back to San Diego, and this would work. Not because you’re leaving or coming back, but because, this time, I’m going with you. I’m yours, Lennox. And you’re mine. Maybe that’s too much. Sorry, it sounded romantic in my head but a little creepy out loud.”
I smother a grin while my heart beats louder than a thunderstorm gone haywire in my chest. “It isn’t creepy. It’s what I always said all along. Everything is what we make it, minus a few potholes along the way and other things we can’t control. So maybe I should say it’s mostly what we make it.”
She grins at me and starts to unzip my sodden jacket. “I think we should get you out of these wet clothes. All of them.”
“Honestly, I could go for that.”
“Honestly, that’s good. Because so could I. It’s been a long, long drive. Can I tell you something?”
“Always.”
“When I woke up next to you, I loved seeing you in my bed. You were denting the mattress down to the springs, but you were somehow still comfortable. I loved that your skin was smooth and you didn’t wear all those cares when you slept. I loved the intimacy of being the first one up and moving around, knowing I wasn’t alone. That one normal thing we did together—falling asleep and waking up—was so comforting. It made me feel totally thrilled, thrilled to have you there in my bed. You looked so massive in it. It was like it could barely hold you up, and I realized just how massive you had come to be in my life too. I always thought I was too unlucky to meet my soulmate, but you’re it. I believe you. Truly. I’m not unlucky. I’m not unlucky!” she shouts.
She throws both hands up, and fist bumps the air, then she tears the zipper down on my jacket and leaps on top of me to straddle my waist before tearing the coat open, lifting up my shirt, and thrusting her warm hands straight onto my cold chest.
“You know what the best part of long drives is?”
She blinks at me. “What?”
I encircle her waist and tug her down to me to make sure I kiss her for so long that we both nearly forget our names and what day it is, let alone what I was about to say. I don’t remember for a few minutes, and then, when my clothes are nearly off, it comes back to me.
“The getting there,” I say with a laugh. “The end of the road. This.”
Cass stands up so she can tug at my jeans. If getting wet denim off was a skillset comparable to spice, it would be a full five out of five blazing hot spicy peppers. “You’re right,” she says, breathing hard with the effort it took to get my jeans into a sopping wet pile on the floor. A beautiful blush stains her neck and cheeks as she looks me right in the eye. “The end of the journey really was the best. Because you were here waiting for me.”
EPILOGUE
Cass
I’m leaving. Not for good, but for a good long while. My parents think I’m going to be pursuing the job of a lifetime in the beautiful city of Paris. Yeah, that might have been a little over the top, and I know my mom is going to want to visit eventually. Maybe even my dad and sister too, but that’s okay. We can make it happen. Lennox’s granny pretty much planned for everything.
