I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the heat of the day, maybe it was the loneliness I’d been carrying for months, maybe it was just the sight of him looking so impossibly beautiful. But before I could stop myself, I crossed the lawn and wrapped my arms around him from behind, pressing my body flush against his. I felt my breasts squash against his bare back, soft and full against his warm, damp skin. I could feel every ridge of his spine, every muscle shifting beneath my touch. The sensation sent a jolt of electricity straight through my core.
He went completely still, his entire body freezing beneath my embrace. For a moment, I thought I’d made a terrible mistake. I held my breath, waiting for him to push me away, to demand an explanation, to call me out for crossing a line I never should have crossed.
Then he laughed—a deep, throaty sound that sent shivers down my spine. His body relaxed against mine, and I felt his hand come up to rest over mine where they were clasped across his stomach.
—
That Afternoon
“So this is how it’s going to be?” he asked, turning slowly in my arms to face me. His eyes were dark with something I couldn’t quite name—desire, surprise, anticipation. “You and me? Have you thought about Lisa?”
I knew he was giving me an out. A chance to step back from the edge and pretend this had never happened. But I was already falling, and I didn’t care about the consequences. My breasts still tingled from where they’d been pressed against his back, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest.
“I haven’t thought about anything,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I just know I want you.”
His eyes darkened, and any pretense of resistance evaporated. He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper that sent chills through my entire body.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that,” he confessed, his hand reaching up to cup my face. “I’ve wanted you since the very first moment Lisa introduced us. Every single time you came over, every glance you threw my way, every smile—it drove me insane.”
I stared at him, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it. All those months of wondering if I was imagining things, if I was projecting my own desires onto innocent gestures—and he had been feeling the exact same way.
“Then why didn’t you say anything?” I managed to whisper.
He let out a bitter laugh. “Because I’ve been playing the perfect boyfriend this whole time. That’s what Lisa needs, what she expects. I’ve been pretending to be someone I’m not, suppressing every impulse, every desire. I convinced myself I could keep it all locked away.”
His thumb traced my jawline, and I felt like I might melt right there.
“But then you showed up today,” he continued, his voice rough with emotion. “And you hugged me from behind like that, with your body pressed against mine, your breasts against my back—and I knew. I knew I couldn’t keep pretending anymore. You bring out something in me that Lisa never could. You make me want to be reckless, to stop caring about consequences.”
I should have felt ashamed. I should have pushed him away and run from that house. But all I could feel was a dizzying relief. I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t alone in this. He had wanted me just as desperately as I had wanted him.
“All this time,” I breathed, “you’ve been hiding this?”
“Every single day,” he confirmed. “Every time Lisa introduced us to someone, every time she talked about how much she loved that we got along so well—I was dying inside. I wanted to touch you, to kiss you, to tell you how I really felt. But I was too much of a coward to make the first move.”
He paused, his eyes searching mine. “I’ve been waiting for you to take that step. And now that you have—with that hug, with the way you pressed yourself against me—I’m not letting this moment slip away.”
I could feel the tension between us crackling like static electricity. My heart was racing so fast I thought it might burst from my chest. I looked into his eyes, those piercing blue eyes that had haunted my dreams for months, and I knew—I knew there was no going back.
Without another word, I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his.
The kiss was hesitant at first—tentative,