I didn’t want to wait for the next life.
Six
Dallas
So much for sticking to the plan.
I wasn’t much of a planner anyway, never had been. I liked spontaneity. In fact, I generally had three mottos in life:
1. Rules are made to be broken.
2. You only live once.
3. A tiger doesn’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.
So if I wanted something, I went after it.
And I wanted Maren. We wanted each other.
Even if it’s just for one night, she’d said. I want this again. I want you again.
I shut off every other voice in my head.
She was shivering in the passenger seat of the car, her hair messy and damp, her blouse clinging to her wet skin. But her smile was radiant, her laugh intoxicating. “Are you cold?” I reached over and took her hand, moving it into my lap. “I’m sorry. I promise to warm you up soon.”
She giggled. “You better. But I hope no one sees us running through the lobby of the hotel like this.” She tucked her hair behind her ear.
“I don’t give a fuck who sees us.”
“That’s because you look dark and sexy all wet. I look like a soggy golden retriever. When you look back on tonight, I hope you remember what I looked like when you picked me up for the prom, and not what I looked like when you took me home.”
I picked up her hand and kissed the back of it, pressing down a little harder on the gas pedal. “First of all, I’m not taking you home anytime soon. Second, you look just as hot to me right now as you did then. Hotter, even. I think imperfection is sexy.”
“Then I guess it’s your lucky day.”
We were both quiet for a minute, and my mind wandered back to the start of it all. “Remember the first time we hooked up?”
She nodded and laughed. “I was just thinking about that night, too. You were having a party at your house after Homecoming our junior year, and you threw me in the pool in my dress.”
“You dared me to. I can’t resist a dare.”
“I was trying to get your attention. I couldn’t wait around forever for you to notice me.”
“It wasn’t that I hadn’t noticed you. I just thought you were too good for me. Honor roll student. Teacher’s pet. Ballerina. Sweet little Maren Devine.”
“Oh, stop.”
“I’m serious. I had no idea you were into me until one of your friends said something. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
She giggled. “My date was not amused.”
“Your date was a jackass.”
“He was. He spent the entire night talking about his new Mustang. But at least he asked me to the dance.” She poked my shoulder.
“I remember I pretended to feel all bad after tossing you in the water. I took you upstairs to my room to give you a towel.”
“You took me upstairs to kiss me.”
“Fuck yes, I did. Not sorry.”
“My first kiss.”
I glanced at her. “I remember.”
She sighed. “My poor date didn’t stand a chance.”
“Nope. Because then I offered to drive you home, so you wouldn’t get the seats in his new Mustang all wet.”
“Pretty sure everyone saw right through that, including my date.”
“I didn’t fucking care. That thirty minutes we spent parked down the street was worth it. Even if I did come in my pants.”
She burst out laughing. “Did you? I don’t think you ever told me that.”
“I did. When I walked you to your door, I tried to hide it by untucking my shirt, but I was terrified you were going to notice and be all grossed out.”
“And I was terrified I was doing everything wrong, because I had zero experience.”
“You did everything right. I promise.” Turning right onto Washington, I pulled up at the valet stand.
“I don’t think I slept at all that night.”
I put the car in park and looked over at her. “Babe, you’re not gonna sleep much tonight, either.”
She grinned. “My heart is beating so fast right now.”
Hand in hand, we raced through the hotel reception area and dashed into the elevator. Thankfully, we had it to ourselves, but I didn’t even wait for the doors to shut before I kissed her, pushing her back against the wall and running my hands up the sides of her ribcage. She threw her arms around my neck, her fingers sliding into my damp hair. When the doors opened on my floor, I backed out and she clung to me, her chest pressed against mine. I lifted her up and she locked her legs around me again like she had in the lake, and I managed to walk down the hall toward my room. At my door, I had to fumble for the card in my wallet, but she stayed right where she was, the strength in her legs holding her up.