Page 32 of Forever & Always You
As predicted, I stare at the ceiling in the dark, wide awake.
And I last all of five minutes.
Five minutes, and I’m climbing back out of bed and creeping over to the door.
It’s been fifteen minutes since we said goodnight in the hall, so it’s pretty much fifty-fifty whether or not Austin falls asleep that quick. I’m willing to risk it.
As I work my way down the hall, my heart thrashes erratically in my chest and by the time I reach Austin’s door, my breaths are shallow. I have no idea why the urge to see him is so strong that I’m about to barge into his room, but I can’t suppress it no matter how hard I try. Something is pulling me to him, that magnetic force again.
Gently, I knock my knuckles against the door as I crack it open an inch. “Austin?”
His voice finds its way back to me in the dark. “Gabby?”
The nerves skyrocket. I push open the door fully now and step into the room, my eyes adjusting to the darkness just as Austin flicks on the light on the side table. A warm glow casts itself over the room and Austin sits up in bed. I didn’t come into his bedroom earlier when I was getting the grand tour of the house, but I’m not all that surprised to find it’s near identical to the guest room, except maybe his bed is a California king. As I stare back at him, I twist my hands together in front of me.
“I lied,” I say. “Iamone of those night owls who stays up till three.”
“Of course you are,” Austin says, his knowing smile making it clear he knew I was lying all along. He runs his hand down the back of his neck, his hair tousled from trying to sleep. “What would you like me to do about that, Gabby?”
The suggestive tone woven through his question sends me all the way to hell and the inviting shine in his blue eyes drags meall the way back. Coming to his room was a terrible idea, because now I can’t breathe at all.
“Talk to me.”
Austin pushes back his sheets, sitting on the edge of his bed, eyes fastened on mine. He’s only wearing a pair of black boxers that fits perfectly around his hips. “Talk to you about what?”
“About the way you used to feel,” I whisper.
Time stands still. I’m frozen to the spot by the door as Austin doesn’t so much as flinch, his gaze remaining perfectly steady. The bedside light casts a shadow over his face, making his features indistinguishable.
He stands up from the bed, and I don’t even attempt to hide the way my eyes rake up and down his body. Austin’s built like a track athlete—slim but toned, with legs that are defined with more muscles than I even knew existed. The hair on his chest is trimmed short and I follow the trail of fine hair down his stomach all the way to the waistband of his boxers. I swallow hard.
“At eight years old, I wanted to be your friend,” Austin says, low voice breaking through the silence as he takes several cautious steps toward me until there’s no space left between us at all.
“At ten, I realized your laugh made me happy.”
He nudges his body into mine, pushing me back against the wall.
“At twelve, I wanted to kiss you.”
Both his hands find mine and he threads our fingers together.
“At fourteen, I was in love with you.”
He presses our joined hands against the wall either side of my head, trapping me in place.
“At sixteen, I wanted to feel you.”
He draws in close, his breath hot against the corner of my mouth.
“At eighteen, I hated you.”
“And at twenty-four?” I whisper.
Austin’s eyes trail over my lips before fixing me with a look so threateningly gorgeous, the entire world stands still. “All of the above, all at once.”
Hungrily, his mouth captures mine and our hands tighten together as he presses them harder into the wall. I push my body into his chest, desperate to bring us even closer, only now realizing this is exactly what my mind has been crying out for all day. I force the kiss deeper before teasingly breaking it to take his lower lip between my teeth.
Austin groans, releasing his firm grip on my hands so he can slide his own into my hair instead. The kiss is fast and chaotic and almost too perfect. I take his jaw in my hands and with all of my strength, guide him backward. He sinks down on the end of the bed, pulling me down with him without ever tearing his lips from mine. I settle onto his lap, straddling his hips.
