Page 86 of Tattoo My Heart
“I know I hurt you then.”
She stills in an instant, scared to even blink when she looks up at my face.
“And I want a do-over.”
She lets out a soft snort of laughter. “So you wanted me here so that I could humiliate myself again?”
“No,” I rush to say. “I’m doing this all wrong.”
I take a moment to look around us. The reflection of the lights on the calm water looks perfect. I bring my eyes to look at Evie. She looks perfect, too.
“I love you.” The words have been burning in the back of my throat from the need to say them to her. “I wanted this to look like that night, except, this time, it would be me asking you to give me a chance.”
“Oh my god,” she whispers. “I did not see this coming.”
“I know how much I hurt you then, baby.” My voice comes out shaky. “I wanted to give you the chance to hurt me back. Or to just… keep me.”
“Cal Prentice,” she whispers again. “You’re so crazy.”
She pulls her wrists out of my hold and jumps into my arms, with only a split second for me to prepare for the impact.
“I love you so much,” or at least I think that’s what she says right before she slams her mouth over mine. Her legs are wrapped around my waist in what has now become our signature move. I love holding her like this.
“Evie,” I try to say in between hungry kisses. “I don’t need you to say the words only because I did. I can wait…”
“No.”
Her mouth stops me from saying more, the hunger in the way she moves her tongue inside my mouth stirring all sorts of feelings inside of me. I wish we weren’t in our parents’ backyard. I know full well that her mother is snooping from behind the curtains as we speak.
“I’ve been dying to hear those words from you, Cal Prentice,” Evie manages to say in between heavy breathing. “And I know it looks awful, like I’ve been pining for you for all these years, but I don’t even care.”
My eyes fill with instant tears. I am normally not an emotional guy, but her words are getting to me.
“Nothing about you is awful, baby. Especially not your feelings for me. I love you so much.”
We kiss until I feel like I am about to lose my balance.
“Evie,” I try to warn her. “We’re gonna…”
That’s when she chooses to clench her legs a little tighter around me, trying to lower herself a bit, just enough to grind herself against my obvious erection.
I feel myself leaning forward to accommodate her, but that seems to be the wrong move. All of a sudden, we are tumbling to the ground. I roll to the side, trying my hardest not to land on her, but I do manage to catch her one leg underneath my side.
“Jesus,” I let out a big sigh. “Are you okay?”
Evie just grins at me, the happiness obvious on her face.
“I’ve never been better.”
I smile back. “That’s really good to hear.”
My free hand starts roaming free over her ass, moving to her side, finding the bottom of her tank top, my fingers hungry to touch her bare skin.
“What is this?” I frown and lean back to take a better look, when I feel something like a giant patch of something.
“Oh,” Evie gasps in surprise. “I almost forgot.” She pushes at my chest, trying to free her leg that’s under my side. I lift my hips up, allowing her to move.
“Are you okay?”
