Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
“Well, damn, when you put it like that…”
He sighed. “Thanks for coming and letting me vent.”
“No problem. We all have shit to deal with.”
“You have it way more together than me, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t…”
He stayed quiet, as if waiting for me to continue. He had shared a lot with me, so why not give him something in return?
“I chew on my cuticles until they bleed. It’s a nervous tic. It’s called dermatillomania, and it’s the reason I wear Band-Aids. To not only help stop the urge in public, but to cover the damage.”
He reached for my hands and looked at my fingers. I tried to pull away, but he held steady. I hadn’t worn any coverings in a few days, which was progress for me.
“See how gross they are?” The cuticles were healing, but if you studied my hands closely enough, you could see the mutilation. “Sucking on candy helps too.” Though that was likely just a convenient excuse to ingest sugar.
“Well, thank God,” he said, huffing out a laugh.
“Huh?” Was he poking fun at me?
“You’re actually human!”
“Shut up,” I said, unable to resist the smile pulling at my lips. “What made you think I wasn’t?”
“The way I heard it, you had childhood cancer and survived. Then you went on to be a very well-adjusted human being and even got a highly desired scholarship to study dance.”
I was speechless. “That makes it sound like some Netflix special.”
“True. Maybe someday they’ll do one on you—once you’ve made it on Broadway.”
“How did you know that was something—”
“We talked about it when we were kids. You collected those playbills and liked Billy Elliot and show tune music.”
“Well, that should’ve been your first clue about my sexuality right there.”
He barked out a laugh, and it was contagious. Damn, I liked him a lot.
“See? Just being around you makes me feel better.”
“I’m glad.” I pressed my shoulder against his as we sat there in comfortable silence. Just two friends offering solace to each other. Soon enough, our fingers tangled together, like we couldn’t help touching each other or feeling connected.
“Lark, will you…?” Henry looked away.
“Just ask.” I gently elbowed him.
“Can I…kiss you again?” Henry asked in a vulnerable voice. “I just… I want to feel close to someone.”
The ache in my chest sharpened.
“Oh, to just someone, huh? We could get the groundskeeper up here.”
He laughed. “I didn’t want to freak you out. The truth is, all I can think about lately is kissing you.”
“Yeah…me too,” I admitted, and his eyes widened.
When he angled toward me, I tunneled my fingers through his hair. He sighed as our mouths brushed, and when I parted my lips, he took advantage by grazing the tip of his tongue against mine while we openly stared into each other’s eyes. It felt so honest, so candid between us in that moment.
He deepened the kiss, and my eyes shut on a deep groan. My mouth moved over his in a heated rush as my hands traveled around his waist to grasp his shirt.
As if a fire had been awakened inside him, he gripped my thighs, yanked me firmly onto his lap, and holy crap, being flush against him was intense.
What were we doing out in the open like this? Could anyone walking by hear us? Regardless, I couldn’t seem to stop. I wanted to make it good for him. For him to see that it was okay to like guys.
A long moan escaped me as he nibbled my bottom lip, then swiped his tongue across the sensitive skin. My mouth grazed his jawline, feathering a path to his ear.
His hips thrust upward, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, allowing our hot lengths to slot together. We were all lips and teeth and heavy breathing as we devoured each other. His tongue tangled with mine as he tugged at my hair, making me feel even more untethered.
Never had I kissed someone like this before. Sure, there had been horny, sloppy make-out sessions with guys in high school. This was something altogether different. We were pouring ourselves into each other. Saying everything with our lips. Filling each other up with everything we had.
When my knuckles grazed the front of his sweats, his hard length, he trembled.
“Wanna make you feel good,” I murmured against his mouth.
He tightened his hold. “You already do. Just by being here.”
22
HENRY
“You make me feel good too,” Lark replied. His warm heat wrapped around me, making my head feel fuzzy. His heady scent was potent now—watermelon and sweetness and all Lark. I wanted to stay tangled together like this forever.
“Then keep kissing me.” My lips skimmed along his neck, and I pinned his earlobe between my teeth. “I can’t seem to get enough.”
The pads of my thumbs mapped a pattern against his collarbone as our mouths hovered close. So damned close that I could feel the current running between our lips, like a magnetic force drawing us together.