Page 54 of Where the Darkness Goes

“What?” she asks, mouth full.

I close my eyes, pressing my finger to the space between my brows.What is wrong with me?

When I open my eyes, she turns away, walking back to her bathroom to spit out the toothpaste and rinse her mouth. I step farther into her room, watching in the mirror as she dries her lips. She didn’t shut the door, so I’m not breaking any rules here.

She turns back around, leaning against the bathroom counter. “Um, hi there. You look ready to pass out. You’re sweating. Are you okay?”

Without warning to either of us, I cross the room, both hands going to either side of her face as my lips crush hers. She’s stiff in my arms for two seconds, and I worry I’ve overstepped, but then, she’s mine.

I feel her melt against me with an exhale of breath. I claim her mouth with mine, scraping my teeth along her lips. A little whimper escapes her, and I lift her up, setting her on the counter and pressing myself between her legs, letting her feel what she does to me.

Her hands are in my hair, nails scratching my scalp as I drag kisses across her cheeks to that space behind her ear that drives her mad. I move along her collarbone and up her neck, kissing and licking every inch of her I can.

She pulls me back to her mouth, and it’s like I’m home. I never want to stop this. My hands find the buttons on her shirt, and I tear them open with reckless abandon, my entire body a pulsing flame. With her shirt open and only her black bra between us, I drop my mouth to her chest, pressing my lips into the space between her breasts. I nip at the tender skin there, and she rolls her pelvis forward, grinding against me. She’s practically lying down at this point as I tower over her.

“Please, Garrett,” she whispers, head tilted back, eyes closed.

I step back, stopping.

She blinks slowly, legs spread, shirt dropped off her shoulders, body on display for me and me only. Her chest rises and falls with heavy, erratic breaths as she studies me. “W-what…are you doing?”

I’m out of breath, too, as I say, “Does he make you feel like this?”

She puts a hand to her chest, trying to catch her breath. “What?” Her legs slowly slide together as she sits up straighter.

“Because if he made you feel…anounceof what I just made you feel, you should go for it. If not…what are we even doing?”With that, and against everything in me begging me to stay, to continue what we were just doing, I walk away from her.

It’s only the second hardest time I’ve had to do so.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

TESSA — AGE 17

We pull up in front of Mark Summers’s house—Garrett, Will, Cory, Britney, and I—when the party is already in full swing. It’s just past ten, and the house is packed with people. Mark’s house is on a dead-end road on the outskirts of town, so it’s the perfect place for a party when his parents go away for work.

I don’t remember what they do, now that I’m thinking of it, but it’s something in finance or entertainment. Most importantly, it requires them to be away often.

The house is a two-story, brick colonial with black shutters. Light streams out from six of the eight identical windows, which give glimpses into the packed party inside.

Will steps from the driver’s side of the car, scanning the house. “I’ve gotta go find Cassidy. Catch you guys in a bit.”

He jogs ahead, slipping in the front door before we reach the steps. Once there, we all split up. Britney zips across the living room and leaps onto the back of the guy she’s currently seeing, a senior named Evan that I don’t know all that well.

Cory finds a group of guys, who welcome him with loud shouting of his name and several of those weird handshake-hug things that boys our age seem to do.

Garrett takes my hand and leads me to the table to get drinks. He gestures to the variety of options. “Are you drinking tonight, or no?”

He knows I’m not big on alcohol, but I’ve had it a few times. Still, the party tonight feels too overwhelming for me to be comfortable with anything that amplifies that. “No, thanks. Just soda, please.”

“Yep. Sure.” He grabs a root beer—my favorite—without having to ask and cracks it open for me before opening a Dr. Pepper for himself.

“You can drink, though, if you want.”

“I know.” He nods. “I’m okay. Your brother and Cassidy seem to be getting along well.”

“It’s weird, right?” I agree, wrinkling my nose as we move away from the table. “I’ve never seen him date anyone for this long. I’m not sure I’ve ever really seen him date at all.”

“Well, I think they started hanging out around my birthday, so yeah, it may as well be a decade for him.”

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