Page 24 of Your Soul to Keep

In any case, I’d never been able to say no to him. I wasn’t about to start now.

After changing into sweats, we settled onto the couch to watch a movie. Before the opening credits finished rolling, he had me wrapped up under his arm and tucked snugly against his side.

It was some time later before my body relaxed, melting against his.

“Better,” he grunted, making me laugh and snuggle closer.

Halfway through, eyelids heavy, I half-turned toward him, laying my head on his shoulder and sliding my arm across his abdomen.

His sharp inhale blew away every thought of sleep.

I flattened my palm against his abs, ventured higher to explore his chest, then further still to stroke the side of his throat and finally cup the side of his beautiful face in my hand.

He nuzzled his cheek into my palm, my name a mere whisper of a breath. “Shae.”

Lifting my chin, I angled my face up to his and witnessed the darkening of his eyes as he stared back at me.

My eyelids grew heavy as my womb tightened with need.

The boy I knew and loved was there, right there, inside the man. I smiled as he dipped his head and brushed his mouth ever so gently over mine.

First love. Reckless and sweet. Pure. Unfiltered. The heartbreak so brutally unexpected.

Tears burned my eyes.

He drew back, his eyes searching mine. “Hi,” he whispered, throwing me back in time to our first kiss.

Gabe and I had been in the same homework club after school. It wasn’t a club in the traditional sense. If the teacher invited you, it meant you were in danger of failing. If you wanted half a hope of passing, you showed up.

It was supposed to be voluntary, but everyone knew it wasn’t.

Gabe was ahead of me by two years, so we didn’t share any classes, but I’d seen him in the halls. He was hard to miss.

Jet black hair, dancing eyes, tattered jeans, leather jacket, and an energy about him that rivaled the sun.

With my dad being sick, I’d taken on most of the household chores as well as keeping an eye on him until one or both of my grandparents came. In combination with school and my part-time job, I was falling behind.

On my first day in homework club, I walked in with my head bowed and headed straight for the back of the room. I plopped my bag down on the floor and dropped my books on the desk. Only when I sat down did I look up to see who my seatmate was.

And looked into the bluest eyes I’d ever seen.

“Hi,” I whispered. Then, realizing who I was talking to, I blushed furiously.

Three weeks later, he bounded up onto my front porch where I waited for him to pick me up for our first date, took my face in his hands, and gently pressed his mouth to mine.

My first kiss.

I froze, staring up at him, willing him to do it again.

He grinned, then whispered, “Hi.”

Back in the present, those same blue eyes stared into mine. Older and wiser, smile lines fanning out from the sides, but the same in every way that mattered.

“I missed you,” I whispered back.

His eyes closed; his expression pained. “God,” he cupped his hand around the back of my head and pressed his forehead roughly to mine, “Me, too.”

“Gabe?”

---