Page 600 of One More Kiss

Chapter6

Asher

I’m saying what I feel, baring my soul. The things I’m saying should sound absurd. A sane person would take off as fast as their legs could carry them in the opposite direction. But Kristee is just sitting there. Listening to my words with a look of wonder and appreciation on her face. I finish. “I keep saying your name because I want it to resonate with you. You matter, Kristee.”

Tears are running down her face again, but they aren’t sad tears. She smiles, sniffling, gently pulling against my hand. I reluctantly release it. She uses it to swipe at her wet cheeks. Her nose is red. Her eyes are glassy. She’s so open, so vulnerable. And she’s absolutely beautiful.

Leaning in, she cups my cheek with her wet hand. “Asher, thank you. I know I said I wanted to go dancing, but I think I want to do something else… I want to get a tattoo. Do you know somewhere we can go without an appointment so I can get it?”

She wants a tattoo? A tattoo is permanent.

“What kind of tattoo do you want?” I ask.

She smiles as she sighs. “I want a semi-colon. I know it’s stupid and cliché. But it–– it means something to me… to people like me. I’ve wanted one for a while, but I didn’t really see the point… You know?”

She didn’t see the point?

Oh… because she wanted to kill herself.

But she wants it now. She wants to get it now.

She wants to live?

My throat thickens as I choke back the ball of tears trying to break free from what I think her words mean.

Am I right?

“Kristee… you mean you didn’t see the point if you were going to end your life?”

She nods.

“You want to get it because you want to live now? Is that what you mean?” I can’t keep the hopefulness out of my words.

Staring directly into my eyes, she bites her lip. And nods again.

Words escape me. Pulling her into my arms, I wrap them around her. She melts into my embrace. Her face is pressing into the side of my neck. I can feel her breath, warm and erratic against the skin there. My lips seek her head, pressing kisses into her hair while my heart pounds.

Her arms close around my back, locking at my waist. I feel her lips against my pulse before I feel the light flicking of her tongue there. My blood roars through my veins.

Leaning back, I growl. “That makes me very happy, Kristee.” Her head lifts, her eyes meeting mine. They’re aglow with the same desire, the same yearning, as I’m feeling.

She swallows. “Asher… I want this tattoo. Desperately. But I want you… to be close to you. To feel you even more.”

My body instantly responds to her words. Elation and lust fill my entire being. Pressing my forehead against hers, I mutter, “I want that, too. So much, Kristee. But we can’t really do that on this doorstep.”

A giggle bursts free from her chest. It seems to surprise her. Her eyes twinkle as her nose wrinkles. “Yeah, I know. But I do have a small apartment not far from here. We could… go there…”

She’s inviting me to her apartment?

I live close. Really close in fact. We can just go there. I’m probably closer than she is.

“I actually live like a block from here. If you’d like, we can go there. But only if you’re sure. No pressure. I’d like to show you where I live though…” My voice is hesitant as I invite her into my private domain. It’s my sanctuary.

Her eyes widen as she angles her head. Her bottom lip is once again sucked into her mouth where her teeth nip at its fullness. I want to kiss her again, but I don’t want to spook her or think I’m pressuring her.

She smiles slowly, but brightly, nodding. “I’d like that. I’d like to see where you live. You can tell a lot about a person from seeing their home. Lead the way, Asher.”

Standing, I pull her up behind me, tucking her against my side with my hand in hers. Our fingers weave together, like we’re making a basket. Separate pieces, intricately woven together to create one beautiful, cohesive form.

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