I chuckle. “Something like that. Eli says I’m Thor.”
“Eli?”
A smile works its way on my face as I think of the little guy who barged into our lives. “My boss, Ty, his stepson. We have this thing with superheroes.”
“I love it when you smile.” My attention whips back to Lily, seeing the open look on her face and watching it shutter as I stare at her. “Sorry.” She shakes her head, turning around. “I shouldn’t have said that, I’ll—”
Taking a giant step toward her, I wrap my hand around her wrist, pulling her back toward me. Her body comes flush with mine before I cup the side of her neck and brush my thumb back and forth on her cheek.
I tilt her head back and stare down at her.
I shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t want to do this, but I can’t stop myself… I don’t want to stop myself.
I don’t say a word, and neither does she as her breath catches and I move closer. I stop halfway, my gaze flicking down to her lips and back to her eyes.
My skin is on fire as she places her hands on my forearms, lifting up onto her tiptoes and coming closer. Our breaths mix as we stand and take each other in. The things unsaid between us so big I’m not sure either of us understands it.
I don’t think—don’t question any of it—as I close the gap, my lips connecting with hers, and I know there’s nothing else in this world I should be doing right now.
Her soft moan vibrates through me and I pull her closer, my arms wrapping around her waist as I kiss her again, closed mouth and gentle. She’s not the kind of girl who needs it hard and fast, she’s someone you take your time with. She’s sweet, gentle; the opposite of me.
Placing one more kiss against her lips before I pull back slightly, I smile at her and watch her eyes light up as they open.
“I’ve wanted to do that all night,” I confess.
She smiles, dropping back to the flats of her feet before pulling away. Taking several steps back she only turns at the last minute and I watch her go, wondering if I just made a huge mistake or not.
LILY
For several days it felt like I was flying high on a huge fluffy cloud. My dad was barely home, Jonah hadn’t spoken a word to me at school, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. Luke’s lips against mine, his hands on my body, the way he held me, strong but gentle at the same time.
Nothing else mattered, not the fact that I’d messaged him and he hadn’t replied—he could have just been busy. Not the fact that any other time I’d be stressing about my dad ignoring me, knowing something bad would surely come after a break from him. Nothing mattered but our kiss.
I unlock the cell Luke gave me as I walk home, checking the messages just in case he’s replied and I missed it. How many messages can you send before it starts to look creepy? Three? Four?
My thumb flies over the keyboard on the screen but a deep voice pulls my attention away.
I blink, and blink again, wiping my eyes and shaking my head, sure I’m seeing things.
“Lily!” Nope, definitely not seeing things.
“Aiden?” Pushing my cell back into my pocket just in time for Dad to walk out the front door and toward where Aiden is sitting on the bench out front, I push the gate open. “I didn’t know you were coming home.”
“Dad didn’t tell you?” He frowns, but it’s gone as quick as it appeared, and he’s standing up and walking toward me, meeting me halfway down the path before wrapping me up in a hug.
I melt into his embrace, feeling like things are back to normal with him home. He’s been away for four years, and will be for another two doing his master’s degree.
My breaths come easier as he surrounds me—much the same as they do with Luke.
He pulls back, his dark-blue eyes staring at me, his golden-blond hair moving over his face as the wind whips around us.
“Senior year, not long until you’ll be off to college, huh?”
Turning around, he puts his arm over my shoulders, and walks me up the rest of the path.
“Your sister doesn’t want to go to college. Isn’t that right, Liliana?”
“You don’t?” Aiden asks, his eyes wide, a frown marring his face. “Why?”