Page 27 of Make Your Move

“For you or for me?”

Jesus Christ.

“Both.”

Nova tilts her head to the side as she lifts her hands to hold her bare arms. “I don’t accept that response, Lincoln. Try again.”

She’s relentless. I let out a heavy breath. “We were at two different points in our life. If I would have reached out, I would have tried to convince you to come to Orchid City with me, and that’s not fair to you.”

Her eyes widen, and the softest breath escapes her. “What?”

I nod, closing the distance between us as I move her hands from her arms and replace them with my own. Her skin is cold beneath my palms, and I stroke her flesh, trying to rub warmth back into her. “You were in college working on your degree. I may be selfish, but I’m not a fucking asshole. I would have never asked you to give up your dreams while I chased my own.”

“You would have asked me to come with you?” Her voice is barely audible as her eyes search mine. “I don’t understand.”

A soft chuckle escapes me, and I shake my head at her. “Because you live with your head in the sky, Nova.” Releasing her one arm, I lift my hand to the side of her face. “While you’vebeen counting stars and studying the phases of the moon, I’ve been studying you—only you.”

She’s silent as she stares up at me. I feel her hands as she lifts them to my sides. Her hands are warm through the thin material of my T-shirt as she holds onto me.

“I always tried to keep my distance out of respect for your brother, but you’ve always been the only person I see. In a crowded room or in an empty one, it’s always you, Nova. You’re a permanent fixture inside my mind.” I pause, letting out a breath as I trail my fingertips across her skin. “Relationships were never for me, and I knew I could never give you that, so I had to let the thought of you go.”

“That’s absurd, Lincoln,” she attempts to argue, her eyebrows pulling together. “You dated other people. If you felt anything toward me, I would have known.” She pauses, shaking her head. “I would have felt it.”

I tilt my head to the side as I look at her. “So, you didn’t feel it that night that I kissed you?”

She inhales sharply. “I don’t—I don’t know. We were just having a moment that night, it was nothing more.”

“Is that what you’ve been telling yourself all these years?”

Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Yes.”

“Nova, Nova, Nova,” I murmur, shaking my head as I dip my face closer to hers. “Let me remind you of how it felt. Let me show you how I feel—how I’ve always felt.”

Nova’s eyelids flutter shut. “Okay.”

My mouth meets hers, slow and soft. She tastes like lemon-lime with hints of tequila. Her lips are warm against mine as she kisses me back. I wrap my other arm around the small of her back. She lets out a breath as I abruptly pull her body against mine. My tongue slides along the seam of her mouth, and she parts her lips, letting me in. Our surroundings disappear, and I forget where we even are.

There’s a reverent need deep inside of me, but I push the feeling away. My cock twitches in my pants, and I ignore it. This isn’t about that. One day, I’ll have my way with her. Tonight is about something completely different.

This is about erasing the things she’s been telling herself for years. This is about showing her how I feel—that the kiss we shared that night wasn’t just a blip in the matrix. It was the one thing that ripped my rib cage open. It was the start…not the end.

Nova holds onto me, her lips moving against mine as our tongues tangle. I steal the air from her lungs, drinking her in as I hold her against my body. I could stay like this with her forever. I could kiss her until the end of time, and it still would never be enough time.

“Nova, are you out here?” Riley calls out, pulling us back to reality.

Shit.

Nova quickly pulls away, but she doesn’t let go of me. She tilts her head back, looking up at me as she struggles to catch her breath. Her chest rises and falls in rapid succession, and her lips look swollen from being kissed.

“Yeah, I’ll be right in!” she yells to her friend, her voice hoarse as it cracks around the last word. A pink tint creeps across her cheeks, and she flashes a demure smile at me. “I should probably go in before she comes looking for me.”

“Did you feel it, Nova?”

Her throat bobs, and she swallows as she nods. “I think I did.”

“Good,” I tell her as I rub my thumb across the side of her face. “I’ll be happy to remind you anytime you might need me to.”

She pulls her bottom lips between her teeth, biting back her grin. “I’d like that.”

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