Page 117 of Can't Get Over You
“Absolutely not. I’ve never been so…” She tilted her head in contemplation. “You know, I was going to say happy. But that’s not what this feels like.”
He couldn’t resist pressing a kiss on her cheek. It held the faint scent of her gardenia bath salts. “What’s it feel like?”
“Contentment.” She sighed, leaning against him. “A couple of years ago, I took a perfume-making class. Ava won it in a school auction, and she took a few of us with her. Up until that moment, I’d only ever wanted to be a teacher. But in that room, with the beakers and droppers and essential oils, this weird sensation came over me. I don’t know how to explain it, but it was like it all clicked into place, and I thought,This is me.”
“Is that how you got into essential oils?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“And you gave it up because Matt didn’t think it was the best use of your time?”
She tucked her head into his chest. “Okay, we’ve already determined I was a butthead.” She smiled. “But honestly, it was more than that. It was the fact that I trusted my vision board more than my own heart.”
“Not anymore. Now, you get to make new choices.” He poured their champagne and raised his flute for a toast. “To fresh starts.” He pressed a kiss to her mouth. “I can’t believe I get to be with you.”
“It’s wild, isn’t it? How we found our way back to each other?” She tried to climb onto his lap, but the fabric trapped her legs. She flopped back down. “If I weren’t wearing this dress, I’d be riding you right now.”
He hauled her onto his lap sideways. “You can ride me later, but for now, we’re going back to high school. To the night that changed everything. Back then, I didn’t think I was good for you, but now, I know I’m only as good as I want to be.” He tipped his forehead to hers.
“But you’ll still be bad, right?” She scraped her nails across his scalp. “Every now and then?”
This fucking woman. Clamping his hand on the back of her head, he slammed their mouths together. His heart thundered, and his cock went as hard as a pole. She wriggled on his lap, like she wanted him to break through the barrier of their clothing and fuck her.
Hunger consumed him, drove him. As he kissed her, he tried to reach into the top of her dress, but it was too tight. Finding the zipper, he pulled the tab down enough to give him access to her tits. He got a handful of warm, plump flesh, and she arched her back, moaning.
“Okay. We’ve got to stop.” He zipped her back up. “I’m going to rip your dress apart if we don’t.” Lifting her, he plunked herdown on the seat next to him and closed his eyes to try to regain control over his raging body. Clothing rustled, the seat belt latched, and he gulped in air to calm himself down. “It’s supposed to be a romantic night.”
“Trust me. It is.” She patted his thigh. “You’re nailing it.”
I want to nail you.“I’m trying to make you feel special. Not maul you.”
“You make me feel like the sexiest woman in the world. And you know what? It doesn’t matter what we’re doing. I don’t need anything but time with you.”
He smiled at her as the pieces fell into place. “Quality time.”
“What?”
“Your love language. I’m thinking it’s quality time, acts of service?—”
“And words of affirmation. How did you know about that?”
“Ava. I asked her what to get you for Christmas, and she said I had to figure that out on my own. I have to learn how you receive love.”
“So you looked uplove languages?” Again, she unlatched her belt and tried to get on his lap. “Screw the dress. I’m going to rip it open at the seams.”
He laughed and set her back down. “Hold that thought. We’re here.” The limo pulled into the school parking lot.
She was fiddling with her seat belt, so she didn’t look out the window. “You know what’s funny? Here we are trying to reenact high school, but this”—she wagged a finger between them—“doesn’t feel like it did in high school. I’m not a girl crushing on a boy I can’t have. I’m a woman getting to know a man and discovering we’re so much better than I ever imagined we could be together.”
As they neared the back entrance, he grew anxious. She was expecting a romantic dinner with candles and wine. Instead, he’d set up a date in a gymnasium that stunk of sweat.
This is stupid.
It wasn’t too late to change things up.
“Hang on a sec. Just want to check on something.” He pulled out his phone.
Jude: May-day May-day. Bailing out. What’s a nice restaurant I can take her to instead?
