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HEAVEN ON EARTH

Lizzie

SEPTEMBER 27, 2002

“W HERE ARE WE GOING? ” H UGH ASKED, FOLLOWING ME UP THE ANCIENT brICK STAIR well at the back of the main building at school. “Liz, we only have five minutes left of lunch break.”

“Trust me,” I coaxed, racing up all four flights of cobbled staircase until I reached heaven on earth—well, at Tommen, at least.

“Holy shit,” Hugh breathed, joining me in the impressive stone archway that led to the school’s original library. It took up the entire fourth floor of the building and was the only part of the school that had been spared of modernization. The architecture resembled the late 1600s, when the school had first been built, and it was a treasure trove for book enthusiasts—sprawling aisles of stacked books from floor to ceiling, with antique furniture, and glorious drawback, velvet curtains ordaining the Victorian windowpanes. Best of all, there were aisles of books in here that were as old as the building itself.

“How did you find this place, Liz?”

“I have contacts,” I teased, deciding not to mention Mrs. Reidy, the elderly school librarian who had taken a shine to me. “This place is open to students, but nobody ever comes here,” I explained, taking his hand and leading him through the aisles. “Everyone uses that modernized library. You know, the one in the basement level?”

“Yeah, I know it,” Hugh replied, wide-eyed as he took in our surroundings. “I pass it every day on the way to the swimming pool.”

“Come on.” Dragging him down the sprawling aisles, I took a left at the end of the central area. “Wait until you see this.” Weaving through aisles of floor-to-ceiling bookcases in the left wing, I led my boyfriend to the original stone wall that housed the true wonder of this room.

“What the hell is that?” Hugh asked, attention locking on the narrow, rectangular-shaped hole in the bricks.

“Follow me.” Heaving myself onto the ledge, I squeezed myself through the narrow opening until I reached the secret room.

“Holy shit,” Hugh breathed, climbing in after me and then standing up to take in the sight of the small ten-by-ten-foot stone room. “What was this place used for?”

“I’ve been researching, and from what I can tell, it was used as a safe room by students in the flying columns, during the War of Independence.”

Hugh’s eyes widened to saucers. “No fucking way.”

It was a small stone room without any windows or natural light, though electricity had been wired through in the form of an ancient-looking, rusty lamp attached to the wall nearest the opening. Carved into the brick were the initials of who I presumed used this very room during the war. The only pieces of furniture in the room were a desk with a matching chair and an even older-looking army cot. Like the ones they used for soldiers in the war.

“Welcome to my crib,” I laughed, waving a hand around. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“I’ll say,” Hugh replied, looking at me with a peculiar expression etched on his face. “You never stop surprising me, Liz.”

“Oh really?” I purred, closing the space between us. “Well, how about I surprise you with something even better.” Hooking my arms around his neck, I pushed up on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the curve of his jaw. “Hmm?”

“I’m not going back to class, am I?” my boyfriend asked gruffly, hands clamping down on my hips.

“Not if I have my way,” I whispered before covering his mouth with mine.

Roughly pulling me flush against his chest, Hugh knotted his hand in my hair and angled my face up to deepen our kiss.

The moment his tongue entered my mouth, I felt a surge of electricity surge through me and moaned. “Mm.”

He was just so beautiful, and I wanted to have him more than I wanted anything else for the rest of my life.

Just this boy.

Forever.

Groaning into my mouth when he felt my fingers hooking into the waistband of his school trousers, Hugh walked me backwards until my back hit the wall. “Fuck, baby.”

A delicious shiver rolled through me when he called me baby , and I tugged on his belt buckle, mentally willing it to disappear.

Grabbing his right hand, I moved it to my thigh and encouraged him to hitch it around his waist. When he obliged and I felt our bodies align just right, the throbbing ache between my legs grew stronger.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered between kisses, while he ground his hips against mine. “I can’t take it.”

“More,” I begged, arching into his touch, while my hips gyrated furiously against his. “Please.”

“You’re going to fuck me up, Liz,” Hugh groaned, gripping my thigh tighter as he continued to thrust himself against me. “You’re all I can think of.”

“Then have me,” I encouraged, reaching between us to touch the front of his school trousers. “Whoa.”

“Don’t,” he begged, hips losing their rhythm when he felt me feel him . “I won’t be able to handle it.” Reaching between us, he snatched my hand up in his and moved it away from his crotch. “I want to, really fucking badly, but we can’t.” Another pained groan escaped his lips. “Not yet.”

“Then me,” I breathed, lips moving against his as I guided his hand under my school shirt. “Touch me.” I felt his hesitation and the way his body tensed, but I didn’t relent, guiding his hand up my stomach until he was palming one of my breasts. “Like this.”

“You’re not wearing a bra,” he said in a gruff tone. “Fuck, Liz.”

“I hate bras,” I replied, arching my hips forward while my hand remained on top of his, encouraging him to keep going.

“We’ve never done this before,” he whispered, sounding achingly vulnerable. “Are you sure this is okay?” He pulled back to look at me, brown eyes full of heat and longing. “To touch you like this?”

“More than okay,” I breathed, slowly removing my hand from his. “What about you?” I asked, pressing my body into his touch. “Do you like it? Do I feel okay?”

He nodded slowly, while his thumb grazed my pebbled nipple. “You feel perfect.” Gently palming me, he leaned in close and recaptured my lips. “You feel like mine.”

Because I am .