A Glimpse of the Dream, Page 4

“I guess not. Did you have fun?”

  “No. Camille tried to put her tongue in my mouth.”

  My muscles tensed, and I tried to tell myself it was just a reaction to the idea of her tongue in his mouth—gross—but I knew there was more to my response than that. “You didn’t like it?”

  “It’s not that. I just didn’t want a kiss from her.”

  “Why not? She’s pretty.” Why was I encouraging this? I’d been secretly jealous of Camille for years, so why was I almost telling him to kiss her? Clearly I was insane.

  “I guess, but I wasn’t into it.” He lowered his head and I knew he had something on his mind.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked.

  “I wanted a kiss, just not from her.”

  Oh. He liked someone. I understood, he was really cute and sweet, but I kind of always hoped that one day he would like me in that way. He was my friend, though, so I tried to be his.

  “If there’s someone you want to kiss, you should just kiss her.”

  His head snapped up at that. “Seriously?”

  “Well, yeah, but she better be deserving of you.”

  A strange look passed over his expression, like he wasn’t sure if I was teasing him. “I want to kiss you, Tea.”

  I understood the expression “fluttery heart” in that moment; mine felt as if it had wings. “Me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay.” Sitting up, I tucked my hair behind my ears as I attempted to calm down, because I was equal parts nervous and excited. I’d fantasized about Kane kissing me for years. To know that he’d been thinking the same made me feel giddy. He shifted so we were facing each other.

  His finger touched my cheek before running down along my jaw, and goose bumps immediately appeared on my skin. It felt different, the way he touched me—unlike the countless times he had before.

  “Are you sure? This isn’t just a kiss. It’ll be different between us.”

  “What do you mean?” I didn’t want to lose him; he was my best friend.

  “I don’t want to just kiss you, Tea. You’re not ready for the rest, so I’ll wait, but I feel different about you. And I think you feel it too.”

  “I do. Have for a while.”

  “So when I kiss you, I’m not just kissing you. You’re mine. I want you to be mine.”

  My heart moved into my throat; his words mirrored exactly how I felt. “I want that too, I really want that.”

  His eyes turned dark, and the sexiest look swept his face. Fearing I was about to faint—I felt so lightheaded—I sought to ease some of the intensity. “Okay, you can kiss me now. Wait, did you brush your teeth? Maybe you should rinse your mouth with disinfectant.”

  And then his mouth was on mine, despite my joke, his lips brushing mine lightly. My eyes closed on their own and my heart sighed. His hands framed my face before his tongue ran along my lips, just the tip tracing the curve. Wanting to taste him, my mouth opened and he pushed his tongue in. It was awkward at first, I wasn’t sure what to do with my tongue, and then it was as if our bodies took over, fueled by the emotions we were both feeling. His tongue swept my mouth as my tongue sought his. It felt incredible, stirring feelings that I had felt before around Kane, but heightened. When Kane pulled his mouth from mine, he looked hungry.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, because he looked a bit like the Big Bad Wolf at that moment.

  “Yeah. You should probably get some sleep.” He stood and started from my room.

  “Was that bad?” I asked, because he’d sounded almost curt.

  His head turned to me when he reached the door. “No, Tea, it was not bad. It was perfect. You’re mine. Remember that.”

  “Forever, Kane.”

  “Good. See you in the morning.”

  And then he was gone, his words still rolling around in my head. He’d kissed me. He’d liked that he’d kissed me. Take that, Camille.

  In the morning, I woke with butterflies in my stomach. Kane had kissed me. My fingers unconsciously brushed over my lips, the memory of his mouth on mine caused chills to shoot down my arms. My feet didn’t quite seem to touch the floor as I walked to the door. He was standing there, like normal, but the look in his eyes was anything but. He moved to me without speaking a word, his fingers threading through my hair as he tilted my head for his kiss. Unlike the night before, there was nothing awkward about the way his mouth claimed mine, his tongue stroking my own. Reaching for him, I fisted his shirt in my hands to keep myself upright. My scalp tingled, as did the rest of me. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who had spent the night thinking about our first kiss.

