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Kissing.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t sleep. My mind refused to hit stop, or even pause, on the kiss we shared in the library.
How Matthew lifted me up against the bookcase, settling his gigantic frame between my legs. How his tongue trailed along mine as if he were savoring some kind of ripe fruit. How his fingers fisted the curls at the base of my neck. How he moaned into my lips.
I’ve had a few kisses before. But I’ve never beenproperlykissed. An air-stealing, world-spinning, dizzying type of kiss, one that made me want to rip all my clothes off.
Until yesterday.
Neither of us has mentioned the ki—incidentsince we left the library.
As soon as we got back to our room, I ran into the shower and then promptly tucked myself into bed, where I pretended to be asleep. If it wasn’t for the copies ofThe Stone Courton our dresser and the lipstick stain on his shirt collar, I would have been sure I made the whole thing up.
Does he regret it? Or maybe he didn’t enjoy kissing me?
Isn’t the third time supposed to be a charm?
Sure, the kiss at my bridal shower and at pottery were around other people, a way for us to put on a show, but we were alone this time.
Maybe he knew the librarian would find us and report back to Lolita. Matthew’s smart like that. Strategic. Intelligent.
I mean, what did I expect to happen? He’d pick me up in the library, carry me over the threshold of our suite, and ravish me right there on our bed?
Yes.
That is exactly what I expected.
My heart shrinks in my chest.
Unfortunately, I can’t morph into one of the cacti on our trail and chameleon out of this situation. Add shapeshifting to the list of reasons why living in a fantasy world would be so much better.
We round another bend. I’m pretty sure we have an hour more of this scheduled, torturous trail walk before we get breakfast. I can’t stand the quiet anymore. I have to know what he’s thinking.
“So.” I attempt to sound casual. Is that really the best I can do?
Let’s kiss again.
Let’s skip breakfast.
“Hmm?” Matthew glances over at me, unfazed.
“Aren’t these sunrises some of the best you’ve ever seen?” I conjure up a question, averting my scattered gaze to the sky.
I have no game. Zero. Literally,ZILCH!
Sure, Arizona has beautiful sunrises. When the sun comes up, the desert turns into a canvas of orange, pink, and blue. The colors bleed together like a spill of watercolors.
Butsunrises?! I’m thinking about jumping his bones again, and this is all I can come up with?
“They’re beautiful.” He halts in place.
“Yeah.” I tug on my linen Simkhai Valeria midi dress. The white fabric is sheer against my skin.
Matthew’s brows perk up with curiosity. “Anything on your mind?”
I must be so obvious with my inability to keep cool about the whole kiss thing. Must I have such an unforgiving lying face?
“Um—yeah. I just—” I shift in my spot. “The griffins got me all worked up last night,” I blurt out.
