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“You like that, huh?” she murmurs, teasing me with my own words from earlier.

“I do,” I whisper. My eyes are still closed. Her voice feels like it’s surrounding me. “So much.”

I like everything about her. When we hugged on the field today, I almost kissed her right then and there. There’s something about her I can’t ignore, no matter how many reasons I have to do the complete opposite.

She’s special. We’re special. The more moments I have with her, the more I realize we’re building an us. Somewhere along the line, we started forging a connection link by link, like a necklace wrapped around us both. We’re still only just beginning, but those shimmering links feel heavy and inevitable.

What she said outside the house is true; this night is different. Everything is urgent and immediate, from the thump of my heart to the heat of her lips. It’s been a long time since I trusted anything just because it felt right. I’m always analyzing, always checking the risks, always playing it safe. Even on the lacrosse field, I’m cautious. I never would have gone for that shot she made today, but she took a safe pass from me and turned it into something spectacular.

Maybe tonight, I can be spectacular too.

She sets her hands on my hips, and I arch my back, grinding into her as her grip tightens. She licks the soft skin below my ear and pulls me closer until my back and ass are flush with her chest and hips. One of her hands snakes around my body and under my tank top. I gasp as her fingers skate up my stomach.

“I almost lost it when I realized you weren’t wearing a bra,” she says in a low, purring voice that’s one of the sexiest things I’ve ever heard.

“I’m about to lose it right n—”

My words get cut off by another gasp when she cups one of my breasts and squeezes. We both moan as she slides her other hand around and starts doing the same on the other side. She has me so turned on it almost hurts when her thumbs brush my nipples.

“I want to see you,” she says after a moment. “Please.”

I almost grab her hands and pull them back on me when she starts to slide away, but I want her to see me just as bad. She steps back enough for me to turn around, and I let my already lopsided cardigan slip off and drop to the floor.

Her mouth is hanging open, and her eyes are on my chest. I grab the bottom of my tank top and peel it over my head.

“Oh my god.” When I look back at her, she has one hand pressed over her mouth as she stares and stares like I’m a painting she flew halfway around the world just to see. “Becca, you are so gorgeous.”

I’m aching for her. I need her touching me again.

As if I’ve said it out loud, she steps forward and pulls me to her. She strokes my chest with both her hands, pinching my nipples this time and making me bite my lip to keep from crying out.

“Maybe this is a weird thing to say, but I’ve thought about these, uh, a lot.”

I let out a breathless laugh and see her cheeks go red.

“That’s very flattering.”

It’s more than flattering; it almost makes me feel tender, like this is a moment we’ve been headed towards without knowing it since the very first time we met. Another link in the chain forms and snaps into place.

“I want to see you too, Hope.”

She looks up at my face, and her eyes widen. I reach for her hoodie’s zipper without hesitating and start inching it down.

“Oh fuck,” I mutter when I’ve got the zipper all the way to her stomach. I thought she’d have a shirt underneath, but she’s wearing nothing but a bright teal bra.

I yank the zipper the rest of the way down and strip her out of the hoodie. She’s got a gorgeous body, from the smooth plains of her stomach to the delicate skin stretched over her collarbones. Her sweatpants sit low on her hips, emphasizing the slight dip and flair of her waist.

“I’ve been thinking about you too.” I hook a finger under one of her bra straps, still drinking the sight of her in. “This matches your hair. It’s cute. Did you do that on purpose?”

“I mean...” She takes on the same teasing tone as me. “I had to look good. I did think there was maybe a chance you would see my bra tonight.”

“I appreciate the effort.” I reach for the clasp. “But I do really need to get this off you.”

As soon as she’s standing half-naked in front of me, we both lose all control. She’s just too gorgeous for me to go slow anymore, and she seems to feel the same. We’re a desperate tangle of limbs and mouths and fingers when we tip over and land on my bed. I shift us around until she’s under me, my hands braced on either side of her body as I trail my mouth over her tits, kissing, licking, and nipping while she shudders and buries her hands in my hair.

Every part of her tastes sweet. I could spend all night getting to know her body.

When I lift my head enough to look at her, her eyes are dazed and unfocused behind her glasses, which are sitting crooked on the end of her nose. I grin as something tightens in my chest, and I reach up to straighten them just like I’ve imagined doing so many times.