  “Good morning,” he whispered.

  “It really is a good morning. That was a great way to start off the day.”

  He chuckled. His thumb brushed over my lower lip, his eyes tracking the motion. His gaze lifted and he whispered, “Mine.”

  My heart skipped a beat.

  After the last bell rang, I headed for my locker. Kane was in my thoughts, as he had been for every second in the weeks since our relationship had started. I loved him, had for a long time, but I realized it wasn’t just love, not like you’d love family. I was in love with him. The tragedy that had sent me to Raven’s Peak had also given me Kane. Talk about a silver lining.

  “Tea.”

  Chills raced down my arms. Turning, I watched as Kane made his way to me. His legs were clad in faded denim and the Henley shirt he wore so perfectly hugged the muscles of his chest and arms. He walked right into me, his mouth fusing to mine. Fear accompanied my joy, because Kane was graduating soon and I worried over what was next for us. He must have seen something in my expression when he pulled away.

  “What’s wrong?” He tilted his head and really studied me. “Not here. Get your stuff, and we’ll go somewhere to talk.”

  It was uncanny how well he knew me. Swapping my books to his other hand, Kane reached for my hand as we walked to his car. He drove to the docks, a place we often visited, sometimes together and many times alone. It was a great place to think.

  We walked to the end of one of the piers. Pulling me into his arms, he turned so my back rested up against the railing. His focus was completely on me. “What’s going on?”

  “You’re graduating.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “Are you going to college?”

  His focus shifted to just over my shoulder, his expression thoughtful. “I don’t think so.”

  I couldn’t help the joy I felt, since I wanted him with me, but I was also curious. “Why not?”

  “Maybe I’ll feel differently in a year or two, but right now, I’m just not interested. I want to work, want to start putting money away, so when we’re ready we can start a life together.”

  Happiness filled me, so intense it brought tears to my eyes. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. I meant it, Tea. You and me forever.”

  Burying my face in his chest, I felt the worry that had weighed me down instantly lift. He touched my chin and forced my focus on him. “You thought I was going to leave you?”

  “I did.”

  “First, I wouldn’t make that kind of decision without talking with you. Second, even if I did go to school, there are places close enough to home that I could commute to.”

  And that thought brought back my fear, because I still wanted Boston University, had been working really hard to get the grades that would get me in. If he had a life here, how could I ask him to give it up? As was his way, he read my thoughts perfectly.

  “If you go to Boston, I’m coming with you. There was never a question.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And you would be okay with that, even if you had a job?”

  “I can always find another job.”

  “And if you’re in school?”

  “I can transfer. Jobs and schools are plenty, there’s only one you.”

  “We’re young. You might feel differently in a few years.”

 
His expression turned serious. “I’ve known you for six years, Tea, and my feelings for you have only grown deeper in that time. A few more years and I’ll really be sunk.”

  Love for this boy washed over me for how easily he spoke those words. “That’s a good answer, Kane.”

  His grin was adorable. “You good?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Time for ice cream.” But instead of releasing me, he moved his body closer and bent his head for a kiss that turned my bones to goo.

  Kane had been right. In the two years that we’d been dating, we had grown even closer, and not just romantically. There was something to be said for dating your best friend. He had started working full-time at the boatyard and, though he wanted to get his own place, he would only consider actually doing it if I moved in with him. As much as we wanted to take that step, I was only seventeen, and we suspected that Mrs. Marks wouldn’t approve. I finally learned how to swim, and we swam out to our island every week. Kane usually beat me, since he was a much stronger swimmer, but I held my own. That day, we took the boat so we could bring a picnic. After eating, we went to play in the water, and Kane tried to dunk me against my will. The only way I could stop him was by wrapping my arms and legs around him and squeezing tight. He went dead still.

