by Mia Belle
The public library.
“Man,” he mutters. “I thought you forgot about it. How about you go in there and I hang out here until you’re done?”
I yank him toward the entrance, though it’s impossible because he’s so strong. “Zane, I’m not made of steel!”
He crosses his arms over his chest, raising his chin. “Normally you’re the only one who can force me to do something I don’t want to do, but even that has its limits.” He shakes his head. “I’m not going in there.”
I slam my hands on my hips. “Why do I have to do what you want but you don’t do what I want?”
He taps his chin. “Because drawing is amazing and reading sucks?”
“Take that back. I was going to surprise you with something, but now forget about it.”
His face lights up with curiosity. “Surprise? What is it?”
I point at the library. “Come in with me, pick a few books, and then I’ll tell you what it is.”
“A few books?”
“What do you have against reading, anyway?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I don’t have anything against books. I just think they’re boring. Why read when I can draw or watch a movie? I hate reading books for school.”
“Maybe you’ve been reading the wrong books. There are so many different kinds, something for everyone. Are you coming in or not?”
He gently pinches my cheek. “Aw, aren’t you cute getting all worked up over silly books.”
I give him a look. “You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.”
“I’m stubborn? How long did it take me to finally get you to smile? To give me a chance?”
“That’s different. You know I was going through a hard time. You’re just being stubborn because you like messing with me.”
He tweaks my nose. “Yep, sure do.” He turns toward the library. “Fine, all I need to do is go in there, pick some books, then you’ll give me my surprise?”
I nod.
“All right. Let’s do this.” With his head held high, he marches toward the library. I rush to catch up to his long strides. Once inside, he takes a look around, focusing on the computers at the right side of the room. Our town library has some catching up to do when it comes to the electronics. Those computers seriously need an upgrade. And they only put up a website a few years ago. Not that I mind. There’s something special about this old-fashioned library.
Zane continues to whip his head around. “Where do I go?”
I point out the many different sections and book genres. Zane’s lips twist into a frown. “No idea what I like.”
“What kind of movies do you like?”
He shrugs. “X-Men is my favorite.”
I head toward the action-type books. “We’ll start with superheroes then.”
He eyes the comic books on a stand a few feet away from us, lifting his eyebrow at me. “I used to love reading comics as a kid. Me and my…” He presses his lips together, reaching out to touch a cover. “Haven’t opened one in years.”
“No one’s stopping you from checking them out,” I say. “But you should get some novels. Or non-fiction. That’s up to you.”
“I’d stick with novels.” He turns away from the comic books and plows his way through the shelves, scanning the titles.
We spend a few minutes debating what he’d be interested in. I choose romance for myself, sticking to teens this time because I don’t hate teenage boys anymore. It took me a while, but I now know that not all boys are jerks. Not all of them are like Josh.
“Okay,” Zane says, his arms stuffed with books. “I think I passed the test. Now where’s my surprise?”
I shake my head. “I’ll show you later.”
He groans. “Really?”
“Be a good boy.”
I lead him to the librarian to check out our books. As we make our way outside, I give him a smile. “You never know. You might love reading you’ll want your own card.”
“Don’t count on it.”
I playfully stick out my tongue at him.
“You’re lucky we’re in public,” he says. “Because I want to grab you and tickle the hell out of you.”
“Who said I’m ticklish?”
He stretches his hands to my stomach, but I yelp and leap back. He chuckles. “Knew it.” He gives me that same crooked smile. “I know you better than you think.”
“I don’t know much about you, though,” I say, moving my eyes to his. “I understand that you don’t want to talk about your past…”
His shoulders tense up. “It’s true that my past affects me to this day, but I don’t want to be controlled by it. Want to forget about it and grow into a person I could be proud of.” He lifts a brow. “Think I’m doing a good job?”
I rub my chin. “You could do with respecting books a bit more.”
He rolls his eyes.
“And now that you mention it, you could get shades on your windows.”
He stops walking. “Does that bother you? Because I will if you ask me to.”
Smiling, I shake my head. “Just kidding. I actually like looking into your room. And I don’t mind you looking into mine.”
We continue heading home. “But what about privacy?” I ask. It hasn’t happened yet, but there is a chance I could catch him when he’s changing or doing something private.
He wiggles his eyebrows. “Got nothing to hide. My room is your room.” He holds up his hands. “And you don’t have to worry about me peeking into yours. I’d never invade your privacy.”
“I know. I love that we’re close to one another and I’m sorry I called you a pig that time.”
He waves his hand. “No biggie. Man, I wish I could hold you.”
“You can.” I wink. “My dad’s visiting his friend today. Won’t be home for hours. We can be alone in my room.”
“Awesome.” He quickens his pace, and once again I have a hard time catching up with my short legs.
We reach my house in no time. Zane drops his bag of books at the doorway, searching the house for signs of my dad. He doesn’t seem to be here. Zane gently yanks me close, wrapping his arms around me. My face is pressed to his strong chest and I inhale his Zane smell.
“I was waiting to do this forever,” he mumbles against my ear. “Holding you in my arms is the best feeling in the world.”
