Maddie's POV

November 30, 1984

It had been three weeks since my fight with Steve. I had calmed down a bit, so, in some way, we made peace. And I say "in some way" because, while I knew my reaction had probably been over the top, what he did still pissed me off.

At school, I started talking to him normally again, but despite his insistence, I wasn't ready to hang out with him outside those walls. Not yet, at least. Hanging out with Wheeler was the perfect excuse to get Steve to back off.

I'm proud, I know, and I've never wanted to change that. But I wasn't about to let him charm me again only for it to lead nowhere—especially after I told him, time and time again, to drop it. God, he's a good guy, but what an idiot he was.

Still, as much pride as I have, I couldn't lie to myself. Part of my anger was with me. I was still confused, and if I agreed to meet him outside school, that confusion would only get worse.

Confused because I didn't know exactly what I felt for Steve—it was something I'd never experienced with a guy before. Usually, it was a night of fun, and by the next morning, I couldn't care less.

But with Steve, for some reason, I felt like I couldn't do that. I didn't know if it was because, deep down, I knew he wanted to treat me well, and I couldn't promise him the same. Or because—and this was impossible because my heart is as black as coal—I might actually be starting to feel something for him.

And then there was my idiot of a brother. I had no idea what was going on between us, but every time we argued, there was this charge, this electricity between us that could light up the entire town. I hated him and wanted him in equal measure.

And all of that, along with the situation with Steve, was driving me insane. I had always been able to control these kinds of situations, but now, everything felt like it was slipping through my fingers.

That's why I was trying to argue with Billy as little as possible. And I mean "as little as possible" because that man still got on my nerves every single day. But knowing how things were—and the possibility that we'd end up in bed again (because let's be honest, I'm not an idiot; he wanted me just as much as I wanted him, no matter how wrong it was)—I preferred to leave him hanging mid-argument and walk away rather than touch him again.

Who are you trying to fool? You'd love to break that tension again, right there in your bed.

Besides, now he had a girlfriend. The perfect excuse to keep our distance and push those ridiculous ideas out of our heads. At least this way, he wouldn't come near me again, and with a little luck, that unbearable—and let's be real, unethical—tension between us would finally disappear.

Although I didn't dislike Sandra—and, deep down, I even felt a bit sorry for her because I knew Billy, and it was only a matter of time before he broke her heart—I considered warning her. But as much as it still stung to see Billy kissing her right in front of me, it worked in my favor that they stayed together. The longer they were a couple, the longer he'd stay away from me. Besides, if he was with her, he wasn't at home, and that suited me perfectly. So, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

But that brought up something else I thought was impossible. I didn't think there could be anything worse than Tina, Billy's clingy little lapdog. Big mistake. There was something worse: Tina, the ragingly jealous ex of Billy's new girlfriend.

From the moment Billy and Sandra showed up at school as the hot new couple, Tina became even more unbearable than she'd been since we started here. At first, I took some pleasure in watching her stew in her jealousy, looking stupid every time Billy and Sandra walked past her, laughing and holding hands. But I didn't realize how quickly that would turn against me.

Every single damn day, I had to endure Tina cornering me to complain about how dumb Sandra was, how she wasn't Billy's type at all, and about a million other idiotic things.

And as if that wasn't annoying enough, she even started demanding that I mess with Sandra—just like I'd messed with her when I first got to the school—so she and Billy would break up, giving Tina another shot at him. She was relentless, and it was really starting to push my patience to the limit.

*************

Finally, it was Friday. Another week had passed, and that meant one less week to endure before finishing that damn high school. It was almost December, so the cold was biting. I decided to bundle up in brown corduroy pants and a black wool sweater, along with a scarf and a coat. As every morning, from breakfast until we headed to his car, I tried to exchange as few words as possible with Billy.

We grabbed everything we needed for school—Max clinging to her beloved skateboard and Billy to his cigarettes, a few of which I'd make sure to steal without him noticing. We headed to the car, and just as I opened the door, ready to take the passenger seat, Billy's voice stopped me.

