Page 116 of To Love or to Lose
His smile is as graceful as his presence. “You’re welcome.”
The surrounding air stiffens with tension as the silence takes over yet again. The only thing I could hear at first were the faraway sounds of the party inside the house. But those sounds are fading, and soon after, the only thing I can hear is the sound of Jameson breathing in rhythm with me.
I turn more toward him, daring to focus my attention up at him from my lap. I want to know if he’s looking at me too, and he is.
“I’m not usually this awkward,” I blurt, not knowing why I say it.
“Trust me Genova, I’m well aware.”
His hand is resting on his leg, and he inches it further toward me.His pinky is barely grazing mine from where my hand sits on my lap, and I watch as his hand gets closer and closer to covering mine completely.
I wonder if his body feels like it’s bursting into flames, or if it’s just me.
When I look back up, his face is even closer to mine than it was before.
“Can I tell you a secret?” He whispers, his breath fanning my cheek.
I nod and gulp at the same time. My nerves are completely shot.
“I think you may be one of the most astonishing things I’ve ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on.” His confession makes tears form behind my eyes, and I have to restrain myself from allowing them to fall down my face.
Instead, I lean even closer. “Why is that a secret?” I whisper.
“Because I don’t think anyone else deserves to look at you the way I do unless they think of you the way I do.” He knows how smart we both are—that we have the intelligence to understand each other better than anyone else.
“What do you think of me?” I ask.
“I think you are the one who's made to be the main character of every fantasy, of every thriller, and every romance.” His hand cups my jaw. “You are the brave and beautiful princess willing to save the entire kingdom. You’re the character that makes my heart pick up speed and makes me want to read all the way to the end. You are the one who always gets the happiest ever after. I can tell you truthfully, no matter what tale I produce in my head, you are—and always will be—the main character of my story.”
He repeated what I told him in the bookstore. The part about how I not only wish I could read every book, but I also want toexperienceevery book.
My breath shortens at the sentiment and before I can think, I’m moving even closer to him.
And with one movement, I crash my lips into his.
Her lips pummel into mine, and the only thought going through my head is:Dear whatever God is up above, you work in mysterious ways, and I thank you for it sincerely.
Genevieve Alderidge’s lips continue to press against mine, making my throat go dry and my blood heat to a boil.
She pulls away, taking a ragged breath. “We shouldn’t—”
I don’t care what she has to say, because even though there’s hesitancy in her words, there’s a fire behind her eyes. She wants this as badly as I do, even if she can’t admit it to herself.
I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her back into me. “Shh,” I say before connecting my lips to hers again.
My breath catches in my throat as I deepen the kiss, causing her to gasp.
This must be heaven. There is no other way this is possible.
I feel the thud of our combined heartbeat; the warmth consuming me as she presses closer.
It doesn’t last long before she pulls away, her eyes glazing over as her hands hold on to either side of my jaw. “That was…” She trails off.
“I know, love,” I tell her, running my hands through her long dark hair.
She tilts her head to the side slightly, making it so her jaw is resting in the palm of my hand.
“Are we making a mistake?” She asks me, her voice thick with emotion.
