Page 38 of When We Were Younger

"Stephen," I moan against his mouth as his hand travels up my belly to the underside of my breast.

"Hmmm," he groans, his mouth vibrating against mine as he slides his tongue past my lips.

"I want you," I whimper as he shifts, pushing me back and leaning over to kiss me harder while his hand continues to roam under my shirt.

"I'm right here, sweetheart," he murmurs against my lips.

"No," I say, grabbing his cheeks and pulling his face from mine. I slide my hands up and dig my fingers into his hair. His chest heaves as he hovers over me, and I can feel him pressing into my thigh. "Iwantyou. All of you. Please."

I watch as realization dawns on him. His eyes widen, his cheeks flush. He swallows, hard.

"Are you sure?" he whispers, so quietly I don't even know if he knows he's asked the question. His eyes dart back and forth between mine. I can practically hear his heart racing in his chest. I pull him back to me and brush my lips against his.

"I'm sure," I say, then reach for my purse where I'vehad a strip of condoms hidden in the back zip compartment for three weeks.

"Sweetheart," he says, taking the condoms from me and setting them aside. He kisses me, my lips, my nose, then my eyelids. "I love you, Dorothea."

"I love you, too."

The evening fades into night and for the first time, Stephen and I become one, kissing and touching and chanting those three words over and over under the full May moon.

20

STEPHEN

A handful of minutes and one drive down McKenna Mountain and through town later, I kill the headlights on my truck before turning down my parent's street. I park on the road two houses down and snag the bag I packed from the backseat before hopping out and opening the passenger side door for her.

"Stephen," she starts, but I hold a finger up to my lips and she stops herself. She snaps her lips together, but it doesn't stop the smile from sneaking across her face as I take her hand and start to bolt across my parent's yard. We round the house on quick feet, zipping across the backyard to the tree line. I don't know the last time I crossed this path, but muscle memory serves me well as I remember exactly when to duck under branches and hold brush out of Dorothea's way as she follows behind me. We hit the clearing, right into the open field. Even though it's December, someheartier wildflowers that survive through the rough season linger, accented by witch-hazel shrubs that bloom in the winter. She gasps, dropping my hand and bringing both of hers up to cover her mouth.

"Oh my god," she gasps, "It's exactly how I remember it."

Nostalgia burns hot and wild in my chest as I watch her take a few steps, turning in circles as she stares out at our simple field like it's the eighth wonder of the world. I busy myself with the bag, pulling out blankets and laying them on the ground. She turns back to me, and in the light of the moon, I can see her eyes brimming with tears.

"Sweetheart," I start, unsure if she's upset or just overcome with emotion. Maybe bringing her here tonight wasn't the right thing to do, but it's something I've dreamt about for so long. My thoughts are cut off when she leaps into my arms. I stagger back, caught off guard, but I get my footing and grab her just as she wraps her legs around my waist. Her lips crash into mine, and this time there is no hesitation, no fumbling, no wondering.

She kisses me breathless, robbing my lungs of air as she devours my lips. She nips and sucks and sinks her hands into my hair and all the while, I'm just trying to catch up to her ferocity. Her tongue swipes at the seam of my lips and I groan lasciviously, opening up to her and allowing her to continue to take what she wants from me. I let her lead, stunned into submission at thefeel of her in my arms, her heat wrapped around me, her soft mewls as we kiss.

She pulls away first, gasping for air and pressing her forehead to mine. My body is coiled tight, my heart pounding in my chest. My arms begin to ache, not from the weight of her but because my limbs have started to loosen like melting butter. My head spins, and when I speak, my words practically slur out of my mouth like I'm three sheets to the wind on her kiss and her kiss alone.

"I thought maybe you'd want to look for Mercury with me."

She grins and nods her head as she unwinds her legs and drops to the blankets. She plops down and stretches her legs out, patting the spot next to her. I sit, then reach into my bag and yank out yet another blanket and drape it over our legs.

"C'mere, sweetheart," I say as I tug her to my side and lie back. She nuzzles into my chest and straddles her thigh across my legs. I'm painfully hard from her kiss, and the promise of her skin just inches from my cock sends another wave of lust down my spine.

"Can you even see Mercury tonight? I’m usually up to date on that kind of stuff," she says as she starts to run her fingertips up and down my chest.

"I have no idea. I just wanted an excuse to lay down with you," I smirk.

"Stephen, if you wanted an excuse to lay down with me, you should have said that your hands were cold, and I would have laid back and offered to let you putthem under my shirt to keep them warm," she snickers, dragging a nail down my sternum, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

I consider that for a moment.

"Any chance that option is still on the table?" I joke, but she leans up. She hovers over me, pinches my chin, and brings my eyes to hers.

"Stephen, baby, it's all on the table," she whispers, then drops her eyes to my lips.

Jesus fucking hell. My cock throbs in my pants, confined and tight even with the forgiving cotton joggers. She hitches her leg higher and brushes against the ridge of my erection, and any control I've been holding onto for the past nine years snaps.

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