The Hardest Fall

My hands free, I cradled her face and tilted her head to the side so I could get more, and she gave me everything—absolutely everything. Pushing her arms between mine, she wrapped her arms around my neck again and let me lead.

When we stopped, we were both breathing hard, as if we had just finished a marathon, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. This girl…she took my breath away.

Resting my forehead against hers, I licked my lips. We were standing so close, I tasted hers too.

“I missed you,” she whispered. “I missed you so much, you have no idea.”

“I think I do,” I said, just as quietly. The whole world had disappeared, and it was just us. “You’re just mine, then?” I asked, just to have another confirmation.

She pulled her head back a little to look into my eyes. “You’re my best buddy—who else’s would I be?”

I kissed her again, slower this time, sipping instead of chugging. Still, I didn’t think I’d ever get my fill of her.

“I’m so angry at you,” she whispered in between my kisses. “Still so angry.”

“Why?” I bumped my nose to hers and she ducked her head to kiss me, licking my lips when she was done. I dipped one of my hands down and put it on her butt, pulling her a little lower. When she felt how hard and ready I was for her, she closed her eyes, bit her lip, and groaned, trying to move her body against me. I stilled her and kissed her neck, licking and sucking as I rolled my hips.

“How could you just leave like that?” she asked in a gasp when she could find the words.

I stopped moving against her and my hold on her tightened again. My gaze took in her flushed face and met her glazed eyes.

“How could you not come after me?” I croaked.

“I’m an idiot. What’s your excuse?”

I smiled and let my forehead drop to her shoulder.

“You’ve called me an idiot a few times tonight, so I’m guessing I’m your other half, just as big of an idiot, if not bigger.”

“Then we’re perfect for each other, huh?”

“We are best buddies, aren’t we?”

Her grin took me by surprise, and I found myself lost in another kiss until the door behind us was pushed open and I had to carry her weight to protect her.

Lindy’s head poked out from the opening and she winced when she saw us.

“Sorry to interrupt, Dylan, but I could really use you out there. Brian isn’t really the biggest help at the moment, so if you…”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Just give me another minute, okay? I’ll be right there.”

She nodded and offered me a small grin. “Yeah, sure.”

When it was just us again, I slowly let Zoe’s feet touch the ground, and she tried to fix her clothing. When she looked up, I exhaled and grabbed her face to press a kiss to her swollen, dark pink lips. She smiled up at me, and my chest felt heavy.

“We still need to talk, Zoe. I need to know everything.”

She lost a little bit of her smile but nodded.

“Where are you living?”

A quick shrug. “I’ve been staying with Jared for now. I’ll need to find a place or a roommate after the semester starts.”

“I’m staying with Benji. He moved in with another guy and I’ve been sleeping on their couch. You’re not going back to your friend’s tonight,” I stated.

Still smiling big, she shook her head. “I won’t.”

“And you’re waiting until I close up. You’re sitting right in front of me until then.”

“I am. I won’t move—I won’t even look away.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Zoe

After every single customer had trickled out, then everyone in the kitchen, every waitress and bartender, it was just me and Dylan alone in the place. It looked so big with everyone gone, so quiet, every table empty with the chairs turned up. Dylan had already turned the lights off, all but the small decorative lights that hung above the mirror behind all the alcohol. I thought it was romantic. I was still sitting in the exact spot Dylan had planted me in, on the same stool, and I was wide awake. The only time I’d looked away from him for more than a few seconds was when I texted to Jared to let him know I wasn’t coming back and everything was okay again.

I looked up when I sensed Dylan coming down the stairs he’d told me led up to his boss’s office. My breath caught in my throat and my heart lurched. He was the best-looking guy in the world, at least he was in my eyes, and I’m pretty sure you’d agree with me if you saw him. His eyes never wavered, and I never looked away. He was wearing black slacks and a simple long-sleeved, dark gray t-shirt that had the bar’s logo on his right pec. He looked incredible, ready to be devoured. Basically, he looked and tasted better than pizza. He also looked like someone I’d never thought could be mine. He was the kind of guy who would get you pregnant just from looking at him for too long. When he made it to my side, he picked me up as if I weighed nothing and sat me down on the bar. I immediately put my palms down to steady myself then he opened my legs and sat between them on my empty stool. His hands moved up and down on my thighs, leaving goose bumps and shivers in their wake.