Page 66 of Easton

“Tell me to put you down,” Easton says gruffly as he carries me up the stairs. “Here’s your chance, Claire.”

Is he kidding?

I’ve been waiting for this forever.

So I say nothing. I just hold onto him, my free hand rubbing his smooth, bare chest, and then reaching up to touch his face.

It’s like I can’t get enough of him.

I’ve wanted to touch him like this for so damn long.

Outside his bedroom, he stops and looks down at me. “Are you sure you want to do this? One last chance. ’Cause when we go in there, we’re not coming out for a good long while.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” I reply.

“Good,” he says as he kicks open the door with his bare foot.

And then I’m on the bed, Easton hovering over me. “Hey, I love you,” he tells me.

I’m floored. “What?”

I wasn’t expecting him to say that, though it does fill my heart with joy.

But does he love me?

Like,reallylove me?

With his hand on my cheek, caressing ever so softly, he says, “Yes, I love you, Claire.” He goes on, pouring out his heart. “I don’t mean just as a friend, though I love you in that way too. I always have, since we were kids. But I’minlove with you aswell.”

“Easton.” Tears well in my eyes, and as they start to fall, he wipes them away. “I love you too,” I tell him. “In all the same ways. I’m in love with you so much that there are days when keeping it to myself actually hurts.”

Chuckling, he says, “We’ve been fools, haven’t we? Feeling the same way about each other but afraid to say it out loud.”

“I didn’t want to lose you as my friend,” I confess, my tears subsiding. “Having at least part of your heart was better than having nothing at all.”

“Claire…” His eyes hold mine. “You haveallof my heart. And you always will.”

“You have mine too,” I share.

And then I let out a small laugh.

“What?” he asks.

“I guess little Lydia was right all along.”

“She was,” he agrees, leaning down to kiss me.

As our kiss intensifies, our tongues entwining and our breathing picking up, I murmur between kisses, “God, I want you.”

Pulling back slightly, he says, “Fuck. I want you, too, Claire. I have for what feels like forever.”

“Seriously.” I laugh. “I know the feeling.”

I’m so anxious and excited, but we still have some clothes on.

Ugh.

Time to remedy that.

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