Page 173 of After All This Time

We’re both staring at each other’s lips, anticipating who’s going to kiss who first.

I decide to go in for the kill, planting my lips hard on his.

He’s losing the ability to breathe properly. “Dani, we…n-need to g-go,” he stutters, moaning while I pepper kisses all over the nape of his neck.

“Fine, have it your way.” I kiss him on the cheek before I get off his lap, climbing into the passenger side of the car.

His eyes are melting me down to pure liquid. “Consider this as unfinished business. I’m not done with you.”

Yeah, obviously. You were hard the second I started kissing your neck.

Heat is pooling in between my thighs.

No, it has to be sweat.

It does feel like one hundred degrees out here with the mix of the blazing sun and intense humidity.

“Let’s go rescue your sister,” I say.

He presses the button to turn on the engine, switching the gear into drive. Resting my hand on the console, he flips my hand over so he can thread his fingers into mine.

His thumb is rubbing gentle vertical motions on my thumb.

I shift my head towards the window so he doesn’t see how red my cheeks are and allows me to smile without him knowing.

It’s a fifteen minute drive to Sunset Cove Hospital from the house.

We spend the entire drive belting out songs by Gracie Abrams, The Cure, and Arctic Monkeys.

We’re both horrible singers, but it doesn’t matter. Singing with Noah is freeing, especially when his ocean eyes meet my brown eyes for a brief moment when we’re at a traffic light that’s located right across from the hospital.

The light turns green and Noah turns left, making a right into the hospital’s main parking lot.

Seriously, I feel like I live here.

After driving around the parking lot closest to the entrance for several minutes, we find a spot.

Noah pushes in the engine start/stop button, moving the gear shift into park.

Removing the elastic holding together my braid, I comb through the loose waves with my fingers.

“Hey, you’re ruining my masterpiece.” He frowns.

“Sorry, I’m starting to get a headache and it’s hot outside.”

“It’s hot in here too,” he says as he raises his eyebrows.

I wet my lips, giggling like a schoolgirl. “Did I really ruin your masterpiece?”

His eyes trail down to my waist and back up to my face, causing my lips to twitch. He leans into me and runs his fingers through a loose tendril of my hair. “If I’m being honest, you’re my masterpiece.”

My nose scrunches, lips curving up into a dorky smile.

Did Noah hold my hand up until this moment? Yes, he held my hand the entire time. I love the way his hand fits in mine like it was made just for me.

He makes his way to my side, opening the door for me and sticking out his hand, so I can hold it again. “Let’s go rescue Rapunzel from her tower, shall we?”

“We shall.”

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