  “Kane?”

  “You win. You can let go.”

  “What’s the matter with you?”

  “Nothing. I think maybe I’ll take a swim.” But he climbed out of the water and reached for his towel, wrapping it around his waist. As I followed him out, he turned to me.

  “You have the same look on your face that you get when looking at one of Mrs. T’s cakes. What’s going on with you?” I asked, my hands moving to my hips. His black hair partially covered his face, and those blue eyes, usually so cool, looked hot, sizzling hot.

  “It’s just, you’re different.”

  “I’m different. What are you talking about?” He looked down to my chest. “Oh, these. I know, right, they grew overnight.”

  He swallowed as if that was hard for him.

  I had breasts finally, and my roundness, as Kane called it, had thinned out so I could wear a bikini. It was about time. There were a few boys at school interested in taking me out, but I was Kane’s. We kissed a lot but we never did anything more. Partly because I hadn’t been ready and partly because we lived together and we weren’t sure how Mrs. Marks would feel about it. I could admit that I was ready now. I wanted to go all the way with Kane.

  “What? I’m not the only one who has changed. Look at that.” I poked his shoulders. “Your arms never looked like that before. And that”—I ran my hand down his stomach over the muscles, all six of them—“I like that.”

  My hand brushed over something hard, and I pulled away at the same time he did.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” It came out in a strangled voice.

  “Did I do that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Does that happen often?”

  “Yeah, whenever you’re around.”

  “It happens to me too.”

  He looked almost hopeful. “What do you mean?”

  “Sometimes when you hold me or kiss me, I feel tingles in my belly and my breasts feel fuller and I get an ache . . . down there.”

  He was gulping, like he was trying to draw breath into his lungs without much success. “You shouldn’t be telling me this.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I want you, Tea. You know I do.”

  I wanted him too, but I couldn’t help teasing him. “You want to poke me with that?” I pointed, since he wasn’t really covering it very well with his towel. “I don’t think so.” And yet my toes curled.

  He laughed. “It’ll feel good for both of us.”

  “For you, maybe, but for me it’ll be like getting impaled.” Which it probably would the first time—and yet I still wanted him.

  “No, it won’t. I promise you, you will want it. You’ll beg me for it.”

  I would, I knew I would, but I wasn’t going to relent that easily. “Not likely.”

  “I’ll prove it. Let me kiss you.”

  I knew exactly where this was going, wanted it to go there, was thrilled that he’d waited to go there with me, so it was easy to agree. “Okay.”

  He walked to me, reached for my arms, and wrapped them around his waist. Cradling my face in his hands, he kissed me. Just his lips at first, a slight brushing that I felt all the way down to my toes. When the tip of his tongue touched the corner of my mouth, I wanted more of it, more of him. Pressing myself against him, I opened my mouth and he slipped his tongue inside. He tasted so good, his tongue sweeping my entire mouth and, as if on cue, my breasts felt fuller and the ache started.

  I pulled my mouth from his. “Kane?”

  “Yeah, Tea?”

  “You’re right, I do want you to poke me.”

  He laughed, wrapped me in his arms, and carried me to the blanket. “Told you.”

  “Can we?”

  His eyes went wide. “Seriously?”

  “I want it to be with you and I’m ready now.”

  “Ah, well, I would like that too.”

  He seemed nervous, so I kept teasing him because, despite what we were about to do, it was still us. “I only want you poking me.”

  The grin caught me by surprise. “Stop calling it poking. You really want to do this now?”

  “I really do. Did you bring a condom?”

  Color bloomed on his cheeks. I giggled. “You planned this.”

  “No, but I was hopeful, very, very hopeful.”

  “To be with me?”

  “Only you, Tea.”

  Sitting up, I reached for the string of my bathing suit, but he stopped me. “Let me.”

