Page 9 of Finding New Dreams

What if I lost? Would these be my last moments with her?

My fingers tightened around hers.

“You’ve never had a girlfriend longer than six months.”

Disappointment froze all the hot anticipation under my skin. In a brief, wild moment, I thought about lying or trying to wiggle around the truth. But I didn’t want to win that way.

I also couldn’t deny the tiny shard of sadness at her assumption that I wasn’t the type to have long relationships. Granted, there had only been the one, and it’d been a flaming disaster, ending right on our six-month anniversary.

But still…

“You win,” I said softly.

I didn’t remove my hand, and neither did she. We simply sat and stared at each other for an interminable moment, as if committing each other to memory. Those radiant eyes and her beautiful spirit were already etched into my soul.

Standing, she pulled me to my feet as well.

My heart was torn between dreading she would just walk away and hoping she would take me with her.

She stepped closer to me, our bodies finally making the contact I’d been craving all night. Effortlessly rising on her tiptoes, she tilted her chin toward mine.

“Flynn,” she whispered. “Kiss me.”

My whole body flared to life as if she’d struck a match.

But I didn’t pounce on her and devour her like my body urged me to do. No, if this was all I was going to get with my Rose, then I’d savor this one kiss.

I lifted our joined hands and brought hers to rest on my shoulder. My fingers brushed over her delicate wrist, her bracelets, down her bare arm to her waist. I caressed her hip, my fingers shaking a little as I dug into her skirt and pulled her even closer to me.

Her chest heaved against mine in quick, tight breaths. Her arms wound around my neck like vines, and her hands buried themselves in my hair. Her fingernails on my scalp tore a deep groan from my throat.

And still our lips didn’t meet.

I cradled her body easily in one arm while my other hand cupped her soft, slender neck. My thumb stroked her jaw. Our noses touched, and her mouth reached for mine. But I couldn’t let it happen. Not yet. I needed more of her first.

I pressed my lips into her cheek, then by her eye. Her lashes fluttered downward, feathering over my skin.

My gut tightened. My control stretched like a cord about to snap.

But if I gave in…that would be it.

“Flynn…” she breathed.

And that was my undoing. My mouth crashed into hers. Her lips were even softer than I imagined. And sweet. And kissing me back with a fierceness that exhilarated me to my core.

Every muscle in my body tightened around her. It should’ve crushed her, but she only kissed me harder. Her toes dangled off the ground. It was all I could do not to carry her off right then and there.

But then the sweet softness of her tongue touched mine, and I forgot everything else. There was only me. Her. And the perfection of this moment.

Color exploded around us and through us in my mind. Heat raged under my skin. Her fingers seared me as they slid over my jaw and neck, clutched my chest.

So slowly I hardly realized it was happening, our kiss slowed and gentled. But our lips wouldn’t stop caressing each other. I knew we would have to stop eventually. But I wanted one more, just one more again. And again.

Finally, her toes touched back to earth, and she put a few inches of space between us. We were both breathing hard. My heart felt like it might gallop right out of my chest and into her palm. Pinwheels of light still glittered in my vision as I stared down at her.

I bit my lower lip, tasting her one last time. “You’re magical.”

Her eyes widened. I almost took it back. That was probably a stupid thing to say to someone I’d only just met. Someone I’d just had the most amazing night with.

---