floor doing things that were beyond any fantasies I’d ever had, but I pulled back, raspy breaths breaking from my chest.
Annabeth’s wet lips and flushed cheeks didn’t make my situation any easier.
With just one glance into her eyes, I could see she wanted my fantasies and was no better than I was in hiding it. “If I’m going to remain a respectable and honorable man in the eyes of God, you cannot kiss me like that.”
“How do you prefer I kiss you, then?” Annabeth displayed the brazenness that seemed to run in the family, but her gaze was so innocent and her tone sweet.
I took a deep breath. Here we were in broad daylight, a few feet from a heavily traveled lane, and by the mere sound of her voice, I was undone. “As you’ve pointed out before, I am a man, now. There are certain situations I know I can’t be in and stay strong. Being alone with you is one of them. We need a chaperone.”
“In two days, you’ve gone from being my chaperone to needing one for yourself.”
At that moment, she outshined the sun and put the stars to shame.
“We’d better go then,” I said, not sure from where the energy to speak came. It took all my strength to look on her and not pull her back to the floor of the forest.
I helped Annabeth straighten her dress, partly as an excuse to touch her and partly to hide what had just taken place in the woods. We stepped from the clearing in different places and met back up as if it was some random happening at the back of the rose maze.
When she was sure no one was listening, she turned to me. She clutched her school supplies nervously to her chest, when all I wanted her to do was grab my hand, or both of them. It didn’t matter. “Will you please not report this to my father or the authorities? I think you scared Drew Cobb enough to keep him away for good.”
I nodded.
“He’ll just turn it around on me, and everyone will want to know why I was alone with him in the woods in the first place.” Her chest heaved as she smiled so brightly I almost couldn’t look at her.
How could she still care? It had been so long.
She kissed my cheek.
I remained lifelessly still, staring into her eyes.
In all the last few moment’s drama, I’d forgotten that Annabeth didn’t know the truth. Sure, she knew her sister, but she didn’t know exactly how bad things had gotten. She didn’t know that I’d been…
I never in a million years imagined it’d be her I’d have to explain to.
“Are you all right? Because all that back there—I know you were in a moment of stress and that you probably don’t feel that way about me. I mean. You don’t have to feel obligated—”
Her big brown eyes widened as I grabbed her books from her hand and tossed them to the ground.
Joy swelled inside me as I pulled her out of sight of anyone at either of our houses. I yanked her to me and looked into her eyes. I had to kiss her. It wasn’t just a need. It was for survival.
My hands disobeyed all my moral principles as our lips collided. She had to know how I’d suffered watching her slip away into the clutches of someone who could never deserve her. The sweetness of her mouth disintegrated the world around me. Digging deep for integrity, I put space between us and caught my breath.
God’s words transposed themselves from my Bible into my head. “It’s not good to touch a woman lest he take her for his wife.”
I didn’t think her father would go for that without some very extensive pleading.
This would be the most difficult thing I’d ever done in my life.
“I’m sorry.” I closed my eyes. “I’m no better than Drew Cobb.”
“Don’t ever say that. There’s not another man on this planet as good as you, Cole.” Even if it had agitated me in the past, she made me a new person, so a new name was only fitting.
“Did you mean it?” With my forefinger, I tilted her head and drew her gaze into mine. I needed to know if her words of love were to stop me from committing the
Annabeth’s wet lips and flushed cheeks didn’t make my situation any easier.
With just one glance into her eyes, I could see she wanted my fantasies and was no better than I was in hiding it. “If I’m going to remain a respectable and honorable man in the eyes of God, you cannot kiss me like that.”
“How do you prefer I kiss you, then?” Annabeth displayed the brazenness that seemed to run in the family, but her gaze was so innocent and her tone sweet.
I took a deep breath. Here we were in broad daylight, a few feet from a heavily traveled lane, and by the mere sound of her voice, I was undone. “As you’ve pointed out before, I am a man, now. There are certain situations I know I can’t be in and stay strong. Being alone with you is one of them. We need a chaperone.”
“In two days, you’ve gone from being my chaperone to needing one for yourself.”
At that moment, she outshined the sun and put the stars to shame.
“We’d better go then,” I said, not sure from where the energy to speak came. It took all my strength to look on her and not pull her back to the floor of the forest.
I helped Annabeth straighten her dress, partly as an excuse to touch her and partly to hide what had just taken place in the woods. We stepped from the clearing in different places and met back up as if it was some random happening at the back of the rose maze.
When she was sure no one was listening, she turned to me. She clutched her school supplies nervously to her chest, when all I wanted her to do was grab my hand, or both of them. It didn’t matter. “Will you please not report this to my father or the authorities? I think you scared Drew Cobb enough to keep him away for good.”
I nodded.
“He’ll just turn it around on me, and everyone will want to know why I was alone with him in the woods in the first place.” Her chest heaved as she smiled so brightly I almost couldn’t look at her.
How could she still care? It had been so long.
She kissed my cheek.
I remained lifelessly still, staring into her eyes.
In all the last few moment’s drama, I’d forgotten that Annabeth didn’t know the truth. Sure, she knew her sister, but she didn’t know exactly how bad things had gotten. She didn’t know that I’d been…
I never in a million years imagined it’d be her I’d have to explain to.
“Are you all right? Because all that back there—I know you were in a moment of stress and that you probably don’t feel that way about me. I mean. You don’t have to feel obligated—”
Her big brown eyes widened as I grabbed her books from her hand and tossed them to the ground.
Joy swelled inside me as I pulled her out of sight of anyone at either of our houses. I yanked her to me and looked into her eyes. I had to kiss her. It wasn’t just a need. It was for survival.
My hands disobeyed all my moral principles as our lips collided. She had to know how I’d suffered watching her slip away into the clutches of someone who could never deserve her. The sweetness of her mouth disintegrated the world around me. Digging deep for integrity, I put space between us and caught my breath.
God’s words transposed themselves from my Bible into my head. “It’s not good to touch a woman lest he take her for his wife.”
I didn’t think her father would go for that without some very extensive pleading.
This would be the most difficult thing I’d ever done in my life.
“I’m sorry.” I closed my eyes. “I’m no better than Drew Cobb.”
“Don’t ever say that. There’s not another man on this planet as good as you, Cole.” Even if it had agitated me in the past, she made me a new person, so a new name was only fitting.
“Did you mean it?” With my forefinger, I tilted her head and drew her gaze into mine. I needed to know if her words of love were to stop me from committing the
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