"Today, you're sitting in the back with your bratty sister," he said, lighting a cigarette.

"What the hell are you talking about? What's that about now?" I replied, annoyed. Clearly, not even avoiding conversations with him spared me from his nonsense.

"Sandra's car broke down, so we have to pick her up," he said, blowing cigarette smoke in my face.

"Can't she sit in the back? Or better yet, can't her parents drive her and save us the damn trip?" I frowned.

"Jealous, redhead?" he asked, laughing mockingly.

"In your dreams," I said, leaning against the open car door and looking at him with indifference at his stupid comment. "I just don't see why I should be the one sitting in the back."

"My car, my rules. If you don't like it, ask Harrington to drive you now that you two are such good buddies again," he said, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.

"Jealous, blondie?" I shot back with a playful smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"In your dreams," he replied, taking one last puff before flicking the cigarette to the ground and crushing it with his foot. "Either you sit in the back, or you walk. Your choice," he said as he walked around to the driver's side.

"I can't stand you. Honestly, I can't," I muttered, slamming the door and climbing into the back seat. "I can't wait to finally never have to see you again," I growled as I sat next to my sister.

"Not as much as I can't wait to be rid of you, sweetheart," he said with a smirk, glancing at me in the rearview mirror before winking and turning his attention forward.

I definitely needed to get my own car as soon as possible. Damn William.

We stopped to pick up Sandra at her house, and as soon as she got in and greeted everyone, I put on my Walkman and headphones. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. Luckily, Max took care of chatting with her—apparently, she got along with that girl really well.

We arrived at the school, and as soon as I got out of the car, I said goodbye to Max and hurried inside, leaving Billy and Sandra behind, making out on the hood of the Camaro.

I swear I didn't want it to bother me, but I couldn't help the way that scene made my blood boil. I went straight to my locker, and before opening it, I tucked my Walkman into my backpack.

"Hey, pretty eyes," Steve suddenly appeared out of nowhere, using that stupid nickname he'd been calling me ever since we patched things up.

"Wanna do something this weekend?" he asked, leaning casually against one of the lockers.

"Sorry, but I'm busy," I said, opening my locker so I wouldn't have to look at him. I knew that sooner or later, his pretty brown eyes would make me cave and say yes. "I'm hanging out with Nancy."

"Do you really expect me to believe that every time I ask you out, you just happen to have plans with Nancy?" he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I don't care what you believe, Steve," I shot back, slamming my locker shut and finally looking at him, my gaze sharp. "I've got plans with her. And just because you and I worked things out doesn't mean I'm going to forget everything. I've learned my lesson—I'm not going out with you. Not until you figure out what you want and stop making me feel like an idiot."

"Maybe you're the one who doesn't know what you want, Maddie," he said, straightening up and letting out a frustrated breath. "Stop pretending to be so tough. I know you'll give in sooner or later. As much as it annoys you, you know you want to get along with me. You know I make you laugh, and you know I'm great company for cold afternoons with a good movie."

He winked at me, and despite myself, I let a small smile slip.

"Aha! I knew it," he said triumphantly, laughing. "That little smile gives you away."

Damn it, Maddie. Get it together.

"Get lost, Harrington," I said, shaking my head and looking away, trying to suppress another smile.

"See you in class, bad girl," he said, moving so quickly I didn't have time to dodge the kiss he planted on my cheek.

I shook my head again as I glanced at the schedule taped to my locker door to check which books I needed.

I couldn't fool myself—I couldn't stay mad at Steve. But I wasn't about to let those stupid feelings override my common sense. I pushed the thoughts aside and stuffed the books into my backpack.

"Hey, Maddie," came Nancy's cheerful voice from behind me.

Wheeler and I were like night and day, but it felt good to have someone outside of school to hang out with, someone who wasn't a guy.

Maybe, subconsciously, I was maturing. Realizing that life wasn't all about men and no-strings-attached sex. That having a friend—an actual friend—was a good thing.

