“Guess who…” his whisper like sun and thunder and a bolt of lightning to my heart.
“Hmm…” I toy with him. “I can’t be sure. Jake?” I tease.
His hands rip from my eyes, the bright light instantly returns and makes me squint. “Who?” He spins me around and hugs me so tight I can’t speak.
“Nope, not Jake,” I joke again.
“Who the hell is Jake?” he asks, defensive.
I love it when he becomes possessive. “I don’t know. Just made up the name to mess with you. Of course I knew it was you.” Pushing up onto my tiptoes, I press a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad,” he mumbles, but the grumpy doesn’t leave his face. We are about to turn the corner in the hallway when he lifts me up and hoists me over his shoulder, fireman-style. Everyone at their lockers starts laughing at the spectacle. And it is most definitely a spectacle.
Because as he is walking down the hall with me over his shoulder, I am smacking his ass and kicking my feet in the air, begging for him to put me down. It wouldn’t shock me if this scene floods the internet once it ends.
As we walk out the double doors, his stride grows faster and more urgent. He stops next to a big oak—our tree—and sets me on the ground, smacking my ass for good measure.
“Gavin! Why did you do that? That was so embarrassing.” It was beyond embarrassing, yet I loved every second of it. Loved that he didn’t care who was watching.
He takes a step closer to me, eliminating the empty space between us. I suck in a breath, my body straightening and my breasts brushing against his chest. His hands dance along my jawline before his fingers lace in my hair and he brings his mouth to mine.
He kisses me with such intensity, I forget how to breathe. His tongue traces over my lower lip and I open for him. Our tongues begin this wild dance, fevered and needy. Wolf whistles erupt around us, but we ignore every one of them. It is just me and Gavin as the world disappears. And as quickly as the kiss began, it ends.
I grab hold of his biceps, dragging in ragged breaths while trying to calm my heart.
“You are forgiven,” I tell him when my lungs settle.
He presses a sweet kiss to the center of my lips. “Thanks.”
When he pulls away from our embrace, he looks over at the tree beside us. My eyes shift to see what he is looking at, and my jaw falls to the ground.
“When? How? Did you?” I fumble over what I am trying to ask him.
“This morning. With the pocket knife I snuck into school. And yes, I did.”
My fingers brush over the chipped away bark. On the trunk of the tree, he has carved “C+G tu es les étoiles de ma lune.” He had been taking French for the last three years, but I’d chosen Spanish and had no idea what this said.
“What does it mean?” I ask, my fingers still caressing each of the indentations he had made. Must have taken him a while.
He brushes the back of his index finger along my jawline to my chin. “It says ‘the stars to my moon,’” he whispers, although I’m the only person close enough to hear.
My face hurts from the smile he has given me. “I love you, too.”
A tear rolls down my cheek and I wonder if that tree—inside the confines of our high school—still displays our initials. Or if the bark has grown and covered it over the years. The younger, lovestruck part of me wants to visit the tree again. The tree where it all began. Our tree.
Luna curls up beside me, purring with vigor as I stroke her soft fur. And after a few minutes pass, I drift off to a deep sleep where I dream about trees and love and the starry skies above.
Chapter Twelve
Gavin
Today is the fourth day of the shoot and I am nervous as to how it will go.
Last night was one of the best times I have had in a while. We didn’t do anything extravagant—a nice dinner, an ice cream cone, and a walk on the beach. Breezy conversation and a comfort that only comes with familiarity.
It was better than any other night I have shared with a woman. And there is only one reason.
Cora.