Intent(27)

“My sister picked her up for a long weekend of doing girly stuff.”

“I’m sure River will love that, since she’s all prim and proper, you know.”

This makes me laugh. My little tomboy is anything but prim and proper. “Yeah, but my sister is a girly-girl, so she’ll bribe River into doing things her way.”

“River does have a way of getting adults to bend to her will, though.”

“Do you do this often? Lie on the ground outside, counting stars?”

“Since I’ve been here, I do. If I did it in—” She hesitates. “Back home, someone would step on me and keep walking without looking back. Besides, the city lights outshine the stars.”

“Doesn’t sound like somewhere I’d want to go back to.”

“It’s definitely different than Oak Grove. It’s not all bad. It has some great perks.”

“Yeah? Then why’d you leave?” Without even looking at her, I can feel the tension radiate off her, wave after wave. “You can trust me, Layne. I think deep down you already know that.” I keep my voice soft and my tone hopeful.

“I walked in on my boyfriend, my first love, my first everything, in bed with my best friend,” she replies robotically. “Before I left his apartment, she told me she’s pregnant with his baby.”

“Wow. I’m sorry, Layne. That must have been brutal on you.”

“I’d been trying to get pregnant for two years,” she confides in me. “I’ve wanted a baby so badly, but I can’t get pregnant. My former best friend sleeps with my former boyfriend and is already pregnant within three months. How am I supposed to deal with that?”

I turn to look at her and notice the empty bottle of wine on the ground beside her. The reason why she’s suddenly opening up is now crystal clear. My only concern is that she’ll regret telling me everything tomorrow when she realizes it.

“Layne, everyone in this town who has met you is already in love with you. So many people, of all ages, have sung your praises to me. If your ex-boyfriend was that f*cking stupid, he doesn’t deserve you. And you sure as hell don’t deserve what they did to you.”

She slowly turns her head to look at me. Our eyes meet and I know she wants to believe me, but she doesn’t quite believe in herself. We’re so close that our noses almost touch, and I know if I don’t kiss her right this second, my moment will never come again. She’s been drinking and I don’t want to take advantage of that fact, but her plump lips are begging me to make them mine when they part. My eyes drop to her mouth as her tongue darts out to moisten her lips. The sweet scent of strawberry wine on her breath is an aphrodisiac to my senses.

In the blink of an eye, my fingers are buried in her thick blond locks and my lips are on hers. My mind has permanently associated the taste of strawberries with the taste of Layne. Her soft hand strokes my cheek before wrapping around my neck to pull me closer, her body now lying partially under mine. My tongue swipes across the part in her lips and she instinctively opens to me. I greedily take what she offers and relish in the feel of her tongue gliding across mine.

My hands move to her face and I stroke her cheeks softly as I kiss her. Her chains are falling away, her walls are crumbling around us, and she’s letting me in. Her fingers grip the back of my hair and she moans softly into my mouth. It’s the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard, and the reverberation ripples through my body. Our lips and tongues perform a furious dance as they caress and stroke, but continue to demand more and more.

This is the best kiss I’ve ever experienced, and it’s only our first kiss. I want it to last forever. At the same time, I want to strip every shred of her clothes from her luscious body and consume it as voraciously as her lips. Slowing our pace, I pull up slightly and slowly run my tongue across her parted lips. Her back arches, pushing her breasts farther into me, and her fingers grip my neck tightly with intense desire. Her tongue meets mine and I lightly suck it into my mouth. Another moan passes between us before I realize it was mine this time.

Purposely staying as close as possible, I raise my head to meet her gaze. She’s not one to openly share her feelings, but her eyes betray her every time. I’m intent not to let her spook and run from me, which will probably be her initial reaction. “Layne,” I whisper and she opens her eyes.

At first, they’re dreamy and filled with lust and need. When she begins to realize what just happened, fear starts to fill her beautiful blue eyes. “Layne,” I repeat. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first time I saw you. I’ve fought it every day since then. I know you’ve been hurt, but I’m not him. Look at me, Layne. See me here with you.”

“You’ve wanted to kiss me?” she asks. “Really?”

She’s still here with me. She’s not running away yet. “You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to kiss you, Layne.”

“So, how was it for you? Did it live up to your expectations?”

“Hand to God, that was the best kiss I’ve ever had.” Doubt flashes across her face and I continue. “You know me well enough by now, Layne. I don’t lie.”

“It was an incredible kiss,” she agrees. Her cheeks flush and I know she’s about to admit something to me, too. “It was the best kiss I’ve ever had, too. I’ve never had a kiss actually curl my toes before.”