Yes, yes, this is great. But let's not kid ourselves: men and casual hookups are still your weakness. And maybe finding someone willing to play that role would solve your problem with Billy and Steve.

After all, they do say: fight fire with fire—or, in this case, a rebound for a rebound.

"Hey, Nance," I said, closing my locker and turning to face her. I noticed her giving me puppy-dog eyes. "Uh... you want something, don't you? Spill it."

"I know we're not best friends or anything," she began, clutching her books tightly against her chest. "And, well, we mostly hang out so I can help you get through this last year..."

"Or so you can teach me how to shoot, just in case those monsters show up again," I finished for her. After all, that was the main reason I had approached her in the first place. Anything to keep Max safe from those things seemed worth it.

"Right, right..." she sighed, nodding in agreement. "The thing is, the winter dance at our siblings' school is coming up. I'm on the committee and, well, I know it's not your thing..." She cleared her throat nervously. "But if you don't mind... would you help me with the preparations? I'm short on hands and..." she started rambling.

"Sure, no problem," I interrupted. She wasn't wrong—it didn't excite me at all. But it was the perfect excuse to avoid both Steve and Billy for a little while longer.

"Wow, I didn't think it'd be that easy to convince you!" she laughed, clearly relieved. "Okay, great! Come over to my place tomorrow at 5? Oh, and bring Max—Mike and the others are coming over to play their games."

"Sounds good. See you tomorrow," I replied simply, giving her a nod before walking off.

                                   ————

The first classes were as boring as ever, until lunchtime rolled around.

Lately, I'd been sitting with Steve, Sandra, and the rest of Steve's usual crowd during lunch. Today, I planned to do the same, but Eddie caught me on the way, insisting that I ditch with him again because he had some new weed he wanted me to try.

I'd been getting along pretty well with Eddie, I suppose because we had a lot in common—our taste in music, for one. Sometimes, he'd sneak through my window to smoke with me or show me his latest cassettes. I'd warned him not to, though. Even if there wasn't anything going on between us, Billy could easily get the wrong idea, and that would spell disaster for Eddie.

Of course, he didn't listen. He still showed up at my house from time to time, sneaking in like he owned the place. I just hoped he had a good pair of running shoes because the day Billy found out, Eddie was going to need them to run as fast as he could.

Biology class came around, and just my luck—as if a one-eyed man had cursed me—I got paired with none other than Tina for the lab assignment.

Not only did I have to endure her endless whining about why I wasn't doing anything to break up Billy and Sandra, but I also had to put up with her constant gagging and dramatic grimaces every time she looked at the worms we had to dissect.

For God's sake, they were just worms. Who knows what that woman had put in her mouth before, and now she was whining about having to touch a couple of harmless worms. She'd nagged me the entire class, and after weeks of her incessant complaints, my patience was officially gone.

As soon as class ended and most of the students and the teacher had left the room, I spotted a box with a few live worms still wriggling inside. The perfect revenge.

I grabbed a couple of them once the coast was clear and headed straight for Tina.

"Tina," I said, tapping her shoulder to get her attention.

"What do you want now, Mayfield? I've had enough of dealing with you in class," she said with that trademark condescension.

She had to put up with me? Oh, this was rich.

Tina was one of those girls who lived for appearances, the kind who needed to act superior around others just to feel like they mattered, because deep down, she had zero self-love—no matter how much she pretended otherwise.

These worms were the perfect weapon to bring her back down to earth.

"Relax, I won't take much of your precious time," I said, giving her a sly, mischievous smile. "You just left something behind in class."

"What? Impossible. I have everything right here," she said, patting the pockets of her jacket.

"Nope, you're wrong. You left your dear little friends behind."

Before she could react, I swiftly dropped the worms down the plunging neckline of her sweater.

"AAAAH! GET THEM OFF ME! GET THEM OFF ME!" she screamed hysterically, flailing in the middle of the hallway while Carol and two other girls with her tried—and failed—to fish the worms out of her sweater.

