Page 60 of Dumbstruck
“And you can’t live in Laketown.”
He hums and runs his hand up and down my back in a soothing motion. “Not all the time,” he agrees. “And I would hate it every time I had to leave. But I would keep coming back, June.”
“That’s crazy. You can’t spend your life in two different places, always on the move.”
For some reason, that makes him laugh, and he presses a kiss to my forehead. The sounds in the classroom have grown quiet, and I’m going to guess everyone is out looking for us now. “That’s already how I live my life, June. And for you, I would do whatever it takes to make it work. You have grounded me in a way nothing ever has, and suddenly I don’t feel like I’m drifting aimlessly and reaching for something I can’t even see. I feel like I have a…areason, you know? You have no idea how important that makes you.”
Goodness, this man knows his way around words. Sniffling, I press a hand to his chest, feeling the way his heart beats so steadily when mine feels erratic and uncertain. Jonah has always been a confident man, but I can’t fathom how he’s so confident about us.
“Look,” Jonah says, his hand at my back growing still. “It won’t be easy. For either of us. You’ve had it rough, and I’m nowhere near perfect. I will never do what your ex did to you, but I’m bound to be an idiot now and then.”
I let out a little laugh. “That I believe.”
“But I’m not looking for something temporary.”
My breath hitches.
“And I’m not afraid of hard work.”
I lift my head to look him in the eyes.
His expression is full of determination. “June, we’ll take this thing one day at a time, but I’m in this for the long haul. As long as you’ll have me.”
There’s so much I don’t know how to navigate—the distance, his fame, my realization that I’m not as tied to Laketown as I thought—but right now, I want to follow Jonah’s lead and take things one step at a time.
“Okay,” I whisper, brushing my fingers through his hair. “Let’s see where this goes.”
Jonah’s face lights up in the most beautiful way, so much brighter than the pitiful bulb above us. He’s always been a happy guy, but this is next level. “June Harper,” he says before pressing his lips to mine.
Who needs to get out of this closet? Not me.
The strangest sound pulls us apart again, and while Jonah groans in frustration, I turn to look at the door, as if I might be able to see what in the world made that noise on the other side.
“There it is again,” I whisper as ayowlcomes through the door. A second later, a fuzzy orange paw pokes through the crack at the bottom, and my jaw drops. “No way.”
“Is that Samson?” Jonah asks, peering around my shoulder. “In thehigh school?”
Samson yowls again, his paw wiggling around like he’s trying to figure out how to get the door open.
“How?” I ask and climb off of Jonah’s lap so I can inch closer to the door. “Hey, kitty kitty. What are you doing here?” His yowling changes to the softest, sweetest, meow I’ve ever heard, like he’s suddenly a different cat. Though I’m likely to get stabbed by his massive claws, I reach out and touch a finger to the pink pad on his foot.
His claws retreat at the same time his toes curl around my finger.
I gasp at the feel of his fur, so much softer than I would have expected from a stray cat. This is the first time he’s ever let me touch him, and while it’s likely because he doesn’t realize it’s me, I still feel like the universe has made a shift in my favor.
I only get to hold his paw for a few seconds before his arm disappears, but then the handle to the closet jiggles. My eyebrows shoot high as I stand. “Is that the cat trying to open—”
“Hey!” Jonah says, scrambling forward until he’s at my side. “We’re trapped in here!”
“Jonah?” Richie’s voice is filled with relief. Right. Of course it wasn’t Samson trying to open the door. “The door is locked.”
“The key might be in the teacher’s desk,” I say, hoping I’m not giving Jonah false hope by saying something that isn’t true.
Except, now that he’s next to me, Jonah doesn’t seem all that concerned about getting the door open. His eyes are fixed on me, dark and burning, and he snakes his arm around my waist to pull me flush against his body.
“This could be your last chance to kiss me without an audience for a while,” I murmur, gripping his strong biceps.
“Not if I have anything to say about it.” He twists us around so I’m pressed against the door, and then he kisses me with renewed vigor, his exploration thorough and filled with heat.
