Page 86 of Just Friends Forever
I jog after her and grab her hand. “Stevie, wait.”
She turns toward me, her eyes glimmering with tears. She blinks and lowers her chin so I can’t see them anymore.
Without saying a word, I lift her chin with my knuckle, search her glistening eyes for a few seconds, then press my lips to hers.
She sucks in a breath of surprise, and I pull back, afraid I’ve gone too far, that I was too convincing when I told her it was a bad idea.
She looks back at me, her dark blue eyes wide. I’ve scared her. It’s all those years of pining—they’ve made me overeager. I let go of her hand and prepare to apologize for coming at her like Godzilla.
She raises her hand to my lips, and I still while she traces them with a finger, leaving tingling in their wake. She closes her eyes, slides her hand to my cheek, and pulls me toward her.
Our lips come together a second time, and I shiver as her cold hand comes to rest on my bare chest. I cover her hand with mine and move in closer, slipping my hand around her waist.
I know Stevie’s lips. I know their exact shade of pink, their subtle cupid’s bow, and the way the freckle on her left cheek disappears into her only dimple when she smiles. But now, I’m experiencing those lips, mapping them with my own in a slow, gentle exploration of the territory beyond the one we know so well. It’s territory I’ve dreamed of but never thought I’d get to see for myself. The sweetness and the exhilaration of it sets me on fire.
Now that I’m kissing her, I can’t imagine doing anything else. I want to show her what it means to be loved—really loved—by a man. I want to undo all the hurt Curtis caused, to hide away somewhere remote and spend an entire week telling her everything I love about her until she sees herself the way I see her, the way I’ve seen her from the day we met.
I slow my kisses as realization slowly dawns on me.
I’ve spent years loving Stevie, thinking how it would be to have the chance to love her the way I want to, detailing every last thing I admire in her.
But she hasn’t. She hasn’t been picturing life with me for a decade and a half, aching for the chance to tell me how she feels. She’s only begun to consider me in that way.
She needs time to catch up.
29
STEVIE
I dated quitea bit before I got married. I kissed my fair share of guys. And then, of course, I was married for almost four years.
I’ve never been kissed like this, though. Troy’s hand is still covering mine on his chest, but he threads his fingers through mine and holds them even more tightly against him. He kisses me slow and steady, like he doesn’t want to miss anything, like we have all the time in the world.
And then he slows down even more… until he stops entirely and pulls away, letting go of my hand.
I look up at him, rubbing my lips together like the bits of Troy they now hold might escape if I don’t. “Is something wrong?” I drop my hand, reluctantly losing track of his heartbeat.
His Adam’s apple bobs, and he shakes his head with a rueful smile. “Everything’s good. Too good.”
I smile slightly. “What do you mean?”
He sucks in a breath and leans his forehead against mine. I shut my eyes and breathe in the feeling of well-being I have anytime I’m with him. It’s amplified right now. Everything feels right in the world. I haven’t felt this way for years. But those words—too good—prickle at the back of my brain like a little warning.
“You know how you said I haven’t had as long to process your divorce as you have?” he asks softly.
“Yeah.” My stomach tightens. Maybe he needs more time. I couldn’t blame him. And if he needs it, I’ll give it to him. As much as he needs.
“I’ve been in love with you for a long time, Stevie. Areallylong time.”
I can’t help myself. Keeping my forehead against his, I run a hand down his arm until I get to his hand. I thread my fingers through his and hold it tightly.
“Your feelings for me are brand new.” He pulls back and looks at me, a hint of a smile on his otherwise serious face. He looks down at our hands and smiles sadly. “They’re like little sprouts.”
I see where he’s going with this. “Unproven.”
He nods. “I never really had you, Stevie. I know that. Not in the way I wanted. But I’m still scared I’m going to lose you all over again.”
My heart aches at those last words, at the vulnerability in his unstable voice.
