Page 132 of Stolen Summer

I said nothing, only stared into his eyes, and the flecks of gold in them flared, edging with a fieriness that made my blood race.

“One.”

I didn’t move an inch.

“Two,” he murmured, his lips brushing the pulse point on the side of my neck, drawing out the pause between counts.

I shuddered at the contact of his lips on my skin.

“Three,” he whispered, pulling back to look at me.

“What are you waiting for?” I whispered, slipping my arms around his neck, tired of the suspense. I wanted his lips on mine before he even started counting.

He lowered his mouth, kissing me with a tenderness I was only beginning to expect from Crew. And I finally understood. The kiss was loving, but what I treasured about our relationship was our intense craving for each other. Sweet was nice, but I wanted hot and possessive.

Crew didn’t disappoint, deepening the kiss as he hauled me tighter against him, and my body tingled in every crevice. I didn’t think I’d ever been this happy. Elation floated within me, making me feel like the car flew underneath me.

“You stole my line,” I said, smiling against his mouth.

He eased back ever so slightly, his brows lifting questionably.

My fingers teased the hair at the nape of his neck, and our eyes connected, much like our hearts. “I love you, Crew,” I whispered. “I’m so fucking in love with you.”

I heard his swift inhale of breath. “Do you know what you’re doing, Killer?”

My eyes stayed on his. “Yes.”

His arms tightened around me. “There’s no going back. I won’t let you go.”

I smiled. “Promise?”

His voice dropped. “You’re mine. I won’t share you. Never again.” A shade of darkness moved into his eyes.

I pressed my lips to his in a quick kiss. “You won’t have to. It’s you, Crew. It’s always been you.”

“Tell me. I want to hear you say it. I need to hear it.”

“I’m in love with you, Crew. You. No one else.”

A wolfish grin appeared on his lips. “Say it again.”

A laugh broke free. “I love you, Crew.” The words were absolutely liberating. It was like I had this huge secret I’d been keeping for weeks, eating away at me.

His eyes closed for a moment as if he required a second to compose his emotions. “There’s no one else for me but you. I stole you for the summer, but you took my heart, and now I can’t live without you, Arie.”

I breathed him in. “Good, because I’ll kill any girl who tries to get between us.”

“My killer.”

Epilogue

SIX MONTHS LATER

Asettling calm blanketed the campus, the sun not yet crowning on the horizon but expected at this time of the morning. The birds started to rouse from their nests as Crew pulled me through the trees, my feet sluggishly dragging. “Why did you wake me up before the crack of dawn again?” I sleepily grumbled.

Our fingers laced, and his grip remained firm. “You’ll see. Besides, you were the one who woke me up.” A hint of a smile teased his lips.

I’d woken him up, and I didn’t regret it for a single second. How could I when my body still hummed with the aftereffects of making love? “I didn’t hear you complaining.”

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