The few students still lingering in the hallway erupted into laughter, their voices echoing through the corridor as Tina's shrieks reached new heights. It was a scene to remember.

"Maybe now you'll learn to stop being such a pain and take 'no' for an answer. Do yourself a favor and get some self-respect," I said, clicking my tongue and winking at her.

"This isn't over!" she screamed, bolting toward the restroom with her friends trailing behind her.

Not without giving me a shove with her shoulder as she passed, which only made me laugh more.

I'd never been the bullying type or anything like that. I usually kept to myself, but I also wasn't about to let anyone walk all over me. Tina, though, had pushed me so far that I just needed to get that out of my system.

As I turned to head to my locker, my gaze locked with Billy's.

One of his arms was draped over Sandra's shoulders, but his eyes were fixed on me.

In a way, I'd done both of us a favor—Tina was a thorn in both of our sides.

For a brief moment, we just looked at each other, and then we both broke into quiet, knowing laughter.

He winked at me with that wide, perfect smile of his, and I felt my heart jolt in my chest.

And then it hit me—I was smiling back at him.

The realization made my stomach flip, and I quickly wiped the smile off my face, turned on my heel, and bolted.

Crap, crap, crap.

————-

Classes went on as usual until the last period of the day—Physical Education.

Of course, before that class, Steve gave me a lecture about how I wouldn't "get anywhere" if I kept pulling stunts like the one with Tina. He was all serious at first, but even he couldn't help bursting into laughter afterward. He knew exactly what Tina was like, and on some level, he understood how annoying it was to deal with her, so he admitted she kind of had it coming.

Naturally, during every class I shared with Tina that day, I had to endure her death stares drilling into me nonstop. My response? Just smiling back at her, letting her know those looks meant absolutely nothing to me—which, of course, made her even angrier. And honestly, seeing her practically steaming with rage only amused me more.

By the time PE rolled around, those death stares still hadn't stopped. But what really got under Tina's skin was how the guys in class couldn't help teasing her now and paying more attention to me.

Because, yes, I did it on purpose—I always wore the shortest, tightest tracksuit I could get away with so the boys would notice me. And for someone like Tina, nothing was more infuriating than not being the center of male attention.

There were about fifteen minutes left in class, and we were doing the classic exercise of jumping over a raised horizontal bar with the help of a small trampoline. I was great at it; in fact, PE was probably the one subject I'd always excelled at.

Toward the end of the class, someone came to fetch the teacher—they seemed to need him for something. Before leaving, he told us to do two more rounds of jumps in his absence and then head to the locker rooms to shower and head home.

With a sharp blow of his whistle, he gave the order, and we started jumping again as he walked off.

By the second round, the students who had finished left for the locker rooms, eager to shower and go home. Only a few stayed behind, including Tina and Carol, who lingered for a moment chatting while I and the two students still behind me finished our jumps.

Naturally, the few left in the gym were entirely ignoring those of us who still had jumps to complete.

My turn came. I gathered momentum to jump high, and just as I was leaping off the trampoline, I saw Tina move the mat from underneath the bar. The only thing I could do was try to cushion my fall somehow. The first thing that crossed my mind was to brace myself with my hands as I saw myself hitting the ground.

The sound of my body crashing onto the floor startled the few students left in the gym, who now turned their attention to me, including Steve and Billy. Everyone stared at me, stunned, for a few seconds. The moved mat and Tina's loud, triumphant laughter quickly made it clear that she was the one responsible.

"What the hell were you thinking?! You could've broken her neck, you idiot!" I saw Billy react finally. He shouted at Tina, whose laughter stopped immediately when she saw the fury she had provoked in him. Carol was trying to pull my brother away from Tina.

"Are you okay?" Steve rushed over to me and helped me up. "I told you this wouldn't get you anywhere," he said, his voice full of concern.

