Once inside, he kicks the apartment door shut with his foot, then unlaces his sneakers and throws them to the side. He straightens to his full height, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
“I’m really going to miss you, Gracie. Are you going to miss me?”
“Of course. You’re my best friend.”
He steps closer, the heat coming off his body wrapping around me. “Really?”
I step back, not because I’m afraid of him, but because he’s just so overwhelming and intense. Especially when he’s staring down at me the way he is right now. As if he wants to throw me over his shoulder and march off to his cave, beating his chest and growling, “Mine.”
He bridges the distance between us, caging me to the wall, and I forget to breathe.
“What are you doing, Sol?”
He drags his fingers through his hair, then braces that same hand on the wall next to my head as if he’s trying to hold his weight up. He leans down, bringing his mouth to my ear, his nose into my hair, and inhales deeply.
“Ah, vanilla waffles. God, I could take a bite out of you right now, Gracie,” he whispers.
The edges of his teeth skim across the skin there, then bite down, but not hard enough to break the skin.
I gasp. I squeeze my eyes shut as desire rushes through me, and my skin tingles as warmth pools in my belly. Too much heat and need slam into me all at once. I don’t know what to do, but apparently, my body knows what it wants as it arches forward, pushing into his chest.
I whisper, “Sol.”
I’m trying to remember why I’m here, but my brain is foggy. My fingers clench around his T-shirt and push him away. I suck in deep breaths. His head dips down, his mouth following mine, undeterred. “I thought—” I shake my head to clear it. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for Boston?”
“Yeah. Of course.” His chest rises and drops fast, conflict and need darkening his gaze. His eyes, looking into mine, say everything his mouth doesn’t, splitting me in half. I’m a ball of agony, hope, desperation, and love. So much love for this boy. He blows out air through his mouth and drops his forehead to my shoulder. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Those words combined with his husky voice cut through me. My fingers climb up his back and tangle in his hair. “Me too.”
He lifts his head and kisses my forehead, then takes a step back. “I gotta go change.” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “We good?”
I nod and force a smile. “Yes.”
He gives me a brief smile before heading to his room down the hall. His bedroom door closing sounds like the ending of something that could’ve been beautiful. Something left unexplored.
At the thought, pain stabs my chest. I’ve never wanted anything or anyone as much as I want Sol.
I grab the edge of my T-shirt and yank it over my head, then bunch it in a ball in my hands. I take deep breaths to calm myself because I’m shaking with need and frustration.
I need to get her out of here before my body finally caves and begs her to let me take her.
All of her.
And for her to take all of me.
She’s my curse and my temptation, and right now, she’s the escape that could save me from this hell I’ve been locked in since I knew what it felt to want someone.
Grace Miller will be my hardest goodbye, but to preserve my sanity, I have to say goodbye today. The sooner the better for both of us.
I toss the balled-up T-shirt in the hamper next to the door, then grab a clean dark blue one. I’ve just slipped my right arm in the armhole when I hear two knocks at my door.
“Hold on a sec,” I mutter as I slide the T-shirt the rest of the way and tug it down my stomach. My heart races when I open the door and find Grace standing there, arms crossed around her midriff. “Almost done,” I say, leaving the door open and crossing the room to grab the folder with signed paperwork.
“Um . . . so I was thinking we just have, like, one life to live, right?” she announces.
I stop at my desk and look over my shoulder. “Unless you’re a cat or something, then yes. One life.” I chuckle at my own joke. “What is it, Gracie?”
She laughs nervously. “Well, I have a suggestion.”
“Can we do this in the car?” I grab the file and stride back to the door. She steps in my path and places both hands on my chest. Peeling the folder from my grip, she carefully lays it on top of the dresser before meeting my gaze with heat and pure need. Tension coils in my groin.
“Nope. I think we’d get arrested if we did it in the car.” She giggles, her eyes dropping to my chest. “God, I think something’s wrong with me. I just apologized to you less than ten minutes ago, yet here I am, asking you the same thing—”
“Grace.” I bridge the distance between us. “Look at me, please.”
She lifts her head. Her eyes are wide, and fear and need are warring in them when they meet mine. Her lip trembles slightly, and I know it’s taking her a lot of courage to say whatever she’s about to say.
“Just one more question before you leave. If you were given only one chance to do whatever you want, what would that be? Don’t think about tomorrow or whatever. Think about the present.”
“You,” I say without thinking, the word coming out as naturally as breathing. My hands slide down to grip her hips and tug her flush against my body. That part of me I’ve been holding back breaks free as her scent surrounds me.
God, I want to kiss her so much.
“I want to put my mouth on your skin and explore every part of you with my hands. I want to feel you. Really feel you. I want to love you.” My gaze roams her face, and I swallow hard, the possibilities of the things she and I could do flashing inside my head. “The way you deserve to be loved.”
She’s breathing fast now, eyes wide and almost black, bottom lip trembling. “Then do it. Do everything you just said.”
My pulse thuds in my ears, and my vision blurs with want.
No, don’t do it, Solomon. I shut my eyes tight, praying for control. Maybe this is a test. Maybe—
“Are you sure? It won’t change what happens next, Grace. I’ll still leave for Boston.”
“I know,” she whispers, nodding. “But I’d rather have you only once and have this experience to cherish than wonder how it could have been every single day for the rest of my life. My first time, Sol, I want it to be with you. No one else.”
I shift my weight from one leg to the other. “But wouldn’t you rather give it to someone who’ll spend the rest of your life with you?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I want to have a piece of you with me. Something that is ours only, forever.”
Everything grows fainter and fainter, and my vision goes blurry with want as this powerful desire consumes me whole. The need I’ve learned to control has broken loose.
Suddenly seized by a craving so fierce I’m practically vibrating with it, I hoist her up my body. I cross the room to my bed and lay her down, my frame draping over hers. My mouth captures hers, and the second our tongues touch, we both groan in relief.
“Finally,” she whispers into my mouth, but I kiss her words away and replace them with soft, desperate moans.