Page 85 of On the Rocks

In the center was a large, square table where we would play board games, do puzzles, and have arm wrestling competitions. And above it all was a giant skylight window, revealing small branches of the tree and the now dark purple sky above.

“This is yours?”

I nodded. “Mine. And my brothers’. We all share it.”

“I never knew this was out here,” she mused, still taking it all in.

“Most people don’t, not unless we bring them out here. And trust me when I say we don’t bring many people out here. In fact, you’re only the third guest outside of the family. At least, that I know of.”

A smile bloomed over her face, eyes shining as they met mine. “Really?”

“Really.”

“I feel special.”

Her smile was sad, eyes worn.

I couldn’t wait to get her mind off everything that put that sadness there.

“Good,” I said, standing before I offered my hand down to her. “You are.”

I helped her stand, and when she did, we were chest to chest, breath to breath, eyes dancing over lips. She swallowed, and that sadness she’d worn before crept back in, shading her eyes as she watched me.

I stamped down the feeling that something was off, choosing instead to slide my hands into her back pockets and pull her into me. She took a deep breath as my palms slid against the denim, and I cupped her gently, tugging her close.

“I’d like to kiss you, Ruby Grace,” I whispered. My eyes flicked between hers, but her gaze was locked on my lips, her hands resting on my chest.

She didn’t answer, just nodded, hands fisting in my shirt and pulling me closer as her chin angled up. I slipped my hands from her pockets, trailing my fingertips up over her arms before I slid my hands into her hair, cradling the bottom of her head, thumbs framing her jaw. She closed her eyes, a soft breath escaping her parted lips and touching mine before I closed the distance and kissed her.

Part of me wondered if the magic would fade, if now that we’d crossed the lines between us and taken each other when we knew it was wrong, if the chemistry would die. Maybe it was just lust. Maybe it was just me wanting someone I couldn’t have.

The moment our lips touched, I knew it was more.

We both inhaled, like we’d been under water until our lips locked, and that was our first breath of oxygen in days. We drank each other in, hands roaming, pulling, touching, pleading. The kiss was gentle at first, just one long press of her lips to mine, but then we moved, lips opening and closing, tongues sweeping, teeth grazing the flesh tenderly.

She was shaking.

I was, too.

And when I pulled back, pressing my forehead to hers, we both let out a trembling exhale.

“I’ve wanted to do that all week,” I confessed.

I thought she’d smile, or laugh, but if anything, her face seemed to crumple more. “Noah…”

“It’s okay,” I told her, pulling her into me. I wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on the crown of her head. “I know it’s been a long week. We don’t have to get heavy yet. Here, let me show you something.”

I grabbed her hand, leading her over to the aqua blue bean bag that was mine.

“Sit,” I said, patting the giant chair. “You have to sit to get the full effect.”

Ruby Grace obliged, a curious smile on her face once her cute butt was in the chair and her eyes were on me again. “Okay. Now what?”

I smiled. “Look up.”

When she did, she gasped, eyes widening. “Whoa.”

I plopped down in the chair next to her, shifting us until she was under my arm and we were both reclined back, our eyes on the tin ceiling. It was covered in pin-hole-sized dots that mirrored stars, building constellations that were illuminated by a light hanging outside the treehouse. The holes were covered by glass, shielding any outside weather, and Dad had painted the tin roof above my section a dark, navy blue to make it look like the night sky.