I clutch onto him, loving the way his arms are wrapped around me. They make me feel secure and protected. My feelings for Zane are so strong I don’t know what to do with myself.
I’m not sure how long we remain in each other’s embrace before Zane’s stomach cries for some food. Laughing sheepishly, he runs his hand through his hair. “I need to recharge a few times a day.”
I pull open the fridge and rummage inside for last night’s leftovers. We made so much it’s enough to feed all of us for days. We dig in, not really saying much to one another. I can tell from the look on his face that he’s just as excited as I am to be alone together. I’m especially looking forward to the surprise I have planned for him.
We load the dishwasher, then make our way up to my room. I pull Zane to my bed, where we sit side by side, my hand buried in his.
He smiles the widest smile I’ve ever seen on him. Shifting a little, he faces me, studying my face like he’s drawing me with his eyes.
“You’re really beautiful, Amelia. I know I keep saying that, but it’s the truth.” He chuckles as he runs his hand though his shaggy hair, making it fall over his eyes perfectly. “You’re the star of my drawings. When I was younger, my drawings were a little dark. Three years ago was a hard time for me. It’s the reason I’ve got these.” He taps the scars on his wrists that are slightly exposed due to his raised shirtsleeves. He stares into my eyes. “Sorry, but I can’t say more. Like I said, I want to put my past behind me.” He takes both my hands. “My life was pretty shitty and it’s getting better. But having you in it changes everything. I’ve been smiling—really smiling—more than I’ve smiled in year
s. I’ve even been working on my grades. I want to be good enough for you.”
I brush my fingers through his hair. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”
His gorgeous grass-colored eyes flit to my lips before meeting my gaze. His eyes are so intense, so full of emotion I can nearly taste it. “Can I kiss you, Amelia?”
“You don’t have to ask,” I whisper, my breathing growing heavy, my heart pounding in all my limbs.
He scoots closer to me, tugging me onto his lap. His lips bend toward mine, his breath warm on my face. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment forever,” he says softly, his mouth hovering only inches away from mine. I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing myself closer to him. When our lips connect, it’s like an explosion has gone off all around us. We’re no longer in my room, but on the roof, a whole crowd of people cheering us on, rooting for us, wanting only the best for us. And I milk it all, smiling against his lips, loving the feeling of them rubbing against mine.
His chest is strong and heavily muscled, but all I feel is softness all around, like he’s that pirate teddy bear in his room. It’s like the pain of our pasts disappear and we’re living only in the present, just the two of us in our own world.
Zane kisses with so much passion and feeling. He’s as delicate and thoughtful and focused as he is with his drawing.
He rubs his nose against mine, chuckling lightly. “Better than I imagined by a longshot, and trust me, I’ve imagined it for a while.” He pulls back, his eyes searching mine with nothing but positive emotions. “Since the day we first met, actually.” He reaches to twirl a strand of my wayward curl around his finger. “You drive me crazy, Amelia Kelly. In the best way possible.” He kisses my nose. “I love everything about you,” he whispers, popping another kiss on my nose. “Your nose. Your eyes.” He kisses them. “Your cheeks.” He rubs his cheek against mine. Then he locks his fingers through mine and brings them to his lips, where he presses a kiss to my knuckles. “It might be too soon for me to say this, but you’re the only girl for me.” He swallows me in another tight hug, resting his head on mine.
We kiss a few more times, never wanting to let go. Zane trails kisses from my cheek to my ear, to my lips, then lower, where he sweeps them against my neck. Everywhere he touches tingles, making me shudder, which makes him laugh softly.
Pulling back, he grins that crooked smile. I remember how much I wanted to slap it off his face when we first met. I was such a jerk to him.
“What?” he asks, bending to brush another gentle kiss on my lips. “You look bothered.”
I hang my head back. “I was just thinking about what a bitch I was to you.”
He runs his hands up and down my arms. “Let’s not talk about the past. You were dealing with shit and I understand. I wasn’t a perfect angel, either.”
I laugh. “You, a perfect angel? That’s impossible,” I tease.
His hand shoots out and he lightly digs his fingers into my stomach. I roll onto my back, squealing and begging him to stop.
“Told you I’d tickle you,” he says, climbing over me and trapping my legs underneath him. Alarm bells ring out all around me when I remember stronger arms pinning my arms and legs down. My entire body freezes like ice cold water splashed down on me.
Zane’s smile drops. “You okay?”
I shut my eyes. No. I’m not going to let that jerk ruin this for me. Opening my eyes, I nod. “Everything is perfect.” I grab him by the shirt and yank him toward me, our noses smacking into one another. We laugh.
Lifting himself up slightly, Zane moves his head toward mine, and our lips meet another time. He slips his hands under my shirt, where he strokes my stomach, his fingers so soft and featherlike. Everywhere he touches burns in the best way possible.
“Is this okay?” he whispers.
“This is perfect.”
His lips quirk into a smile. “It sure as hell is.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Zane
Lia and I can’t keep our hands and mouths off each other, but it’s time for my surprise and we reluctantly break apart.
