Page 2 of Make Your Move

The smell of roses invades my senses as she spins to face me. Her floral skirt shifts around her legs, resting just above her knees. “The moon is the closest celestial body to Earth.”

“Well, that makes sense,” I say, my eyes drifting across her face, trailing over her plump lips and back to her eyes. “The moon is locked into the earth’s orbit.”

Nova rolls her lips between her teeth, biting back a smile as she glances back out the window again. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

The light shines down upon her face, illuminating her hair as it creates a halo appearance around the top of her head. “It is,” I admit as her gaze collides with mine again. I’m lost in her crystal blue eyes as she’s talking about the moon, but I’m talking about her.

“Have you ever wished on a star?”

Only for you.

“Doesn’t everyone?” I question her as I exhale a short, soft breath through my nostrils. “Wishes don’t come true, Nova. A wish is just a hope or a desire. The stars don’t have the power to make those come true.”

Nova stares back at me, her gaze never wavering and her smile never falling. “Maybe not. Or maybe you’re just wishing upon the wrong thing.”

My eyebrows pull together. “What do you mean?”

“Shooting stars are just streaks of light from burning dust. They disappear as quickly as they appear.” She pauses as her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “They’re fleeting and unpredictable, but the moon isn’t. The moon reappears each night as it moves through its cycle of rebirth.”

Her words, although they’re riddle-like, still settle within the fibers of my brain. “Wish upon a full moon.”

Nova’s smile grows wider, her bright white teeth shining behind her lips, and she nods. “Yes, exactly. A full moon is filled with energy we can’t see. If it has the power to shift the tides, who’s to say it doesn’t have the power to carry our wishes too?” Her eyes soften. “Go ahead, make a wish.”

A ragged breath escapes me. I look out the window at the moon, inhaling deeply as I look back to Nova. “I wish I could kiss you.”

Her eyes widen slightly, her lips parting as a soft breath escapes her. “You weren’t supposed to tell me, Lincoln.”

“Does it work the same as it does with shooting stars?”

Nova shakes her head as she takes a step closer to me, entering my space. My heart crawls into my throat as I tip my head down to look at her. “No, I don’t think it does.”

Lifting my hand, my fingers brush the side of her face as I push a soft curl away, tucking it behind her ear. Nova’s eyes search mine as she inhales sharply. The tips of my fingers drift along her jaw, stopping just beneath her chin. I tilt her head back, my face dipping down to hers. “I’ve dreamed of doing this for so long.”

Any logical thought is out the window, drifting up into space with the stars and the moon.

“It took you long enough,” Nova breathes as my lips brush hers. She tastes faintly like cranberry juice and vodka. Her lips are soft and tender, moving with mine as I kiss her slowly. I savor the taste of her, the way she feels, letting the memory carve itself into my mind.

I lift my other hand and cup both sides of her face as I kiss her deeper, stealing the air from her lungs. Nova doesn’t hesitate, and her hands fist the sides of my shirt as she holds onto me. My tongue sweeps along the seam of her mouth, and she gently parts her lips, letting me invade her. I breathe her in, needing her more than I need oxygen.

After dreaming of this moment for so long, it doesn’t come close to touching the real experience. Nova lets out the softest moan as she presses her body flush against mine. I swallow the sound, storing it in my brain for another time. She tastes like a bad decision cloaked in stardust. I kiss her deeper, knowing this is my one chance to memorize the way she feels melting into me.

We stand beneath the light of the moon, kissing each other until our lungs are screaming for oxygen. I’m the one who breaks the moment, tearing my mouth from hers as we’re both breathless. Nova opens her eyes, and she stares back at me. Her perfect lips are parted as she inhales a shallow breath. “Do you have to leave tomorrow?”

I swallow roughly, instantly wishing I didn’t. She feels like sand slipping through the crevices between my fingers. “Yes.”

A sad smile lifts the corners of her lips, and she releases her hold on my shirt. My hands fall away from her face, and I immediately feel her absence as she takes a step away from me. “You’re going to do great things, Lincoln Matthews. I can feel it.” She lifts her hand to cup the side of my face, her eyes shimmering beneath the moonlight. “I hope one day I’ll see you again, but until then, I’ll think of you whenever I look up at the moon.”

Her arm brushes against mine as she walks past me and lets herself out of the room. I resist the burning urge inside to reach out to her, to follow after her. I know I can’t. We were never meant to be anything more than this fleeting moment.

Nova Simmons had always been my wish upon a star.

And that’s why she would never be mine.

CHAPTER ONE

LINCOLN

Inever imagined I would be back here again.

---