“Night, babe. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too,” I lie. I don’t. I don’t miss her at all and I don’t know how to feel about that. Especially since Dexter is staring me down and all I want to do is talk to him. He and I have some unfinished business.
I hang up the phone and walk over to my bedroom door and lock it. Then I head back to the window and climb outside. Dexter’s hands are on my hips, steadying me as I lower myself to the ground.
“Hey,” he says. He smells like soap and shampoo. “That was your mom?”
“Yep.”
“You didn’t tell her about today, did you?”
“Not a chance.”
We’re standing much closer than we have ever before, excluding at the waterfall. All the tension from the past is replaced by something else.
“I knew you were
trouble, Dexter Falco, but I didn’t know you were a cheater.”
He laughs quietly, tongue running over that piercing. I’d known the first three weren’t him. He was the only one with a guaranteed tell. The ring.
“I’ve had to learn to share a lot of things with the guys since they moved in. My toothpaste. My socks. Even my coffee.” He brushes my hair behind my ear. “I can share you too, if that’s what you want, but our first kiss? That’s going to be all you and me.”
My heart thuds in my chest and it’s a good thing his arm has slipped around my waist or I’d probably be in a puddle on the floor. His actions are deliberate, slow, similar to the way he does everything else. It’s what kept me off kilter for weeks but now I relish the moment, knowing that when he’s ready to make his move, it’ll be worth it.
He repeats his journey from earlier today, starting with my jaw, then my temple and forehead. Under the star-strewn sky, his breath mingles with mine, both minty, and when he finally kisses me it’s not the sweet, chaste peck; it’s much, much deadlier.
The pace is slow, sensual, his lips strong. His thumb presses into my hip at the same time his tongue slips between my lips. In reaction, my whole body crackles like it’s on fire, and I push my hands through his hair, tugging on the short fringe at the back of his neck.
The front porch light turns off and we break apart, breathing heavy.
“It’s just Leelee,” I explain, “going to bed.”
He nods and licks his lip. “You should go, too.”
I’m exhausted, even though I feel like I’m flying.
“Thanks for today,” I say before heading to the window.
“You deserve a million days like today, Starlee.”
He helps me back into the window, giving me a little boost. When I’m back in the room I bend over and kiss him once more before shutting the window. I watch as he climbs the fence, not quite as easily as Jake, but still making it over quickly. I head straight to bed, with the feeling of his mouth on mine, the memories of the day flooding my brain, thinking that maybe he’s right. Maybe I do deserve more days like this.
18
As if the weather knows the peak of summer is here, the days start to warm considerably leading up to the Fourth. That doesn’t stop me from snuggling into Jake’s arms the next morning on the rock. I sit between his legs, pulled tight against his chest and read our book aloud. My finger skims under the sentence and we talk over words, analyzing the book as we go. Jake isn’t dumb. Not in the least. The years of skipping him ahead for athletic purposes has finally caught up to him, and I’ll do whatever I can to help him fill the gaps.
Midway through my reading, I feel the warm heat of his lips on my neck. My words come out in a stutter and I stop completely.
“Why’d you stop?” he asks, breath close to my ear.
“Uh,” I’m at a loss for words.
“Do you know it’s all I’ve thought about since yesterday. Being alone with you. Wanting to kiss you again.”
Dexter’s face outside my window flashes in my mind. George’s lazy smile. Charlie’s bashful gaze. I find the courage to admit, “I want to kiss you again, too, but I need you to know I won’t pick between you guys.”
His face glows rose gold from the sunrise. His lips are perfect, as are his cheekbones and every other inch of his body. “I don’t want you to. And I won’t judge you if you want to kiss them too.”