Page 74 of The Apple Tree

“Come inside,” Josh said excitedly, waving me toward the door.

I stepped inside as Kyle shined the light behind me.

There was a log bench along one side and a window on the opposite side, which had hinges for opening and closing.

“Do you like it?” Josh asked.

I was speechless, my heart free-falling, taking every ounce of air from my lungs, so I nodded.

I sat on the log bench and gazed up at Kyle. He offered a shy grin.

“Okay. We showed her, now you need to get to bed.” Kyle stepped out of the hut, and Josh followed.

“Coming, Eve?” Josh asked.

I smiled. “In a minute. I’ll catch up.” I wiped my eyes before either one of them saw me getting emotional over a hut. Then, I brought up the rear as Kyle gave Josh a piggyback ride back to the house.

“Bed. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars,” Kyle said.

“What?” Josh giggled as he rode Kyle’s back up the stairs.

I followed them and stood in the hallway while Kyle tucked him back into bed.

“Love you, buddy,” he said, closing the door most of the way. Then he lifted his gaze to mine as if surprised to see me waiting for him.

I grinned, stepping past him, teasing the palm of his hand, and threading our fingers together while wordlessly leading him to his bedroom. Releasing his hand, I quietly closed and locked the door behind me.

“You built me a hut,” I whispered, closing my eyes briefly before turning to face him.

He didn’t speak.

I stepped closer, resting my hands on his chest. We gazed at each other in the dim moonlight that snuck past the partially closed curtains. I clutched his shirt, working it up his body and over his head. Then I did the same to mine.

Kyle’s hands rested at his sides. His patience only fueled my desire.

I was wind and fire—destructive and out of control. He was earth and water—a grounding, calm force.

But when we kissed, it felt like waves crashing, flames spreading, and the earth quaking beneath us. It felt like his arms were made to hold me. He dragged his lips down my neck while unhooking my bra.

I couldn’t breathe, and my lungs didn’t care. Kyle became the only thing that mattered to my body. If he filled me, I could live in that moment forever.

I undid his jeans and pushed them past his butt, sliding my hands into the back of his underwear, curling my fingers into his firm muscles.

Warmth flowed across my skin. It felt like a dream, like Gabby sitting in the front row of her math class, imagining Mr. Collins finding her irresistible.

He groaned, grabbing my face and kissing me. One hand dropped to my breast, squeezing it before his finger and thumb playfully tugged at my nipple. I turned my head to break the kiss and bit my lower lip to avoid making noise, unsure how quickly Josh would fall back asleep or how well sound traveled in the old farmhouse.

“If you don’t have condoms, I’m going to cry,” I whispered past the dizzying marriage of euphoria and desperation while he kissed down my chest and slowly removed my jeans.

“Me too,” he murmured over my skin, teasing it with butterfly kisses.

I tugged at his hair, and he grinned. “I have condoms.”

He guided me to the bed and gazed at me with a sparkle of appreciation in his eyes as I lay back, hands over my breasts. A pang of vulnerability arrested my confidence because Kyle was only the second guy I’d had sex with. At least, I assumed (hoped) we were going all the way.

“Eve, you’re so fucking beautiful I can’t think straight.”

I trapped my lower lip between my teeth.

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