Page 109 of No Way Home
“Yup.” I steered her to the opposite side of the store.
“Should we text Cash and Charlie? They’re probably wondering where we are.”
“Nah. They probably think we’re making out somewhere.” I winked. “And we’re about to prove them right.”
Thirty seconds later, we were tucked into an alcove between two hanging racks of rugs angled into a V. I pressed kisses down her throat, anxious to learn every part of her that was appropriate territory. She tipped her head back, a happy little hum vibrating in her vocal cords. My phone buzzed in my back pocket, but I ignored it. I didn’t care if the world was ending. I was exactly where I wanted to be with exactly who I wanted to be with. Let the zombies try to pull us apart.
I kept going, tasting every inch of her throat. I started up the other side, but she wasn’t having it. She cupped my face and dragged my mouth to hers, like she couldn’t take another second of distance. My hand clamped to the small of her back, the other sliding up to hold her steady while my tongue tore over hers, frantic.
Suddenly, of all people, I heard my dad’s voice in my mind,Slow your roll, Randy. Forever’s not going anywhere.
I growled at the intrusion. I couldn’t have slowed down if I wanted to—and I didn’t. All the years of bottled-up hormones and tamped-down emotions were flooding over. Letting myself finally act on my feelings was a rush I’d never experienced before.
She’d always been something I needed to fight, like anaddiction I had to outrun. But now that she was mine, I didn’t know how I’d be able to spend a single second apart from her. She wasn’t a drug. Quite the opposite. Magnolia was oxygen, clean and vital—and I was already hooked on every breath.
Wrapped around each other, mouths moving as one, it still wasn’t close enough. I backed her against the wall and shoved her hands up by her head, my feet straddling hers.
Her hipbones dug into me, and she whimpered, “We need to—” pant “—slow down.”
“Can’t. Too much lost time,” I breathed. But I forced my mouth away and kissed her cheekbones instead. Then her eyebrows, the spot between them, and down the bridge of her nose. And between every kiss, I whispered, “I love you.”
“I love y-you too,” she said in a broken hush. I opened my eyes to see hers filled with tears.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my body going stiff.
“Nothing.” She laughed, her finger running over my scar, as a tear escaped. “Everything is…perfect.”
I wiped it away and tapped my nose to hers. “Happy tears?”
She smiled the biggest, carefree smile. “Yeah.”
Someone cleared their throat. Someone small.
Magnolia yelped and stumbled sideways. I caught her around the waist before the carpets could go flying and reveal our hideout. We looked down to see a boy, probably six or seven, and a girl, maybe a year older, on their knees, staring up at us, hands over their mouths, snickering. They must’ve crawled under the rugs.
“We’ve been compromised,” I hissed to Magnolia. She giggled, forehead dropping to my shoulder.
“Why are you breaving into each uvah’s mouvs?” the boy asked. “Did she need the hamwicker? Mollie needed the hamwicker once when she accidentawee choked on a qwartuh.” He nodded at his sister.
“J.B!” she huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “You’re not supposed to tell anyone I put a quarter in my mouth. You’re not allowed to talk anymore.”
“TheHeimlichis used when someone’s choking,” Magnolia said to J.B. “I think you mean CPR. That’s what helps people when they aren’t breathing. But I didn’t need either because I’veneverfelt better.”
I grinned. “Heck yes.”
“If there’s nothing wrong with you, why would you let him put his tongue in your mouth?” Mollie asked. “Disgusting.” She clamped her hands around her throat and made a gagging noise.
Magnolia’s face was full blush but she calmly said, “One day, after you hit puberty—you can ask your parents what that is—and you meet the right boy, you’ll like it too. ”
“No.” Mollie shivered. “That’s never happening to me. Ever. I will punch puberty in the stomach if any boy tries to get anywhere near me with his tongue.”
Magnolia looked up at me, green eyes wide, lashes batting, nostrils flaring like she was trying not to laugh. I’d never seen her look…
“So beautiful.” I cupped her face in my hands. She laid her palms over mine, leaning into my touch.
“Our mom went to tell the boss person you were licking each other like a bunch of dogs,” Mollie said.
“Seriously?” I muttered a cuss word.
