Page 56 of Saving Ren

I smile, even silently laugh a little, as something warm begins to kindle in my chest at his thoughtfulness.

“What kind of girlie shit?” I question through my smile.

“You know, the shit girls can’t live without, face cream, those makeup wipe things, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, lotion shit that you rub in, shower wash shit.”

“That’s a lot of shit,” I remark through an even bigger smile. Gabe still refuses to look at me. He shrugs.

“Yeah, like I said, I just got all the shit I know my sister and my daughter don’t seem to be able to live without. Got you a toothbrush too.”

I turn and place my mug on the table, then I take Gabe’s mug from him and place it next to mine. Forcing my way between him and the railing, I wrap my arms around his waist and look up at him.

“Thank you for my girlie shit, that was really kind and considerate of you.”

I kiss his jaw, then his chin, then the other side of his jaw. His eyes still don’t meet mine. Sliding his arms around my waist and under my hoodie, his palms rest on the bare skin of my lower back while my lips rest at the corner of his mouth.

After a silent pause, he releases his hold on me with one hand and moves it to brush his fingertips up and down my spine, and all of the things I’ve tried to convince myself I’m not ready for since meeting him, I’m now very desperate to happen, or, at least, willing to discuss.

“Don’t stop,” he says quietly, his mouth moving against my lips.

This is a moment. Even knowing it’s far too soon, I still want to do it. Despite the implications, I want this to happen.

Standing up on my tiptoes so I can reach, I place a gentle kiss on his right cheek, then on his left. Gabe’s eyes close and then open slowly. His hands slide down and under the waistband of the trackies I’m wearing, resting them on my bare arse before gently pulling me against him tighter.

Eyes locked on mine, he repeats, “Don’t stop.”

Slow and careful, I raise my arms. Ignoring the burn to my ribs, I slide my fingers into his hair, I tilt his head down, stand back up on my tiptoes, and kiss his nose.

Keeping my fingers laced through his hair, I stand back down flat on my feet. He gives my arse a gentle squeeze before moving his hands to my waist. He’s wearing jeans, but even through the denim I can feel he’s hard. I watch his throat move as he swallows before the tip of his tongue flicks out again, I lick my lips, and I swear he gives the slightest of headshakes.

“Ren,” he whispers, closing then opening his eyes slowly.

“Gabe,” I reply before tugging at his hair and tilting his head back. With his throat exposed, I kiss from the base, up to the underside of his jaw to his chin, pausing again, right below his bottom lip. This time, he moves, tilting his head to look down at me, his eyes dance across my face.

“Don’t stop,” he whispers so quietly, I can barely hear over the sound of the waves out on the bay.

His gaze settles on my mouth for a long moment before returning to meet mine. I know exactly what his eyes are trying to convey, he’s making it very clear what he wants, but do I really want to go there?

I know he’s already kissed me once, but that came out of nowhere. It was him kissing me and took me totally by surprise. This is different. This ismemaking a conscious decision to kisshim. This ishimasking me to kisshim.

I know if I do this, it’ll change things.

It’ll move things along, altering our relationship from a flirtatious friendship to something else, something different.

Do I want that? I’m not sure.

Am I ready for that? Definitely not.

Should I back the fuck away, right this very second? Absolutely.

Do I do that? Fuck no.

Pulling him closer, I stand back up on my toes and find his mouth with mine.

This kiss is entirely different to the one we shared on Friday night. It’s still gentle, but this time Gabe wastes no time in exploring my mouth with his tongue.Hismouth is open and covers mine, his tongue pushes inside, tangling with mine. His breaths come heavy, tasting of coffee, and they mix with mine.

He slides his mouth to my ear and says against it, “Fuck I want you.”

“Too many clothes between us, Ren. I want you naked. Pressed against me just like this, but without the clothes. You want that?”