Page 25 of Summer Redemption

“I told you,” he responds and winks. “I’m also planning to follow you home like a puppy. We can hang out at your place and watch a movie or something.”

The thought of being alone with him, near my bed, has my nipples hardening and my pussy tingling. We haven’t done more than kiss and allow our hands to roam over our clothing, but I can’t deny how much I want this man.

It’s bordering on desperation.

I haven’t been with anyone in a long time, and no one has turned me on like Huxley does. I want to know what it feels like to have his hands all over my body. I want to know what it would be like to feel his five o’clock shadow against my skin.

“A movie?” I sound skeptical as hell, but my tone doesn’t deter Huxley.

He looks so serious as he nods slowly and echoes, “A movie.”

I don’t believe him for a moment.

But I still bite my lip and nod. “Okay.” I look over at where his truck is parked and then back to my own. “You want to follow me?”

“With my tongue lolling out while I drool and everything,” he teases.

I giggle at his ridiculousness as I start to head around to the driver’s side of my truck. He doesn’t let me pass him by though. His arm shoots out and curls around my waist as he hauls me against him. I let out a very unattractive oof when I hit the hard planes of his chest.

His dark eyes are practically glowing as he growls, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

I look down as if my clothing holds the answer and grip the straps of my bag tighter. “I don’t think so?”

Then he’s kissing me. And I’m lost in the way it feels to be pressed up against this man as he devours me. Everything fades away, my world shrinking down to only him and the promises in his kiss, the ones he hasn’t voiced.

Yet.

When he pulls back, I wobble on my feet. Huxley smirks, but he doesn’t let go until I’m stable. His hands are large and warm as he grips my shoulders and turns me toward my truck. Before I can take a step, he slaps my ass, and I let out a yelp of surprise.

He’s not sorry, that’s clear with one look at his face. All I can do is roll my eyes.

I’m in a daze the entire time we head to my place. It’s only when he opens my door and helps me out that I snap out of it. I swear this man weaves magic with his lips and makes mewonder what kind of spell he could put me under without clothes on.

While we walk past my parent’s house, my head is on a swivel and Huxley barely stops himself from laughing. I’m sure I look ridiculous considering I’m practically tiptoeing as if it would make a difference.

My parents have been a little wary about my relationship with Huxley because of the rumors about him around town. It has nothing to do with how he treated me back in school since they have no idea what happened. I could fight my own battles then, even though I chose not to, and I still can.

They like Huxley, along with his whole family, but they don’t want me to get hurt. I get it; I’m not too keen on having my heart stomped all over either. But they have to trust me and, maybe, trust him too just like I’m learning to do.

“I’m a little jealous,” he admits as I unlock my door, and he follows me inside my very small apartment.

I’m sure I look as surprised as I feel from his words. “Jealous about what?”

Huxley waves his hand around to encompass my apartment. “This,” he admits. “I’ve never lived anywhere other than the house I grew up in. I’ve never lived on my own. Not only are you doing it now, but you went off to college and had a whole experience I skipped entirely.”

“You say that like what you have isn’t special,” I point out as I sit down next to where he’s sprawled out on my loveseat. He’s manspreading which is so a him thing to do. I’m not sure if he does it because he doesn’t realize how much space he’s taking up or because he wants to be as close to me as possible.

I guess either works for me considering I don’t tell him to tighten it up.

“I’m not trying to sound ungrateful. I know there are a lot of people who have far less than I do.” He sighs and wraps an arm around my shoulders to pull me closer into his side. “It’s just that there have been times when I’ve felt stepped over. A lot of our classmates went off to college, some of them never came back. I don’t think I missed out because I made the choice to focus on Limitless with my eyes wide open, but sometimes I wonder if I missed out on something.”

“Did you want to leave and take a different path?”

His dark eyes hold a sadness in them that he doesn’t show anyone other than me. “I don’t know,” he admits softly as if he’s afraid of saying it any louder will splinter the peace he’s found with his life.

“Your life isn’t over, Hux,” I press him softly. “If you wanted to leave Wintervale, you still could. You could go to school too and it wouldn’t require you to leave. You could take online classes if you want. You can do whatever you want.”

I swear his eyes turn glassy before he blinks and it’s gone.

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