  His fingers shook as he lightly brushed them over my shoulders, then up my neck. I felt the slight tug before my suit top slipped to my waist. I was a little embarrassed, being exposed to him, but the heated look on his face made the uncomfortable feeling fade.

  “So beautiful, Tea,” he said while his fingers brushed me, his touch making the ache between my legs intensify.

  “Lie back.” His voice had gone all rough.

  Lying back, he settled next to me on his side, his head on his hand, while his free hand cupped one of my breasts, his thumb brushing across the tip.

  “How’s that feel?”

  “Really good.”

  “How about this?” he asked a second before his mouth replaced his fingers.

  “Oh my God, Kane.”

  A wetness accompanied the ache between my legs. My hips started to move, seeking relief. His hand moved down my body, slipping under my bathing suit, and his mouth continued to drive me wild. As soon as he touched the place that was aching, my hips lifted off the blanket.

  Reaching for him, I touched the hard bulge in his swim trunks. He exhaled on a moan.

  “I want to see.”

  I didn’t have to ask twice. He jumped up and pulled his shorts off, his erection bobbing to attention. I giggled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “It’s like it’s on alert.”

  “You sure you want to do this?”

  “With you, yes.”

  He settled on top of me. Spreading my legs, I felt him right where his fingers had been, and he was so hard and smooth, it was my turn to moan.

  “It’ll hurt the first time.”

  “I don’t care.”

  And then he was kissing me, full on the mouth, his tongue pushing past my lips, tasting and claiming. The ache was back, even stronger than before. His hands moved everywhere, touching and learning. And then his finger was pushing into me.

  “Oh.”

  “Does that hurt?”

  “Yeah, but it feels good too.”

  Our eyes were locked when he did it again, pushing his finger in slow and deep. The sound that came from the back of my throat was one of pain and pleasure. He worked me, in and out until my body adjus
ted to the intrusion, and then he shifted and reached for the condom. I was fascinated as he slid it on. He was so hard, and kind of purple with bulging veins, and yet he was beautiful.

  Settling between my thighs, he wrapped his hand around himself and guided it right where it needed to be.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered right before his hips shifted and he pushed himself in. It hurt, he was only a quarter of the way in, but it hurt.

  “Want me to stop?”

  “No. Just do it fast.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “It’ll hurt less if you just do it fast.”

  And he did. With one powerful thrust of his hips, he was fully inside of me. Tears smarted in my eyes, because it really hurt. I almost told him to pull out, but as long as he didn’t move, it didn’t hurt.

  His face was pinched, and I wondered if he was in pain too. “Does it hurt you too?”

  He laughed out loud. Not the answer I was expecting. “No, it feels really good. It will feel even better when I start to move.”

  “You have to move?”

  “We’re not going to come if I don’t.”

  The pleasant ache was gone; I doubted I was going to feel anything but pain, but I wanted him to come. Wrapping my legs around him, I pulled him deeper. His eyes closed on a groan.

  “Move, Kane.”

  He didn’t wait to be told again; he moved slowly and I felt the tingles in my stomach and my breasts started to feel heavier, but the ache between my legs was not the good kind. His hips moved faster, and I winced each time he thrust, filling me completely. And then his body stilled, but his expression, the look of euphoria, took my breath away. We stayed like that for a while, and when his eyes opened there was more than euphoria in his gaze—I saw love.

  “Did you?” I asked just to be sure.

  “Yeah, that was incredible. You didn’t, but I am nothing if not persistent.”

  I laughed. He was such a clown. “I liked watching you.”

  He pulled out of me and, as much as it had hurt, I missed being connected to him. “I’ll be right back.”

  I wasn’t a virgin anymore and I was okay with that. I really wanted to feel whatever it was Kane had felt, but having him inside me, pain or not, had been perfect.

  My eyes flew open when I felt a soothing coolness between my legs. Kane was there, back in his trunks, with a towel soaked in seawater, pressing it where I hurt.