Kissing her was even better than I could have ever imagined. Her skin is so soft, lips so warm and perfect. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for the rest of my life. Hell, I don’t think I’ll be able to think about anything but her.
She instructs me to close my eyes. “And don’t you dare peek.”
I laugh. “Don’t you trust me?”
“You? Not so sure.” She presses her lips to mine and I reach out to grab her, but she dodges. Damn.
I decide to be good and obey her every wish. I don’t open my eyes until she snuggles up to me and tells me to do so.
She’s got something in her hand, and passes it to me. “The Notebook?” I ask.
She nods with a bright smile. “You told me it’s your favorite romance movie and I thought we could watch it together.”
I pull her into my arms. “Watching a romance movie with the girl of my dreams? Hell yes.” I load it, then get comfy with her on the bed. She slides closer to me and I feel just how warm and soft her body is. I wrap my arm over her shoulder, drawing her even closer, so close it’s like we’ve melded into one body.
I press my lips to her temple as we watch. Lia slips her fingers through mine, squeezing them tight.
Sometime during the movie, her dad calls to check in. If he knew we were alone in her room snuggled like this, I’m pretty sure he’d have a heart attack.
“Yes, Dad,” she says into her phone. “I’m fine. Yes, the doors and windows are locked. I’ll be okay…I know they’re right next door if I need help.” She sends me a smile. “Yep, just doing my homework.”
I chuckle softly.
It takes some convincing before he finally lets her go. I wrap my arm back around her and we get comfy on the bed.
When the movie credits roll down the screen, Lia glides off the bed and vanishes out the door. She returns a few seconds later with both our library bags.
“What are those for?” I ask.
She bounces on the bed, then sticks her hand in hers, digging out the books. She does the same to my bag and soon her bed is covered in paperbacks.
“Pick one,” she says.
I blink at her. “You expect me to read right now?”
She nods with a triumphant smile. “I want to share something I love with you. Just try it, Zane. You’re so sensitive and thoughtful and I know you’ll love reading.”
I scan the titles of the books. It’s not that I have a problem with books, they just don’t interest me. But my girl is adamant, and I’ll do anything to make her happy. Plus, I am a little curious what are in these pages.
“I’m totally lost,” I tell her. “Pick one for me.”
She reads the backs of the books before settling on one. “This is about an alien and a human who save Earth. And of course they fall in love.”
I twist my nose.
“Here’s one about a boy and his brother whose parents died and they’re alone in the world.”
My gut tightens. How the hell is that book almost exactly like my past? “Definitely not.”
She gives me a look. “Zane, you’re not even trying. You know what? I’m sorry for forcing you to read. If it’s not your thing, then it’s not your thing. I just thought we could read together and discus what we love and hate about them.”
She starts cleaning up the books, but I wrap my hand around her wrist. “Sorry for acting like an ass,” I tell her. “It’s just that reading’s not my thing. I’m not great with words. I’m more of a pictures type of guy. That’s probably why I love drawing so much.”
I was little behind my classmates when I was little. Most kids had their parents helping them out. Mine were busy getting high or drunk.
I shake that thought away. “I want to read books with you. To discuss them. Want to see your eyes light up. But it’s probably going to take me twice as long to finish. My attention span isn’t the greatest—except when
it comes to art—and that’s probably why I’m so crappy at school.”
She rests her hands on either side of my face. “I don’t care how fast or slow we go. It’d mean so much to me to share this with you.”
I give her a small, sweet kiss. “Okay. Choose a book and we’ll read it together.”
She picks one out from the pile and hands it to me. “I have my own copy here. It’s about a group of teens who are stranded in the desert and learn to survive. It’s one of my favorites. I think I’ve read it more than ten times.”
I flip through the pages, noting the tiny words that fill up every space. “This is a long book.”
“We’ll take as long as you need,” she promises. “And if you see that you’re really not enjoying it, you can stop. You won’t hurt my feelings or anything. Just because we’re together, we don’t have to share all interests.”
She fetches her book from her drawer and we lean against the headboard, each focused on our books. When it comes to reading for school, I either slide by, watch the movie version, or look it up online. This book is actually decent. It’s interesting and engaging.
Lia lifts a brow at me. “What?” I ask.
She gives me a knowing smile before returning to her book.
***
Even though it’s really late, I can’t let go of this girl. All my life, there was this emptiness inside. I never thought anyone could fill it. But there she is, filling me completely. She has no idea just how much she means to me.
I can’t get enough of kissing her. Eventually, however, I have no choice but to leave. My hand clutches hers tightly as she escorts me to the door, not seeming to want to let go, either.
Grabbing her one last time, I give her a long kiss, one she’ll remember until we see each other again. Which will probably be in a few minutes, considering I’m right next door, but it sure as hell feels like it’ll be ages.
“Bye, Zane,” she says.
I slide toward the door, my hand slowly releasing hers. I remain in the doorway for a little while, my eyes drinking hers in. I still can’t believe she feels just as strongly for me as I feel about her.