Page 108 of The Charm of You

The students running this thing tonight must’ve bolted, and their chaperone probably got distracted from the panic. These people are acting like they’ve never been rained on, and tonight, it works to my advantage.

I round the corner, my hand still squeezing Caroline’s as she squeals. “What are we doing?”

The awning overhead relieves us of the rain’s trajectory, and I pause to wipe the drops from my eyes. Then with both hands on her hips, I hoist her onto the ledge of the open window, and I smirk. “We’re going to have some fun, Homecoming Queen.”

chapter

thirty-four

CAROLINE

I fumble for the light switch as Austin lands inside the concession stand with a soft thud.

The bulb overhead blinks until we’re clothed under a steady stream of light. Outside, the loud ticks of rain against the building slowly quiet as he rolls the tottering shade over the window. A click of the lock into place seals us away with privacy.

I sway toward him, my knees trembling.

His intense gaze sears into mine, which heats me up from the inside out, as does the fact that his wet button-up now clings to every chiseled, delicious muscle. Each dip and groove of Austin’s impressive torso is on display for my eyes only.

Droplets dangle from the ends of his damp hair.

His eyelashes bunch together around his wild eyes.

He licks his lip as he takes measured steps toward me, like he’s afraid of approaching me too quickly. It’s probably a good thing that he paces himself, because I need a second to compose myself too, if it’s even possible.

Electricity zips down my spine like I was struck by the lightning outside, and the pitter-patter of my heartbeat accelerates the longer I’m held captive under his hooded blue eyes.

A clap of thunder jolts us both. It’s followed by another burst, which practically shakes the ground. The reverberations skitter across the plains of my chest like debris in a storm.

Austin’s single stride closes the rest of the distance between us, his kiss as hungry as his hands. They roam up my hips and underneath my blazer, and I bury my fingers in his wet hair.

I jerk him flush against me. I need him closer than the clothes painted on my skin.

As I open my mouth for his tongue, I gasp for air, but I need him more than my next breath.

With each clash of our teeth, my heart races, and more and more heat floods my core like the puddles forming outside.

His heady pants are ragged as he hikes my dress over my hips, his movements feral like he can’t stand not being inside me already.

But he surprises me by pressing pause. He seals his forehead against mine, sliding it to the side until he rests on my temple, like he’s warring with himself. “When you jumped to the top of the pyramid,” he says.

“What?” I undo the buttons of his shirt with twitching hands.

“The other night, you asked me about the first time I knew I had a crush on you.”

I’ve just worked the third button loose when I freeze.

“It was my first football game here in Sapphire Creek when we were in high school.” The erratic sounds of his heavy breaths surpass the rattling of the shade over the window. “The other cheerleaders launched you into the air, and I remember my throat closing because I was scared for you. I’d never seen you before. I didn’t know your name or anything else about you. I just wanted you to land safely. There was something in your eyes. In your smile. The flush of your cheeks.”

Goose bumps flutter across my skin. I’m speechless. Austin never ceases to mesmerize me into a stupor with his vulnerable confessions.

“You were so innocent. So free and full of life.” He runs a hand through his hair, causing a mist of water to sprinkle over my blushing cheeks. “I stopped where I stood because I was so taken with you, and I kept walking only when your feet safely returned to the ground. It was the first time I’d ever felt that way around you, but it definitely wasn’t the last.”

The curse he hisses right before his mouth crashes onto mine slays me.

With the acute words of his truth swirling around me, I arch into him. Heat explodes from his touch as he grips my bare hips and yanks me back against him.

As he devours me, I clumsily finish unbuttoning his shirt, and I savor the warmth of his slick skin beneath my fingertips. Next, I make quick work of his belt and shove his pants down, along with his boxers.

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