SWNOVELS The Charade: Chapter 28
WAS THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENING? Was I actually kissing the most beautiful girl in the world in my room right now?
Because if this was reality, then I must have done something very good in a previous life to deserve a moment like this.
I breathed in Ava’s scent as I kissed her neck. She smelled like lavender and pear with a hint of something citrus. I had no idea if it was from her body wash, lotion, perfume, or maybe a mix of all three, but I wanted to breathe in her scent all day and happily get drunk on her.
I’d never been drunk before, never even had a sip of wine from my parents’ wine cellar, but I had a feeling that being drunk felt a lot like how I felt kissing Ava—fuzzy and warm and deliriously happy. Happier than I’d been in such a long time. It was as if I hadn’t truly known what it was like to be alive until I met this vivacious girl. And the more I was with her, the more I never wanted to be apart.
I explored her neck and jawline, enjoying the erratic way she was breathing and the slightly salty taste of her skin. But as I trailed kisses across her collarbone, I could tell she was anxious for me to find her lips again because she took my face in her hands and directed it back up to hers.
‘Just kiss me, Carter,’ she commanded. ‘I need your lips on mine now.’
I couldn’t help but smile because I liked that she wanted me and wanted this kiss as much as I did. Not about to argue with this feisty girl, I obliged. I sucked gently on her bottom lip, lightly flicked my tongue against her cherry-flavored mouth. And when she opened her mouth to mine, I didn’t hesitate to explore.
My stomach muscles tightened as our tongues danced together, and when she moaned into the kiss and pressed herself closer to me, all I could think was that I wanted more.
So much more.
I wanted everything.
Her hands slid down my shoulders and arms, and when she squeezed and then explored my chest with her palms, I was thankful that I’d been putting in the extra time in the gym because I wanted her to like what she felt there.
She must have liked what she felt because when she finished exploring the contours of my chest with her hands, she slipped them under the hemline of my T-shirt and slid them along my stomach and lower back, sending electrical jolts coursing through my system.
I moved my hands along her back again, pulled them along her hips and squeezed the tiny bit of softness she had there. My fingers trailed along the sliver of skin above her jeans, and I loved how warm and smooth her skin was.
‘This is so crazy,’ she said breathlessly, pushing her long hair away from her face and pulling it over one shoulder.
‘I know.’ I sighed into her mouth, my heart racing so fast it felt like it might explode.
Our kisses grew deeper and longer, the movement of our hands on each other slowing down, and my whole body ached for her. I wanted more.
I moved my hands down her back, slipping them down along the underside of her thighs. And then bracing the weight of her body in my hands I stood from the chair, carrying her with me and laying her on my bed.
I didn’t have plans for anything more than kissing, since I didn’t want to rush things, but when she looked up at me with heavy lidded eyes as I lay on the bed beside her, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to take things all the way with Ava.
From what she’d said the first time she came to my room, it didn’t sound like she’d slept with a guy before. So if we ever took that step, it probably wouldn’t be for a long time down the road.
But I liked the idea of experiencing that first with her someday.
Not because I was some hormonal teenager who just wanted to have sex because guys were genetically wired to reproduce—though I was sure my hormones had something to do with it since I was definitely still a guy who noticed that Ava was a woman. But if we ever took that step, it would be because it would be with her . It would be special. It would actually mean something.
I shook those thoughts away. Here I was just barely kissing this girl for the second time in my life after only telling her a few seconds ago that I was falling for her, and I was already hoping for months and years ahead together.
It was insane, wasn’t it?
But that was the magic of being around Ava Cohen, I guess. She made me want a future like that. A future where I got to spend my days laughing with her, growing into a better person alongside her, and building a lifetime of memories with her.
And when she reached her arms around my shoulders and back and pressed her body against mine until there was barely enough space left for me to breathe, I had a feeling that I might not just be falling for her, I might have already fallen.