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“That’s not it. Sure, we grew up here, but we’re adults now. Shouldn’t we want more?”

Jade brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. “I’m scared I’ll regret it.”

“You won’t.”

“It’s really easy to do things we regret.” She spoke softly. “Just look at my dad.”

Her father had dedicated his life to being a firefighter, and his wife found someone else in the process. Now, Jackson Clark was a miserable man. He’d never dated. He’d never done anything but work for the next town over, driving long hours and keeping his distance from everyone in Strawberry Springs.

Jade used to wait for him. These days, she too was slowly drifting away. Sometimes it was with the people in town.

I wanted it to be for me.

“It’s you and me. We’ll never regret anything.”

“I’m thinking about it,” she said. “But that’s all I can promise right now.”

I nodded. “It’s a big decision.”

She was silent for a moment before her head fell onto my shoulder. I let our combined weight fall on my palms and looked at the trees above us. It was hot outside, but I didn’t mind having Jade close. I could be on fire and still crave her warmth.

One day, we’d have a different view, but we would be together.

Jade was the one to move. She lifted herself up and pressed her lips to mine. I thought she would pull away and go back to thinking about the future. I needed her to. The sooner she decided to leave, the sooner we could make plans.

But she stayed, and even my thoughts melted away. Instead of the future, all I heard was the water of the spring. All I smelled was Jade.

My hand went to her cheek, and she deepened the kiss by swiping her tongue over mine.

My body thrummed in response. She clambered on top of me, making me lose my balance, and my back hit the ground hard.

“Here?” I asked. “Really? What if we get caught?”

“My dad’s home for the weekend and Atticus already caught us. It’s either here or my car.”

“Your car is tiny.”

She smiled. “Exactly.”

“But—”

“Gabriel, you think too much.”

I opened my mouth and then shut it. She wasn’t wrong. It felt like my mind never stopped these days.

“It’s just because you’re around.”

“Don’t flirt with me.” She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks turned pink.

“I’ll do what I want.” Tugging her mouth down to mine, I resumed our kiss. We didn’t waste time and picked up right where we had left off. Her tongue met mine and her hips angled downward. I knew what she wanted.

It was all I could think about now. There was something about her that no one else ever managed. Where I thought too much, she was free spirited. Where I wanted to plan every single thing, she was fine to go with the flow.

Together, we found some sort of balance.

My hands roamed. I cupped her breasts before sliding down to her ass. There was a time where I could only dream of touching these parts of her. Now I got to have it all the time, and it still wasn’t enough.

Jade was so fucking soft. Her hips had a curve I only ever dreamed of, and I loved the way her thighs could crush me if I wanted them to. I was all harsh edges in comparison.