Page 81 of Dissent

She never turned back, just waved her hand in the air as she shouted, “You’ll see.”

I stared after her for a minute, tempted to just hike down after her. What the hell was I supposed to do by myself in the freaking woods? Last time I did that, I had a mountain lion almost eat me alive.Notmy idea of a good time. I groaned as I turned around, glancing at the top of the trail and then back down behind me. Edith was no longer in sight. Chewing on my thumb nail, a silent battle warred within me. Why did she drag me up here? Curiosity won out. With a resigned sigh, I began hiking the few remaining yards to the top.

Reaching it, I looked around and a gorgeous vista greeted my eyes. The sun was warm and slowly creeping down toward the horizon, but there were still several hours left before sunset. The golden rays bathed the valley in light, and the hues of red, orange, and pink painted the sky. It was breathtaking.

As my brain finished taking in the scenery, I noticed something in front of me. A blanket was stretched out on the ground with a bag sitting neatly in the middle, bulging with things I couldn’t see yet. Now I was confused. What was Edith planning?

“You finally made it.”

I jumped out of my skin, hand flying to my chest to safeguard my heart which had skipped several beats as I twirled around to face the voice. Deep brown eyes met mine. Eyes I felt I could lose myself in forever, happy for eternity.

A chuckle escaped Matias’s lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Oh my god… It’s okay, I just didn’t know anyone else was up here.”

He laughed again before a playful smirk took over, and he stepped closer until he was right there, inches from me. Like a switch being turned on, I felt tingling sensations all around.

“Well, that was the whole idea.” His hand landed on my hip and then slid around to the small of my back. Everywhere he touched, my skin burned in suspense as my heart fluttered wildly like a caged bird.

I blinked, trying hard to regain control of myself. “Consider it a success, then.”

He drew me in, pulling me until my soft curves were met by the firm lines of his. I couldn’t think—my brain absolutely numb—as my body gained a mind of its own, practically vibrating under Matias’s heady gaze. His nose gently brushed the tip of my own as his breath tickled my skin. His free hand came up to my cheek, the back of his fingers gliding along my jawline in a gentle caress. The seismic intensity I felt had me ready to collapse. My heart was a melted puddle of nothingness while my knees trembled underneath me.

I tried to form words, making pitiful sounds in an attempt to speak, but Matias gently shushed me. And before I could process anything else, his lips came down to meet mine, and I felt my whole body explode.

41: Electrified

Everynerveinsideofme was electrified, and the feeling of want, ofneed, created a desperation that I felt I would never escape. My hand traveled up his body, from his abs to his chest, resting where I could feel the beat of his heart. His hand on my back pulled me closer, his body molded against mine, while his other hand glided toward the nape of my neck, nestling into the locks of my hair. His lips searched me. They traveled from my mouth, to my jaw, to the sensitive place behind my ear before skimming back to find my lips once more.

I gave in to him. I let him take everything. Everything he wanted, he could have. I just didn’t want him to stop. My fingers pulled on his shirt, twisting the fabric, drawing him closer to me. He groaned then, deep in his throat. Before I knew what was happening, I was off my feet, being carried in the air, his lips never leaving mine. And then, I was on my back, my hair falling around me with the weight of Matias’s body pinning me to the ground in the most delicious way. His one arm partially supported his weight while the other glided down my shoulder, over the swell of my chest, down the side of my rib cage, and then rested on my hip as the fingers curled under my bottom, pulling me up against him. The action caused me to gasp as my nerves danced, electrified by the sensations.

I didn’t know what was happening anymore. The entire experience was new to me, and I was losing myself. I was losing all self-control as something way more primal, way more desperate, was rising within me.

As if in response, my body had a will of its own, and I arched my back involuntarily against him. My head tipped back, giving easier access to the lips that were exploring my body and traveling down the length of my neck to my collarbone.

“I missed you,” he breathed out in between kisses.

I couldn’t even form words. When I tried to respond to him, a moan escaped me instead. He laughed, deep andthick. He gave me a few more kisses, but his movements slowed, the desperation easing. With one last kiss on my lips, he bumped his nose against mine and rolled off me.

Immediately, I was missing the warmth of him against me. And I found myself a little more than annoyed at the sudden stop of it. “Hey, come back here,” I said as I pulled myself onto my elbows.

His face lit up with a smile as he shook his head. “As much as I could do that all day, I want to show you something else.”

I tried to look excited, but I was disappointed. I doubted there was anything else he could show me that would top what we were just doing. But I gave in, bringing myself up into a sitting position. We were on the blanket. I was so lost in theplease-give-me-moreexperience that it never even registered he had carried us over to it.

“Okay, what is it?” He waggled his eyebrows at me, and I burst out into laughter. He had never done that to me before, and he looked absolutely ridiculous doing it. “Very sexy of you.”

Then he laughed as he turned his attention to the bag next to him, rummaging through it, and pulling out a small box. “This is for you. Happy birthday.”

“How did you know? Is there a freaking birthday board posted somewhere that I don’t know about?” I took the box from him.

He tipped his head, arching a brow with a smirk. “Birthday board?No.”

“Then how did you know?”

He chuckled. “How do you think?”

“Edith?”

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