Till Summer Do Us Part(92)

“What, uh, what are we doing? Are we not going back to the cabin?”

“Not quite yet.”

“Okay,” she says, glancing around. “Umm, nighttime stroll then?”

Ignoring her, I ask, “Are you drunk?”

“No,” she says. “I mean, I can feel some of the alcohol, but I wouldn’t say drunk. Comfortable.”

“Good,” I say and then pull her toward the forest, where I gently press her against a tree.

“Oh my.” Her eyes meet mine. “Wh-what is going on?”

Slowing down and taking my time, I gently run my finger over her forehead, only to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Her eyes shine under the setting sun, and I know in this moment exactly what I’m going to do.

I don’t want her pretending like that kiss meant nothing.

I don’t want her acting like everything is normal.

Because it’s not.

There is nothing normal about the connection I feel with her.

About the energy bouncing between us.

About the sparks that flew when her lips met mine.

Nothing normal at all.

So I lean into my decision and softly say, “Kiss me.”

“Huh?” Her nose cutely scrunches up.

“Kiss me, Scottie. Without people watching, without the pressure of the camp, just…kiss me.”

“Why would I do that?”

I move in closer, pressing my hand to her hip. “Because you want to. Because you need to. Because the kiss we shared back there wasn’t just for pretend.”

And then to remind her about the palpable connection between us, I slip my thumbs under her shirt and drag them over her hipbones, trying to get her to drop the obvious shield she has up and admit to her feelings.

“What if…what if I don’t want to?”

Still holding back. I’m going to break her though.

“Then don’t kiss me,” I say simply. “But…” I lean in close, my lips brushing against her cheek, causing her chest to lift with an intake of breath. “I don’t think that’s the case. I think you do want to kiss me. I think you want to touch me, get lost in me, but you’re not allowing yourself to.”

Then I kiss the spot below her ear, causing her to suck in a sharp breath. That’s it, Scottie. Let yourself feel.

I press my lips down her neck, then across her jaw while my hand climbs up her sides.

Her breath grows heavier, her lips lightly parting. As I move across her mouth, she inhales sharply before I move back to her jaw, then to her ear.

I can feel her shaking ever so slightly under my touch. I can feel her breath hold still. I can feel the vibration of want coming off her, but instead of giving in, she holds out.

She doesn’t make the move.

And because I want her to be the one to make the move, because I want her to be the one who loses control, I pull away. Her eyes lift to mine, and I can see it, right there in her dilated pupils. She wants me. She just doesn’t know how to claim me.

Time to show her how.

“Come on,” I say as I slip my hands from her shirt and take her hand again. This time, I lead her toward our cabin. It’s a fast-paced walk, not stopping for anything or anyone. When I reach the cabin, I unlock the door for the both of us and then hold it open for her to walk in first. Then I follow in behind her and lock up.

When she turns to face me, I reach behind my head and pull my shirt off, dropping it on the floor. Her eyes immediately eat me up, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I want her to be tempted. I want to push her to a limit of no return, because I know she wants this. She just needs to learn to be more assertive.

She needs to learn that it’s okay to give in to her feelings.

To take what she wants.

That I’m not going to shame her.

Or block her from finding satisfaction.

Or play games with her emotions.

I move over to the bed, where I kick off my shoes and socks, and then sit up against the headboard.

“Scottie.”

Her body turns to face me again.

“Huh?”

I take my time, giving her a long once-over, allowing my gaze to roam every inch of her body before I reach her eyes and say, “Strip for me.”

“Wh-what?” she asks, shocked, but with a hint of intrigue.

“You heard me. Strip for me.”

“I…I don’t…um, that’s not something—”

“I know it’s not something we do. But that kiss just now, that changed everything. The relationship is different now. The intensity between us just became heavier…hotter. So…strip for me. Get fucking naked.”

She bites down on the corner of her lip, and I can actually see her contemplating whether she will or not. So I decide to give her courage. I reach down to my jeans and unbutton and unzip them, letting them flap open.

“I’m halfway there. Join me, Scottie.”

She waits, tugging on her shirt, looking nervous but also intrigued.

So I say, “Don’t make me beg, Pips.”

She still doesn’t move, which makes me feel insane. I know she fucking wants this.

So I slowly walk up to her. I grip her jaw and tilt her head back so she has to look at me. “If you won’t strip and show me how fucking beautiful you are, then strip me down. Take off my pants. I know you want to. You want to know what kind of piercing I have. Admit it.”