I pull her to me like the space between us is too great and I can’t keep away from her a moment longer. Without conscious thought, my hand goes around to her lower back, and I bend down to place a kiss on her cheek. It’s simple and soft, but it means everything to me.
My lips linger, and then I feel her lean into the touch like she’s savoring it. We both turn our heads at the same time, and then without hesitation, our lips connect.
The feel of her warm softness against me is unlike anything I’ve felt before, and it opens a dam that I’ve had walled up my entire life. A noise in the back of my throat rumbles out of me as I grip her and dip her backwards. Her hands go to the back of my neck to hang on to me, but all I can do is kiss her like this might be the last chance I’ll ever get.
She’s hot and wet, and all I can think about is stripping away our clothes and seeing if she’s hot and wet in other places too.
I’m not sure how long we’re like this, but when I hear footsteps, I break away and put Glenda back on her feet. She’s a little wobbly, so I pull her against me to steady her legs.
“Good afternoon,” one of the groundskeepers says as he quickly passes us, and I nod.
“Afternoon, Jeremy.”
Once he’s out of earshot, Glenda relaxes against me and then begins to straighten her sweater where I’ve mauled it.
“I should get you to the cottage,” I say, because now the moment has passed, and she won’t look me in the eyes.
“Yes, I’m sure you’ve got enough to do without having to babysit me.”
Her words don’t have the warmth they held from earlier, and I want to kick my own ass. I’ve ruined things between us, and I’ve missed my chance. I should have known better than to kiss her. Why would anyone want to kiss a scarred freak like me? It’s better this way because I’ve already fallen hard enough. If she were to string me along out of pity, it would only make things more difficult in the future.
“This way.” This time I walk quickly instead of trying to draw the time out. I’m sure she can’t wait to get as far away from me as possible.
It’s too bad because all I want to do is get closer to her. I guess some dreams aren’t meant to come true.