“You don’t have to be alone,” he finally says.
“Yes, I do.”
“Adalee.”
He reaches for my cheek again. This time, when he rubs his fingers over my skin, they come away wet.
“You’re crying.”
I hadn’t even realized I was.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and I move to wipe away my tears, but Harrison stops me. He grips my wrists, holding them in front of me with his hands, and then he leans out and kisses my cheek. He swipes his tongue over my skin, cleaning up my tears, and then he does the same thing to my other cheek.
I don’t know why this simple gesture, which is honestly kind of weird, is so wildly arousing to me. Suddenly, I want to know what it would feel like to have his tongue on other parts of my body.
What if he did this to my breasts?
To my nipples?
What if he made this move on my hips?
I hate the way I’m suddenly so wildly aroused that it hurts. All of a sudden, I’m no longer thinking about secrets or trying to be honest with Harrison.
Now, all I’m thinking about is kissing him.
So I do.
I lean forward, pressing my lips to his, and I kiss Harrison O’Conner.
I kiss him like it’s my first time.
I kiss him like I’ve never done this before.
I kiss him like I’m offering him everything because in some weird, twisted-sort of way, I am. I’m silently offering him everything I have, which isn’t much, and I’m begging him to take me away from all of this, even if it’s only for a minute.
So I kiss him, and then, Harrison kisses me back.
Chapter Eight
Harrison
ADALEE KISSES ME IN the darkness of the attic, and I don’t know what the fuck to do. Luckily, my body reacts instantly, and it sort of takes over where my brain has failed.
I kiss her back, pulling her even tighter against my body. Why the fuck have we waited so long to do this? That’s seriously my first thought as she kisses me eagerly, greedily, like she’s been dreaming of this moment her entire life.
The stars could start falling and the Earth could explode, and I wouldn’t even care because she’s here in my arms, and this is exactly where I want her to be.
Exactly.
“Adalee,” I murmur, kissing her.
I have a million questions I want to ask her.
Why now?
Why me?
Why here?