Letting You Go (Stone Lake 1)

I walk to him, my body on fire in ways it never has been before. I don’t fully understand it, but I’ve never been the kind of girl that hides from what she wants.

“What are you doing?” he asks, his eyes narrowing as I drop to my knees in front of him.

I reach up and undo the buttons on his jeans and hold his gaze in mine, feeling powerful.

“Showing you what else I can do with my mouth,” I tell him as I work the zipper down and do just that…

Chapter Twenty Eight

Luna

“Jesus,” Gavin huffs and I feel a little guilty.

I kiss the side of his face and hold him as his breathing slows down.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper lamely. I watch as he closes his eyes. Slowly, he begins to calm and his breathing returns to normal—at least semi-normal.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Luna,” he mutters, but he softens his words with a brief kiss against my forehead. His arm snakes around me, his hand pressing against my arm, and he holds me to him. I can hear his heart beating rapidly against my ear.

“I know it’s lame,” I start, wondering how to explain things to Gavin.

“It’s not lame, Luna.”

“All my friends have had sex. I don’t know why I keep backing out. It’s not you, Gavin, you have to know that. I just…”

“Babe, stop.” He moves us, so that he’s leaning against the bleacher and I’m more on him now instead of the gym floor.

We’re under the bleachers, having skipped class to spend some time together. Things went from innocent kissing and laughing to heavy petting and Gavin stopped things before they went too far. Of course, he stopped them because he could feel me tensing up and withdrawing from his touch.

Because I’m a moron.

“But—”

“But nothing. You’re not ready. I’m not pressuring you, Luna. It will happen when you’re ready.”

“You’re willing to wait for me?”

“I’d wait forever if it meant you were the reward.” His words touch me. Not only because they’re sweet, which they truly are—but, because Gavin means them and that makes my heart swell up with emotion.

“Well, if you wait forever, then there wouldn’t be any time left to claim me,” I point out, trying to lighten the moment as emotion clogs my throat.

“You’re such a freak,” Gavin laughs.

“You like me though,” I murmur looking up at him, secure in that knowledge.

“Definitely,” he returns, bending down to kiss me gently on the lips.

The moment feels so perfect, so special that I can’t hold back any longer.

“Gavin?”

“Luna,” he says with a smile that causes his eyes to crinkle with happiness. He looks so beautiful, so heart-achingly perfect that the words come easier than I ever thought they would.

“Gavin, I think I’m falling in love with you.”

The smile disappears from his face, his eyes heat with a hunger in them that makes me flush. His hand moves against the side of my neck, his fingers caressing my skin.

“I know the feeling, Moonbeam. I love you. I think I always have,” he confesses.

His words wash over me, and my heart rate jumps so quickly that I think I might pass out. I don’t even think, I’m not sure it’s possible. Instead I move so that I slam my lips against his and I kiss him with all of the happiness surging through me right now.

Gavin loves me.

He loves me.

Nothing could be better than this.

Nothing.

Chapter Twenty Nine

Gavin

“I love you, too,” Luna says when we finally break apart.

“Luna you don’t have to—”

“It’s the truth, Gavin. I love you,” she vows, and I kiss her again. When I feel her hand move down between my legs, rubbing against the denim of my pants, I pull away and suck oxygen back into my lungs—and hopefully my brain.

“Babe, we have to stop. You can’t miss your next class. You said you had a test,” I remind her as her hand presses hard against my erection.

“I could, I mean, well… I could use my hand,” she says blushing.

I pull her hand away, bring it to my lips to kiss her palm.

“Quit worrying about me. It will happen between us when it’s meant to be, Luna. I’m not going anywhere. I promise you. You are more than worth the wait.”

I hear the bell go off for the next class and Luna and I look at each other and frown.

“Shit,” we say in unison, with a dry laugh. We’re definitely going to be late.

I go first, bending down to go through the opening under the bleachers. Our gym has bleachers that fold down and there’s an opening to crawl underneath them and release the levers so they will unfold. They can then slide up straight and latch against the wall of the gym. It’s supposed to be state of art, I think it’s kind of weird. It doesn’t matter, they do have the advantage of hiding you away from others and since that private time includes Luna—I love the damn bleachers. Once I’m standing, I reach down through the opening and grab Luna’s hand, to help pull her out.