Page 88 of Townshipped
30
AIDEN
“So you’re single?” I ask Em again.
My face is only inches from hers now.
Am I dreaming? I’ve become so convinced Em might have someone else waiting for her that I nearly fell into a state of grief over the loss of her before she had even left me. Now she’s sitting inches away telling me no one stands between us.
“We’ve established that. I’m single,” she says with a momentary giggle and a tilt of her head.
The way she looks at me—her eyes filled with anticipation and maybe even a yearning—threatens to rush me through what I’m planning to prolong between us.
“Available?” I brush a strand of hair away from her cheek and tuck it behind her ear.
She nods. Our exhalations mingle into one puff in the cool air. Hmmm. Her breath hitches. I notice. I notice everything about her right now.
I inch closer, lightly brushing the back of my hand down the soft column of her throat and then bringing it back up to cup her face. She shivers at my touch and my blood turns molten. I want her.
“What you’re saying is that no one would mind if I did this?” Another stroke of my hand up and then down the sensitive skin from her shoulder to her ear and back again.
“Nope.” Her voice comes out in a breathy whisper. It stirs me from the inside out to hear the effect I have on her.
“And, if I were to cup your cheeks …” I reach out and hold her face in both my hands. “… no one would be jealous?”
“Maybe Granger,” Em says with a shaky laugh.
I smile wide and full. “You’ve got me there. To be fair, Lily might throw a little shade your way if she saw us this close to each other.”
Em giggles. Her laugh is nervous, but the way she’s leaning into me lacks hesitation.
“Are you alright with me touching you like this?”
I rub my thumbs on her face with a light touch. She looks at me. Even in the darkness, her eyes catch the moonlight and shimmer. Her hand comes up and holds mine in place. Her skin feels soft, like perfection and hope.
“Please,” she says.
“Please what? Ask me, Em. If it’s in my power to give you a yes answer, it’s yours. Anything.”
She smiles, taps the pointer finger of her free hand to her lips as though she’s pondering all the things she could ask, and then she lets out a thoughtful hum.
“Tell me what you want, Em.”
“You,” she says.
Her eyes hold mine as her expression grows serious. She’s pleading with me as if she doesn’t know her every wish is a mandate to me. I’d spend forever making sure she’s cared for and attended to, and if we don’t have forever, I’ll take what I can get.
I lean in and allow our lips to brush.
There’s no hesitation, no worry, nowhat ifbetween us. This kiss is new—unhindered. Her lips soften and she makes a tiny mewl noise in the back of her throat.
I hum in response. Kissing her again is what I’ve been waiting for. She’s what I’ve always been waiting for.
I shift, so I can pull Em closer, she leans in and tilts her head, exposing her neck. I move my hand under her hair, gently sweeping it over her shoulder. Then I kiss my way up her throat, along her jaw and back to her perfect mouth. She’s running her fingers through my hair, then tugging near the nape of my neck. I move my hands up her back and down again.
Em’s eyes slowly drift shut. I place a kiss on each eyelid, muttering, “single,” and “available,” and “perfect,” after each soft touch of my lips to her skin.
She sighs.
