Her Destiny (Reverie #2)(41)

I love his protective streak. It makes me feel cherished. “Then I’ll just stay here with you.” She tilts her head to the side, her cheek pressed to my bare shoulder before she turns her head and drops a kiss on my skin. She makes it sound so easy, but I know her brother would absolutely shit if she weren’t on that bus in the next hour. “I don’t want to leave tonight anyway. I’d rather stay here with you.”

I’d rather she stayed with me too but I need to respect her brother’s wishes. I don’t need that guy pissed at me. “We should at least try to go to the bus station and see what’s going on, don’t you think?”

She pulls away from me so we can look at each other fully. “Can’t we just call and check on the schedule? I really don’t want to go down there if I can’t leave tonight.”

“Good idea. I’ll call now.” I go into the web browser and look up the local bus station, pushing the link for the number so my phone makes the call. I let it ring for ten rings. Fifteen. I lose count after a while and finally hang up. “No answer. I’m guessing it must be busy.”

A heavy sigh leaves her. “I don’t want to go down there if it’s crazy.” She leans her head toward the window. The storm still rages on, we can both hear it in the otherwise stillness of the room. The gust of wind against my window is harsh, bringing with it a hard smattering of raindrops hitting the glass. “It still sounds awful out there.”

“Yeah.” I’m torn. I want to do what her brother wants me to but I also want to be selfish and keep her with me for the night. I know Evan would want us to be safe… he would never forgive me if something happened to his sister on my watch. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself either. “You want to stay?”

“Yes. Yes, yes.” She grins as she tosses her arms around my neck and presses a kiss to my cheek. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her look so happy. “Thank you, thank you.”

I sling my arm around her waist and pull her into my lap so she’s lying on her back, her head cradled by my thigh as she stares up at me. “You need to text Evan and tell him what’s going on.”

She nods solemnly, her smile still tickling the corners of her mouth. “I will. I swear.”

“Tell him we did it for safety reasons. And I’ll have you on the bus back home tomorrow,” I continue. I want to make this right with Evan, not have him believe we’re defying him on purpose.

Though maybe we are. Just a little bit.

Reverie mock pouts. “I don’t want to go home.”

“Yes, you do. This place gives you the creeps, remember?”

“Not when I’m with you,” she says.

Ah, this girl. She’s going to make it impossible for me to be away from her for even a minute. “We’re going to make this work, huh?”

Her pout fades, replaced with a look of concern. “We’ll make what work? Us?”

I nod, unable to put into words how I feel about her. What we shared earlier had been so…monumental. I’ve had sex with girls but never was the act as meaningful as it is when I’m with Reverie.

Sounds like I’m quoting a cheesy romantic movie, but it’s true. I don’t want this girl to leave my side. I know I should let her go and live her life without me holding her back but what just happened has ruined all of my good intentions.

Now I just want to be selfish. And by being selfish that means I’m claiming Reverie as mine. She belongs to me.

Only me.

“We can totally make this work,” she says with complete and utter sincerity. “I’ll graduate high school in a few months and then we can do whatever we want.”

“Yeah? What do you want to do?” I ask, bending over her with a sly grin.

She wraps her hand around the back of my neck, pulling me down for her kiss. “There are lots of things I want to do with you,” she murmurs against my lips.

“I’m sure.” I reach out and tickle her, just beneath the ribs, and she starts squirming in my arms, shouting her laughter and slapping at me, urging me to stop. But I don’t. I keep tickling her until we’re both in a tangle of arms and legs, our mouths fused, our bodies eventually becoming fused as we come together.

Yeah. I don’t want this to end. We can make this work.

We have to.

I’m dreaming someone is pounding a hammer into a wall, the sound so rhythmic that when it stops, my eyes pop open. I stare up at the ceiling, Reverie’s head resting on my shoulder as she sleeps, her hair streaming all over my chest, stray strands tickling my face. I purse my lips and blow it away, freezing when I hear the pounding start up again.

I wasn’t dreaming about that sound. Someone is knocking on my door in the middle of the damn night.

Sliding out of the bed as quietly as I can so I don’t disturb Reverie, I go to the front door, looking through the peephole to see who’s on the other side. But it’s so dark outside, I can’t tell.

“I know you’re in there. Open the door, ass**le!”

Shit. It’s Hal Benson.

I crack open the door and peek through it. “I don’t want any problems and I don’t think you do either so if I were you I’d walk away before I call the cops.”

Hal laughs, staggering on my doorstep. He tips sideways, and in a flash of a second I think he’s going to collapse but he reaches out, slapping his hand against the wall so he can brace himself. “That’s rich, you calling the cops. Go for it. I dare you.”