Page 53 of My Heart to Keep
She snorted. “We should convince your dad, then.”
As much as I would like to see Maiken every day, that wasn’t happening. My parents wouldn’t let me go to another high school. Besides, they didn’t have the money to send me to a rich academy. “Good luck with that.”
Maiken’s lips grazed my ear. “I would love that. We could snuggle up in your dorm room or mine.”
I shivered in delight. “Maybe college.”
Emma hooked her arm in Noah’s. “Enough talk. Let’s get something to eat.”
Maiken growled low.
Noah chuckled as if to tell Maiken he didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to Emma. But if I knew strong-willed Emma, Maiken didn’t stand a chance of telling her who she could or couldn’t date.
Celia looped her arm around Noah’s free one. “I’m starving.”
“We’ll catch up,” Maiken said.
Once we were alone, Maiken’s lips crashed to mine. His tongue dove in hard and fast like he was a starving boy. I wasn’t complaining. I’d been dying to kiss him for what felt like forever.
But he broke away before I could get lost in us. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
I pouted, licking his minty taste off my lips.
He gave me a wolfish grin. “I promise you’ll love what I have to show you.”
Five minutes later, we were two lovers, holding hands, strolling the rolling hills of the academy under the stars, where nothing mattered but him and me. The scene was romantic, serene, thrilling, and I felt like I was on cloud nine. Something between us seemed to be stronger, more powerful. Maybe it was because we didn’t see each other every day, and the separation was heightening my emotions.
My feet sank into the plush grass as the moonlight guided us. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere quiet where it’s just you and me.”
I squeezed his hand. “I like that plan. I miss our time in the supply closet at school.”
He chuckled. “Where I’m taking you is ten times better than a closet.”
I didn’t care where we ended up as long as I was with him.
The academy grew distant behind us as we trudged across the expanse of the property for another five minutes. Finally, Maiken settled near a large oak tree. Then he bent down, cleared away a pile of fallen leaves, and picked up a blanket.
My eyes widened. “Planning ahead?”
He grinned. “For sure. I thought this would be a great place to lay under the stars.” He looked up. “On a clear night, like tonight, the sky is amazing.”
I glanced skyward, and he was right. The stars twinkled and shined like I’d never seen them do before. I thought the view from my farm was pretty spectacular, but it was nothing compared to this. Where we were, nestled in the Berkshires with dense trees surrounding the property, I felt like I was on another planet.
I snagged the blanket from him and shook it out before I placed it on the ground. “It’s beautiful up here.”
He tugged me to him. “You’re beautiful.”
I threw my arms around him and kissed him with every ounce of energy I had.
He chuckled, a sound that made me break out in goose bumps as he pulled me down onto the blanket. “I’ve missed you.”
“Shhh. No talking. Just kissing.”
Maiken tasted sweet, minty, and delicious.
He adjusted us so he was on top with his hands on each side of my head. “I just want to look at you for a minute. You’re beautiful, Quinn Thompson. You’re my starlight. You shine like an angel, and I love you hard.”
