Date Me Like You Mean It

“Maddie?”

I don’t say a word, aware that we’re suspended in a moment that won’t last forever. His fingers glide easily over my wet skin. I’m no doctor, but I’m pretty sure he’s no longer checking me for injuries. He’s just touching me, taking his time.

We’ve never done anything like this before.

It’s like he’s forgotten himself, forgotten who I am to him.

Maybe, just for right now, I’m a girl in her panties, lying underneath him. Willing.

His fingers skate over the bottom of my rib cage and I arch my back. My shoulder blades dig into the concrete, making his touch seem even sweeter.

My eyes pinch closed like I’m scared he’s going to stop at any second. His hand peels away from my skin, but it doesn’t leave me. No, he’s only using the pads of his fingers now as he arcs up the center of my chest, right between my breasts.

I suck in a quick breath as water drips from his hair down onto my neck. The droplets roll across my skin slowly, and I’m aware of every millimeter they cover. I sense him leaning down over me, as if I’m a drowning victim and he’s prepared to breathe life back into me. His finger drags over my collarbone and my pulse point, then my chin, and finally…

My lips.

He touches them so reverently, like they’re a pair of butterfly wings he doesn’t want to crush. I let them fall apart, and the moment I do, his mouth descends on mine.

I’m trudging through so much disbelief and longing that for the first few seconds, I don’t react. I’m pressed down onto the concrete by shock and immobility, scared to wake up.

His lips stay on mine, slanting open, and then all at once it’s as if someone’s struck me with a hot poker, awakening me to the moment with blinding clarity.

My dream is coming true.

Aiden is kissing me.

I reach up to touch his neck, my fingers tangling in his wet hair. My mouth opens against his and his tongue sweeps across mine. A sound of longing pierces the air, and I don’t realize it came from me until Aiden reacts. He climbs over me, covering me with his body, kissing me harder. His hips touch mine. His hands swipe my hair back away from my face so he can cradle my chin and angle me perfectly. We kiss and it’s painful in its brevity. It’s like we’re trying to extract every last morsel from one another while we have the chance.

He’s carefully holding his weight up and off me, aware of the concrete scraping my skin, but then I rake my fingers down his back, grab his waist, and pull him down onto me, bruises and scratches be damned.

He groans and his hands slide down to my neck, then to the strap of my bra. His fingers glide underneath it and he starts to peel it down. I feel cool night air kiss my chest as my breast is bared to his touch. He covers my skin, rolling his palm over me, gripping and teasing as his kiss deepens.

“Maddie, is that you?”

Stephanie’s voice sounds like it’s coming through a train tunnel, miles away.

I want it to be miles away, but it’s not.

It’s the bell sounding at the end of the fight, the elevator ding just before the doors sweep open, the end I knew was coming.

My eyes flare open and Aiden breaks our kiss, curses, and covers my nakedness with his body.

I call out, “Sorry, we were just going back to our room!”

Stephanie laughs and the door to the main house glides shut again. We’re left alone, but everything’s wrong now. I’m wet and cold and embarrassed. My elbow’s sore from getting scraped against the ground. Aiden’s already in flight, hurrying to right my bra strap and adjust himself in his boxer briefs.

He leaves me before I can ask him to stay, heading over to get his t-shirt so he can tug it on before he retrieves my clothes too.

I sit up and wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t. He’s in motion now, just like he was in the pool. I can feel us getting dragged backward like the moon calling in the tide. I feel naked, so I start to scramble then, tugging my clothes on so quickly my shirt ends up backward, but I don’t care. I’m moving, hurrying once my clothes are back in place. I go back to our bungalow, wanting the peace and privacy of our room. I expect Aiden to be right behind me when I push through the door and turn back to look, but he’s not.

He didn’t follow me back.Chapter NineMaddieI don’t know if Aiden ever came back to the bungalow last night. He wasn’t there when I fell asleep or when I woke up. A sharp headache sits right behind my eyes, a reminder that I had one too many drinks yesterday—though am I really all that remorseful? Look where it landed me: underneath Aiden.