“I need a minute.”
Fuck…
I rubbed my forehead, feeling conflicted on what to do.
What did you do, Leo? What the hell did you do? She’s your best friend.
Your. Best. Friend.
I resisted the urge to follow her, allowing the space she requested. I put the fire out and cleaned up around the pit. It didn’t take longer than five minutes, however, it felt like a lifetime flew by, thinking about what I’d just done.
You kissed her.
You kissed Mila.
Another first for us today.
Unable to control my emotions, my feet moved on their own accord, walking up the steps toward the screen door, I stepped inside. The lights of the cabin were dimmed, and I didn’t have to wonder where she was. I knew.
That fucking nook.
The only space on the second floor, if you could even call it that, was so small, I never went up there. Not to mention, the wooden ladder to get up there was a solid ninety-degree angle. Making it much harder to climb and get into the tiny crevice.
It was her space though. Most of the time, it was where she slept when she spent the night. She loved it.
Grabbing onto the side rails before I changed my mind, I began climbing the damn thing. “I’m gonna break something,” I muttered under my mouth, causing her to giggle from above me.
When she saw my face come into view, she announced, “You made it! Welcome to my fort.”
I stepped inside, maneuvering to fit. “Ow!” But I still managed to hit my head on the frame.
“You’re too big for my fort.”
“Well, you ran away from me, so you didn’t leave me much of a choice.”
“I didn’t run away from you, Leo.”
I needed to get comfortable before I went down this road with her. The round mattress took up most of the tiny space. I threw a few pillows up against the wall and sat down beside her, leaning my back into them.
Once I was situated, I declared, “No? It sure as shit felt that way to me.”
Her gaze remained forward, staring out through the rectangular window that overlooked the forest. “You kissed me.”
“Technically, I licked you. You kissed me.”
She narrowed her eyes, focusing on mine. “Did you not want me to kiss you?”
“I wouldn’t have kissed you back if I didn’t want you to kiss me, Mila.”
She paused for a second. “What are we doing?”
“Right now.” I smiled. “We’re talking about us kissing.”
“You know what I mean. We’re best friends, Leo. Best friends don’t kiss.”
“It wasn’t even a real kiss.”
“What do you mean? Your lips were on mine.”
Driven by pure impulse, I gripped onto the back of her neck and dragged her toward me. Making her legs straddle my lap. She gasped at our sudden change of position, and I didn’t hold back, I pulled her closer to my mouth. Her eyes never left mine and the moment our lips touched again, I took control.
Pecking her lips softly at first, I teased her with the tip of my tongue, gliding it all along the outline of her pouty mouth. The feel of her silky tongue was like nothing I’d ever felt before. Our movements were in sync with one another, almost like we’d been kissing our entire lives.
It was easy.
Natural.
Home.
I pecked her one last time until I rested my forehead against hers.
She was breathing heavily. “Wow.”
I grinned. Her stare was dark and dilated, luring me in to want to kiss her again. With her long, messy hair draped all around her face, it cascaded around us.
Our eyes stayed connected, as if she was trying to ingrain this moment into her memory. Sweeping her hair away from her face, I brushed my lips against hers, side to side. “Now that was a kiss, Lala.” I hesitated for an instant, repeating her question, “What are we doing?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“No.”
“Do you want me to keep going?”
“Yes.”
“How far do you want me to take this?” My heart was pounding, mirroring hers. I could feel it against my chest.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
“I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I’m aware, but that doesn’t answer my question.”
She kissed me again, moaning into my mouth. “I don’t want you to say goodbye to me, Leo.”
Before, I could assure her how much she meant to me, how much she’d always meant to me. To tell her what I felt so deeply in my heart…
My best friend.
My family.
My girl.
I responded the only way I knew how, with the truth, “I wasn’t going to, Mila. Today was supposed to be about remembering and we’ve still managed to make it another round of firsts for us. How far is this first going, Lala?”
She leaned in again, kissing me softly. “Just keep going and we’ll find out together.”
I slowly moved my rough, callused hands up her body under my hoodie. Feeling the softness of her skin.
Her breath hitched when my body fell forward, pushing her back onto the mattress to lay in between her thighs. Placing all my weight on my arms, I cradled her face and we made out like we were two teenagers who couldn’t get enough of each other. I usually hated kissing, it was pointless in my opinion. Although with Mila, I didn’t want to stop kissing her.
Holding her.
Being on top of her.
My eyes followed the movement of her hands when she reached for the bottom of my hoodie, pulling it up over her head and discarding it on the floor.
She was now topless, lying beneath me.
“You’re beautiful, Mila.”
She beamed, licking her lips. Beckoning me to continue down this uncharted territory between us. I groaned in satisfaction into the side of her neck, placing soft kisses on her pulse.
Inch-by-inch, I deliberately took it slow. Confidently crawling my way down her body, I lightly skimmed my lips across her bare breasts, igniting tingles all over her skin against my mouth. Sucking in her nipple, I watched as her back arched off the bed and she fisted the sheets. Her body was begging, pleading with me to keep going and I happily obliged.
Giving her what she wanted.
Working my way down her stomach, my predatory glare never left her eyes as I continued my tour of her petite frame.
“Do I keep going?”
Through the slits of her heated gaze, she nodded.
“Just so we’re clear… you want me to kiss—” I grinned “—down here?”
She blushed.
“You’re going to get all shy on me now? I’m barely hanging on by a thread here, Mila.”
“My shyness is turning you on?”
“Among other things.”
“Take my pants off, Leo.”
“Oh, so now you’re giving me orders?”
“I’m a take-charge kind of woman.”
I didn’t have to be told twice but tugging her pants down her legs was much harder than I anticipated. “What the fuck? Are these glued on?”
She giggled, “They’re leggings.”
“Well, they’re in the way.”
“Here, let me help you.”
She stuck her thumbs into the waistband of her panties, wiggling both of them off much faster than I was tugging. She threw her pants on the floor.