Page 34 of The Forbidden Summer
“I don’t know what to do with this,” he says against my lips, his breath warm and a little shaky.
“Me neither,” I whisper, my heart hammering in my chest. “But I’m not running.”
He leans his forehead against mine, his breath steady now. “You don’t have to.”
And for the first time, I feel like I don’t have to either.
Feeling bold, and horny, I throw off the blanket and climb into Père’s lap. He’s as hard as I am, likely from morning wood, but maybe from our kiss. I bring my lips just inches from his, close enough to feel his warm breath puff across them.
A palpable electric charge sparks between us, and time seems to stand still. I can hear the soft sound of his stomach rumbling, feel the subtle shift of his body beneath me, like he’s waiting for me to close the gap, to give in.
But I don’t. I hold steady.
Père’s eyes flicker open again, and he looks at me like he’s trying to read something in my face, something I haven’t figured out yet myself. His breath comes faster now, the tension thick and delicious, like we’re balancing on the edge of something huge.
“Van,” he murmurs, his voice so raw and intimate, like my name is the only thing he knows how to say. “Don’t.”
I pause, feeling that all-too-familiar knot tighten in my chest. “Don’t what?”
He swallows, like the words are harder to spit out than he expected. “Don’t make me… do this alone.”
And there it is. The opening. The invitation. Not just to kiss him, but tobewith him. To stand in the middle of all these messy, terrifying feelings andchooseeach other.
I close the gap between us, finally, lips brushing his, slow and tentative at first. But the second I feel his breath against me, I pull him closer, my hand coming to the back of his neck, deepening the kiss until there’s nothing between us but heat, nothingbut the fire I thought had already burned out, but somehow still smolders in every touch.
When I pull back, just enough to breathe, I rest my forehead against his, my fingers tracing the line of his scruffy jaw. “You’re not alone,” I whisper, my heart pounding. “Not anymore.”
His eyes stay closed for a beat longer, like he’s savoring the moment before he meets my gaze again. And when he does, I see something in his eyes that makes the breath catch in my chest.
Something that says,We’re in this together now.
I move my hips, pushing my dick against his belly. I can feel his under my ass, thick and hard, like I’m sitting on my axe handle.
I keep waiting for him to tell me to stop.
His breath comes shallow, the warmth of his skin burning into mine, and still, I can’t let go of that fear. The fear that maybe this is too much, too quick, too intense. That maybe he’ll push me away, tell me to pull back, tostop.
But it doesn’t come.
He doesn’t push me away. He doesn’t freeze.
Instead, his fingers tighten in my hair, pulling me closer, and I feel the moment he gives in completely, like he’s leaning in just as much as I am. Maybe more.
I kiss him deeper, my lips tracing the curve of his mouth like I’m memorizing the way he tastes, the way he feels under my hands. The quiet hum of the cabin is the only sound in the world, save for the soft rush of breath between us.
His chest rises and falls against mine, but he doesn’t stop me. He lets me move, lets me hold him close like he’s finallymineto take, to touch, to keep.
I pull back just enough to rest my forehead against his, myhand still tangled in his hair. We’re both breathing too fast, our hearts in sync.
“Are you sure?” I murmur, even though I already know the answer. Even though I don’t want to push him for more, not now.
He looks at me, and there’s something in his eyes that makes me melt, something that tells me he’s as terrified as I am, but he’shere, with me.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he says, his voice hoarse but strong.
And then he kisses me again. Gently. Like we’re finally finding a rhythm, an understanding, between everything we’ve been too afraid to say.
And I don’t think about stopping. I don’t think about anything butthis—the steady beat of our hearts, the way he fits into my arms like he was always meant to.
