Page 71 of Unspoken Hearts
All I can hear is my pulse flooding my ears as her hands slowly reach out, touching their way up my chest. My body is rigid, muscles stiff like stone as I feel them crawl their way up to my collarbone, then my neck, and finally settling on my jaw.
I blink down at her green eyes shimmering like stardust. I’m not sure that I'm breathing anymore as I stutter out, “Wh—what?”
Her pale lips curl with amusement as she whispers, “Reid, I want to kiss you.”
I’m fairly certain my heart stops beating for a whole second.
Chapter twenty
Macie
StaringintoReid’sblueeyes, I can see how nervous he is. I don’t know if he’s breathing when I feel his hands on my sides, and then a small pinch of my skin.
Flinching, my eyes flare wider as I gasp. “What was that for?”
“I’m just making sure that this is real,” he murmurs, making my heart flutter.
“This is real, cowboy,” I whisper back. “I have wanted to kiss you for so long.”
I see the flash of relief in his eyes as he leans closer, hovering centimeters from my face. “You don’t know how long I have wanted to hear you say that.”
I suck in a breath before pressing my lips against his. They’re soft and salty, warm and gentle, as his hands grip my sides tighter, like he’s grounding himself on something tangible. My nails dig into his stubble, deepening the kiss when I hear him groan.
All I can hear is my mind screaming that I’m finally kissing Reid after twelve long years. Of constantly watching him, wondering how his lips would feel and taste. I can confirm that they’re softer and better than Iever imagined. I breathe in his masculine, rugged scent and I moan gently against him.
I don’t want this to end.
He lets out another sound, making my body melt in his strong arms. He breaks our kiss, resting his forehead against mine.
Catching my breath, I steady myself on the balls of my feet as he holds me tightly. “That was…”
“Everything,” he murmurs, as I blurt out, “My first kiss.”
Swallowing, I press my eyes shut, self-conscious.Did it suck? Was I terrible?I know he’s kissed at least one girl, because I remember Grayson storming off when he heard that Melissa Benoi kissed Reid at a festival when we were in school.Was she better than me?
“I wish I could say the same,” Reid mumbles, lips lightly grazing mine.
I sink back onto my heels, blinking up at him like I’m drunk on his energy. “Did you like it, though?”
His fingers push through my hair, tucking strands behind my ears, eyes full of yearning and adoration. “More than liked, Mae.”
Biting my bottom lip, his hands fall away from my sides, and the disconnect leaves my skin itching for more.
Seeing the pinch in his forehead, I can tell what he’s thinking. I clear my throat. “We can’t tell Grayson about this.”
“No,” Reid agrees, glancing away for a moment. “Gray and I still have a lot between us, and I don’t want to screw things up.” I hear the pain in his words. “But I also can’t stay away from you, Macie. I don’t want to stay away from you.”
“I don’t either,” I whisper.
Reid sucks in a deep breath before running a hand down his face, like he’s scouring it back into reality. “Come on. The others will be wondering where we are.”
I feel the last strings of our connection severing.
I nod, grabbing my bag off the bench.
Following Reid down to the dirt path, we start on our way back towards the main house. The evening has settled around us; the buzz of crickets, clouds mingling among the warm sunset and a chilled breeze that’s picked up. I don’t know how long we were in there for, but I spot Grayson’s ute parked out the front, and loud voices float down from the porch.
Licking my bottom lip, I glance sideways at Reid, gaze focused ahead. I murmur out gently, “Thank you for showing me your place. It’s looking really nice.”
