Page 68 of With Every Breath

My brows rose as I cocked my head to the side, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“A word when you just need to kind of not talk about what’s going on and take a walk or whatever.”

I chuckled. “I think maybe I need to deal better. You don’t exactly crowd me to begin with.” My heart kept beating, and the warmth of her palm above it comforted me.

Alice took one step closer, leaning up to press a kiss in the divot at the base of my throat. The heat of that touch rippled, sending sparks leaping across the surface of my skin.

I released her other hand, lifting mine to cup her cheeks as I bent low and brought my mouth to hers. She made this little sound at the back of her throat. It was subtle, but it snapped through my awareness, sizzling through my system. Her mouth opened on a whimper, and her tongue darted out to tease against mine.

I forgot where we were and spun her, pressing her back to the wall. My hands flattened against it as we kissed, the intensity of it too much as if she was a live wire. I needed to contain myself, to ground myself with the touch of the cool wall against my palms.

Our kiss deepened, and I pressed closer, feeling the sharp peaks of her nipples against my chest. I was hard, my arousal swollen and achy as I rocked into the cradle of her hips, the heat of her right there.

A sound broke through my awareness, and I abruptly remembered where we were—in the hallway at the grocery store with two public restrooms beside us. I lifted my head, stepping back just as someone came around the corner in the hallway. A woman walked swiftly past us. I glanced sideways to see her shaking her head and muttering something under her breath as she pushed through one of the doorways to the restrooms.

Alice giggled, dipping her head and tucking it into my shoulder. I slipped one arm around her waist and the other sliding through her hair as I held her close, laughing with her.

ChapterForty

Alice

That night, after we ate take-out pizza because we both abandoned our plans for grocery shopping, and after I fed Honey, the three of us walked together through the chilly darkness. With the stars bright and glittering in the crisp night and our breath misting in the air, Jonah’s fingers laced through mine, and he tugged me toward the dock.

“Let’s walk down here. Honey won’t jump in, will she?” he asked, his voice low and clear in the quiet surroundings.

“She’s decided the water’s too cold.”

“Smart girl.” He laughed softly.

Moments later, we were standing at the end of the dock. Honey sat down, alertly looking out over the water where the moonlight rippled on the surface. Her eyes tracked the sound of a raven calling somewhere along the lake's shoreline.

Jonah turned to face me, reaching for my other hand.

“What is it?” I peered up at him.

“I thought since this is where we met, or met for the second time,” he corrected, and I smiled. “This was the perfect place to tell you something.”

My heartbeat kicked faster, my belly flipping as anticipation fluttered through me.

“I never planned to fall in love with anyone, but I love you.”

Tears stung my eyes, and my throat felt thick. “I love you too,” I whispered.

On the heels of a breath, we were kissing. Honey circled our legs, her claws clicking on the wooden slats of the dock.

Back in the house later, Jonah mapped my body with his hands and lips. I held his eyes as he rose above me, my legs curling around his hips when he filled me with a deep thrust.

My climax broke over me in wave after wave as I cried his name, hearing mine in return when he shuddered above me. He held me close as we fell asleep.

Epilogue

Jonah

Six weeks later

“For once, you’re doing things on schedule,” Gram announced with her hands on her hips as she smiled up at me.

I chuckled. My heart felt so full my chest almost hurt. “We wanted you here for this,” I said sincerely.

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