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“It was fun visiting your parents’ house. When I was a kid, I always wished we had a spot like that, on the water.”
I tuck my hands underneath my thighs. “And now you do.”
Reid chuckles. “The cabin’s great, don’t get me wrong, but it could use a few more square feet, maybe some a/c.”
I pin him with a look. “My freshman year of college I didn’t have air conditioning in my hall and I promised myself I would never do it again.” I shake my head. “I forgot how miserable it is. When we had that heat wave last week it made me wish I’d moved in with my parents instead. And trust me when I say that was the absolutelastthing I wanted.”
“They wanted you to move in with them?”
I nod. “Yeah. They said it was a waste for me to spend money on rent when they have a hotel’s worth of empty bedrooms available. And when I was lying in bed in my undies, sweating because it was 95 degrees at one in the morning, a tiny part of me wished I’d given in.”
He laughs. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m glad you’re here.”
I grin at that. “Yeah?”
Reid nods. “Yeah. I mean, before you it was just a bunch of partiers and weirdos next door. Now, I have a neighbor who brings me cheap wine and breaks into my house.”
I can’t help but laugh at his callback to our introduction. “You’re gonna keep up with that bit, huh?”
He shrugs then bumps his shoulder against mine. “Maybe.”
“For how long, you think?”
Reid hums. “Probably for the rest of our lives.”
Something about the way he says it hits me square in the chest, all my reserves falling by the wayside, all my effort to keep myself from falling for Reid going to waste.
We watch each other for a long minute, our bodies pressed together, the night air warm, and when I see his eyes dip to my lips, I don’t think, I just move. Reaching out, I place a hand on his cheek and then my lips against his. He freezes for a beat, and I worry for a moment that I took a misstep, that I completely misread…
But then his mouth opens against mine, his teeth nibbling my bottom lip gently, his hands coming to either side of my face.
I breathe a sigh of relief and he swallows it whole, his tongue dipping lightly, asking for permission that I willingly give, and then the taste of him explodes in my mouth. He tastes like birthday cupcakes and hops and warm summer nights, and I know somewhere deep inside of me that I could exist on nothing but that for the rest of my life.
I lean back, tugging him with me, my back flat against the wooden dock and Reid’s body hovering over mine. He kisses me like he never wants to stop, like he can’t get enough, like I’m the only person he ever wants to kiss for all eternity. It tastes so good,feelsso good, as his hand reaches down and grips at my ass through my swimsuit then slides down my thigh to my knee and hitches me up so my leg is hooked over his hip.
His mouth begins to trail down my neck, sucking at my exposed skin, and then he shifts, pressing the hardness between his legs against me. I whimper at the delicious sensation, knowing I’m already growing wet and it has nothing to do with the lake water.
“Reid,” I moan, my hands gripping his damp skin.
My use of his name brings him to a hard stop, his entire body stilling above me. I know almost instantly that he’s callingit right here, my assumption confirmed as he pulls back slowly, and I find regret written all over his face.
“Busy, I…”
He pauses, maybe trying to find the right words. But I know, no matter what he says next, it won’t be what I want to hear.
“I think you’re great.”
I laugh, though I can’t keep the slight edge out of it or hide the way I feel irrevocably wounded, even though I wish I could.
“Always what a girl wants to hear.” I push up and Reid leans back, both of us returning to the sitting positions we were in just a few minutes ago. “Especially when the next word is going to be ‘but.’”
I look his way, an eyebrow raised, waiting for him to speak again.
“But…”
There it is.
“…it’s complicated.”
