Page 61 of Late Nights

“So proud.”

She gave me a watery smile, a tear escaping down her cheek.

I reached up and cupped the side of her face, brushing the tear away with my thumb.

“You’re so strong, Demi. You’re taking control of your life, and that is something you can take pride in.” I wrapped my other arm around her waist. “And I can tell you with a hundred percent certainty that you would have never lived happily ever after with Aiden.” My lips twisted in disgust at just saying his name.

She let out a small chuckle, smiling up at me. “Oh, I know that.” Moving her hands to rest against my chest, she let her eyes roam across my face, almost as if she was trying to memorize it. “He’s not the one I want.”

Hearing those words, holding her this close with my hand on her cheek, seeing those captivating brown eyes, crumbles whatever remains of my minuscule resolve.

I slid my hand from her face to the back of her neck, bringing my head down to hers. I moved slowly, afraid that if I went too fast the moment would shatter and I’d miss the chance to finally feel her lips against mine. She remained completely still, maybe afraid, like I was, to ruin this fragile thing.

Our lips hadn’t even touched yet, just a breath apart, but this was already better than I’d imagined. She’d willingly opened up to me, confided in me, let me hold her in my arms while she cried, and found comfort. She wanted me. She knew more about me than anyone, possibly even West, and she still wanted me. Me, broken and all.

Our lips touched, soft and tender, her warm mouth against mine at last. We kept things slow, relishing in having finally let ourselves have what we’d craved for so long. At the first brush of our tongues, a moan escaped me as I deepened the kiss, and she melted a little more into me. Her hands slid up my chest and wound around my neck, pulling me closer to her. Within seconds, our slow seductive kiss turned to one that consumed me, a fire burning, the flames of desire almost too much to bear.

This was a kiss that changed your life. It had already changed mine. There was no going back from this. I’d kissed plenty of girls, but I had never experienced a kiss like this. Never. Not even remotely close. The need, the hunger, the craving, the adoration—it was only for Demi.

19

Demi

Iwas ruined. Forever ruined.

There was no way this kiss could ever be topped. It would be impossible to feel this way with someone other than Cannon. I was sure of it.

Dramatic? Exaggerated? I didn’t know, but in this moment, everything felt heightened. The feel of his arm around my waist. The way his hand pressed against the small of my back, pulling me closer to him. The feel of my hands wrapped around his neck, in his hair, the strands soft against my fingers. The way his hand cupped the back of my neck, cradling it so tenderly, in stark contrast to what his mouth was doing to mine. His lips moved fervently, as if he could no longer deny himself what he’d longed for. The intensity of our kiss was something I’d never experienced as we both fulfilled needs we’d so desperately tried to ignore.

He wrenched back from me, like it had taken every ounce of effort to break our kiss. His breath came out in heavy pants, his eyes glazed over. Seeing the effect our kiss had on him sent a warmth through my body, maybe pride, maybe happiness, probably both.

“I should probably regret kissing you,” he said, his voice rough. “But I don’t. That was the best damned kiss of my life.”

I didn’t think I could melt into him anymore than I already had, but I relaxed a little more. “Mine too,” I said, still breathless.

“Well, obviously,” he said with a smirk.

I smacked him on the chest and rolled my eyes, but as much as I tried not to smile, I couldn’t help myself. “Way to ruin the moment.”

“I think you like it when I say things like that,” he teased. It was annoying that he knew I liked his cocky, flirty side so much. He wrapped me tighter in the blanket before dipping down, smiling as he picked me up, knowing he was right.

He carried me, wrapped in the blanket and cradled against his chest, keeping me warm as he turned and started walking back down the dock toward the house.

“Now what?” I asked, not sure where our mind-blowing kiss would leave us.

“Now we eat,” he said simply, like we hadn’t just made out on the dock.

Maybe it was just me who was stressing about what the kiss had meant. But me being the only one stressing about it stressed me out even more.

“No stressing,” he said, and for a moment I worried I had said something out loud. “It’s all over your face,” he explained.

He opened the sliding glass door, all while still holding me. Once we were inside, he set me down.

“I’m not stressing,” I lied. “I’m just curious about where we stand now after, you know…” I gestured toward the dock, not able to say the words out loud.

“One, you’re a terrible liar,” he grinned. “And two, what we did out there is called kissing. Really fantastic kissing. Kissing I’m already wanting to do again with you.”

Hope and heat swirled in my belly.

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