Dried leaves and twigs crunched beneath our feet, the sounds ricocheting off the tree trunks surrounding us. The moon was high enough that some light flickered through the leaves, but not much. Grace leaned into me as we walked, but she didn’t say anything. I loved a girl comfortable with silence.
The trees started thinning a little, and I noticed Grace leaned forward slightly.
“I come here sometimes to think. Not so much at night, but it’s pretty then, too.”
“What is it?” she asked, picking up her pace.
“Watch your step.” I guided her through the last of the trees. “During the day, you can see the entire lake. It’s not as big as Bear Lake, but close.”
Right now it was more of a dark pit, except where the moon reflected off the smooth waters.
“Wow.” She hugged her waist.
I pulled her in front of me, so her back rested against the front of my body, and I wove my arms around her. “This okay?”
She nodded, and if I heard correctly, she let out a little sigh as she sagged against me. I loved that she trusted me like this. I didn’t deserve it, but I was glad for it. I wouldn’t let her down.
“It’s pretty,” she said.
I rested my head next to hers, my chin brushing her shoulder. She angled to the side and looked up slightly.
“I think you’re pretty,” I said.
I leaned in, closing the space between us. “Is this okay?”
She nodded.
Brushing my lips against hers, I felt her smile.
“More than okay,” she said, then kissed me.
Staying connected with me, she turned, then wove her arms around my neck. Her body molded to mine as she stepped into me. We were both wearing hoodies, but that didn’t prevent me from feeling her body heat radiating into me.
She fit perfectly against me.
For the first time in about three weeks, everything felt exactly right.
Chapter Thirty-One
Grace
“You know, for someone without a lot of experience kissing, you’re pretty good at it,” I said with a chuckle.
Preach met my lips again. “Is that so?”
“Well,” I said, pulling back, “let me see one more time.”
We both laughed as Preach lifted me into the air and held me in his arms. Like I’d done at the track, I wrapped my legs and arms around him.
He took two steps, and my back pressed against something. A tree trunk. I cinched my legs around him, bringing him impossibly closer to me. The kiss morphed into something not as sweet as the other ones.
Heat and passion drove now. Tongues sparring. Bodies moving. Oh, the sweet pressure. But I needed more. More of him.
“Ground,” I said against his lips, then dove in for another taste. My body heated up as he leaned into me. “Preach.”
But he shook his head.
“Why not?” I kissed his exposed neck and kept going until I reached his ear.