Page 62 of Hunt for the Roses
“I’m always happy to provide entertainment when I can,” I say with a smirk. I turn my head and look back up, my eyes tracing designs created by the arrangement of the stars, and then I let my mind wander to familiar thoughts.
In my side view, Dane turns his head to look up at the sky with me. “I think about him too,” he says.
“What do you think about?” My eyes are still looking up at the sky as I ask my question.
“How much I miss my best friend. The good times we shared. I try to focus on thegoodbecause I’m at least grateful we got to experience those moments together.”
My eyes are still scanning the atmosphere above when I answer. “Yeah,” I breathe out as I linger on images and memories of Kyle. But when I catch myself falling deeper into a rabbit hole, I decide to pull myself out. “When I was in therapy, my therapist read me a quote that really resonated with me.” I don’t say the quote right away, but when I sense Dane turn his head to face me, I answer his silent question. “‘When life throws thorns, hunt for the roses.’”
Silence falls between us before Dane speaks, and I can feel Dane’s eyes bore into the side of my face. “There’s plenty out there for you. I don’t have a single doubt in my mind about that.”
I smile as I rotate on my side to face him, propping my head up in my hand. “I think you’re still trying to make up for the last couple days.”
“I guess I deserve that,” Dane jokes as he turns his head to look back up at the sky, and vaguely throws an arm over his head. Realizing he’s getting more comfortable, I close my eyes and allow the music to replace conversation.
When I hear the next song start to play, my eyes flash open with excitement as I say, “Oh I like this song. What is it?”
“‘Long Way Home’ by Canaan Cox,” Dane answers, and then turns his head to face me with a knowing smirk. “Why? You gonna start dancing on the hood of my car?”
“I just might,” I say, and then I resume closing my eyes while tapping my hand at the side of my hip.
“I’m disappointed. You’re going to have to really commit here,” Dane interrupts.
I open my eyes to look at Dane with raised eyebrows, and he raises his eyebrows back at me as if he’s waiting on me to make my move. I purse my lips as I consider Dane’s challenge and raise myself up on my knees. “But this can’t be a one-woman show,” I say as I grab Dane’s hands in mine. I start swaying my hips to the rhythm of the song, and with that adorable smirk, Dane starts to mouth the lyrics to me as he taps his foot on the hood. A giddy laugh escapes through my lips, and I close my eyes as I tilt my head back to sink into the music and embrace this feeling of being unchained.
Unbound.
Free.
My hands act on their own accord, and I release Dane’s to vaguely raise them above my head and continue moving my body to the beat of the country hit. I don’t have to look at Dane to know his eyes are following my every move, and truthfully, it doesn’t bother me at all.
In fact, it’s exhilarating.
As the song reaches its last verse, I feel Dane rest one palm at the side of my hip, and I instinctively cover the top of his hand with my own palm. I’m completely immersed in what I’m doing when Dane sits up straighter to grasp my other hip to pull me closer to him. I let out a playful laugh as I tilt my head forward to look at Dane, who’s staring back at me with something unfamiliar woven into his bright green hues.
Somehow, they lookdarkerto me.
Starved.
I swallow hard when I realize I’m straddling one of Dane’s thick thighs, and I have to rest my palms on Dane’s shoulders to brace myself. My sex is all too aware of his denim-clad leg that’s inches away from creating electrifying friction, and I feel my heartbeat quicken and my tongue start to feel too big for my mouth.
“Do you feel alive yet?” Dane’s voice is low and husky. The pressure of his palms on my hips scorches me through the fabric of my dress, and a crackling heat begins to pop repeatedly underneath my skin. But regardless of our compromising position on top of his Mustang, it’s Dane’s words that set my soul aflame.
All I can do is stare at Dane with parted lips, admiring and appreciating him. My hands subconsciously fall to his chest, and heat singes my back as my small palms gently press into his steel muscle. His hoodie is unzipped just enough to make out the well-defined indent in the center of his chest, and I have to lick my lips to satiate the need to drag my tongue across it.
Dane reaches up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and my body vibrates with adrenaline. His fingertips lick the shell of my ear, and my breaths become shallow as he cups the side of my face with his large, rough palm. “I refuse to believe that you’ve already been given all life has to offer,” he whispers as his thumb caresses my jawline.
I exhale the smallest breath as the pulse between my legs throbs uncontrollably, but what surprises me the most is how his words spring me to life. It’s like I’m taken under a powerful spell, and it’s all-consuming and inescapable. And there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here on the hood of Dane’s car with an umbrella of stars above us.
My eyes flutter closed when his fingertips drop to my neck, tracing down the length of it, creating goosebumps in their wake. My body hums with need at his skilled touch, and I tilt my head back just enough to invite him in. I’m scared that if I voice what I want, I’ll come to my senses and lose this intoxicating moment, so I silently beg him to take the leap for both of us.
“Is this what you were thinking about earlier?” he whispers. Dane slides his hands under the collar of my oversized cardigan to drag it down my shoulders and to my elbows. “How I’d touch you if I ever got the chance to?” A breathy whimper escapes my throat when Dane’s soft lips connect with the sensitive skin of my neck. He marks a path downward and gently nips in random spots, each teasing kiss and bite lighting a new flame under my skin.
Right when Dane’s mouth reaches my collar bone, his lips abandon their assault, and I lift my head forward to hold his gaze. His fingers wrap tightly around each side of my waist, giving it a squeeze that holds warning. “You’ll find that being a gentleman isn’t really my style.”
My blood cools in the streams of my veins at his suggestion. “You just want to fuck me? Is that it?” I ask with accusation.
The corner of Dane’s mouth tips up as he takes my hand off his chest and brings my fingers to his plush lips. “Any guy can fuck you, Ari,” he rasps. His eyes never leave mine as he kisses the tip of my pointer and middle finger, and when I feel the tip of his tongue flick against my skin, my stomach somersaults and a surge of warmth pools in the apex of my thighs. “I want you to surrender,” he breathes against my skin, placing another kiss on my fingers. Then he gently brings my fingers against my own lips. “Surrender every part of yourself to me so that when I’m inside you, I consume every pocket of your body and soul.”
