Page 40 of Bookworm
With his free hand, he glided his knuckles up the column of my throat before cupping my jaw tenderly. The light, simple touch made my knees tremble and weaken.
Yet again, his eyes dipped to my mouth and he waited. Waited for me to make the next move.
I moaned, desperately, aching for his mouth to be on mine. At the sound, he pressed his eyes shut, like it was taking every ounce of effort from him not to just take my lips right then and there.
He whispered something to me, but it was drowned out by the thick, even pounding of my heart against my ribs. Drowned out by the stinging promise of a kiss. The sharp anticipation of his lips on mine again.
But it never came. His lips hovered, danced over mine, teasing, but not kissing me.
As his eyes fluttered open, I caught the sight of a muscle jumping in his neck.
“What was that?” I whispered.
“Dammit, Harper,” he hissed. “You know what I want.” His voice was thick and heady, full of hungry passion. “But what doyouwant?”
What did I want? Was he joking? “If I recall,Ikissedyouthis morning?—“
“I’m not talking about a random kiss. I’m asking what youwant. Tell me Harper. What are you looking for? Is this just some whim for you? Some quick vacation hookup? Because I don’t think my heart could take it again. I don’t think I could handle you ghosting me again if all you want is a one-night-stand?—“
“I want you, Adam. I never stopped loving you. Never stopped wanting you.” My confession dissolved on my tonguelike cotton candy. Whispered. So quiet, I wasn’t sure he heard me at first.
Not until the words, “Thank God,” gushed from his lips. Gripping my ribs, he crushed me into his body, and claimed my mouth.
Chapter Eleven
I’m gonna take you on a date. A real date. Not like when we were sixteen and I took you to dinner at Denny’s because it was the nicest meal I could afford and the only place in town that served food late enough that we could go after soccer practice.
Those were Adam’s parting words after our kiss. Then he left me to finish my work for the day.
Work that, no matter how hard I tried, I could not get my stupid one-track mind to focus on.
Could it be possible after all this time that Adam and I would find our way back to each other? That despite all odds and a history that seemed we weren’t meant for each other, that we would in fact, fall back in love?
Hell, had I ever even fallenoutof love with him? I didn’t think so.
On one hand, we were so young when we met and fell for each other. But on the other, we didn’t break up because either of us had fallen out of love.
It was a massive misunderstanding.
A misunderstanding that set us on different paths.
And if I was being truly honest? I couldn’t be sorry for any of that. It was why I found my passion. Why I’d been brave enough to leave Maple Grove and explore other countries. It pushed me to try harder, be more, and get a better education than I probably ever would have gotten anywhere else.
That awful night I’d overheard his conversation with this dad was not only the most painful point of our relationship, but it was also the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Without that push, I had no doubt that I probably would have just followed Adam around aimlessly. Sure, I most likely would have gotten an education somewhere. A community college or maybe even a state school.
But I would have been going through the motions. Getting a degree just for the sake of doing something.
In my own twisted way, I was grateful for that awful conversation I’d overheard.
Grateful for the push it gave me.
Grateful that all these years later, I could prove them wrong.
And even more grateful for the fact that the education I ended up getting was what brought me right back here where it all started… in Adam’s arms.
After finishing up at the library, I left my books to dry and set back home to feed Jules and get ready for our date.
Adam hadn’t told me anything about it other than to dress nicely…but not too nice because it was after all New Hampshire and not London. His words, not mine.