"I'm fine, Steve," I said in a calm voice to avoid worrying him too much. "The one who's not going to be fine is her."

I pulled away from Steve and, without mercy or hesitation, marched straight toward Tina. I was sure I had hurt myself in that fall, but the anger and pride I felt in that moment kept me from feeling any pain.

As soon as I was in front of her, without thinking twice, I slapped her hard. I had never hit anyone before, but I was so furious and it pissed me off so much that I couldn't hold back.

"Aah!" Tina screamed, clutching her lip, which started to bleed slightly. "You idiot, you've just dug your own grave!" she said furiously, tears spilling down her face.

"Should've thought about that before you moved the mat, idiot!" I shot back.

In that moment, Tina lunged at me, intending to hit me back, but I quickly raised my arms to block the blow.

We both got tangled in a flurry of punches, barely lasting a few seconds. Suddenly, I felt someone grab me by the waist and pull me away from Tina, while Steve was separating her from me. Only the four of us—me, Billy, Steve, and Carol—remained in the gym, as the others took the opportunity to leave.

"Take her, I'll handle this one," I realized it was Billy who was holding me up, lifting me off the ground. He said this to Steve, who nodded, probably the first time these two had agreed on anything.

"Let me go, damn it!" I screamed, kicking in the air as Billy held me tight. "This is your fault, you idiot! Let me go! If you stopped messing around, this wouldn't be happening! I'm so sick of you and your hookups, I always get caught in the middle!"

What the hell are you talking about, Maddie? Relax before you say more stupid things.

"What's the hell are you talking about now? And stop kicking, goddammit!" — He dropped me to the ground, turned me around, and grabbed me by the shoulders as soon as Tina disappeared with Steve and a few others. "Knock it off already, damn it!"

"Let me go, William!" — I stared him in the eyes, but he didn't even flinch!

"Shut up!" — He grunted.

He kept holding me by the shoulders, both of us glaring at each other in anger. But, for some reason, his expression suddenly changed, looking worried. And, for some reason, I managed to calm down and relax my muscles.

"You're such an idiot. If something happened to you... How the hell am I supposed to explain to Neil that you broke your neck and I did nothing to stop it?" — He sighed.

"I don't know what you're complaining about, you would've had one less problem if I had broken my neck," I frowned, annoyed by his words.

On top of Tina almost ruining me, I had to put up with him calling me an idiot. It was clear that what he was worried about was saving his own ass.

"Are you okay?" he ignored my response and placed his hands on either side of my face, looking at me intently. "Did you hurt yourself?"

" You don't have to pretend to be concerned. I'm fine. And, to your misfortune and mine, we're still going to have to put up with each other for the rest of the semester. Now, if you don't mind, I want to shower and go home," I replied angrily, and with a quick motion, I managed to pull away from him and started walking toward the locker room.

God, always so defensive! You're worse than a pain in the ass!" he said, following my steps. "Madeleine, stop for a second, damn it!" he growled, catching up to me and grabbing my left wrist.

"Stop, stop! Ah, damn it!" I screamed. I felt a sharp, stabbing pain as his hand gripped my wrist. "Shit, shit! Let go of me!"

"I knew it," he muttered, his gaze fixed on my wrist, which definitely didn't look good. "I didn't think Tina would be that stupid. I'd grab her and..." He stopped mid-sentence, grunting in frustration. "Does it hurt a lot?" he asked, looking up at me briefly while pressing his thumb gently on my wrist.

"Shit, it hurts. It really hurts," I muttered, biting down on the inside of my cheek to try and dull the pain. But something nagged at me, and I couldn't help but ask.

"Hey, earlier, when you called someone an idiot... who were you talking about? Me or Tina?"

"What? Why does it matter now?" He quickly looked away, his focus shifting to my wrist instead of meeting my eyes.

"It matters to me, William..." I said quietly, and the silence between us stretched on, thick and uncomfortable.

What the hell was wrong with me? Why was I letting the mere thought of that idiot actually caring about me soften me again?

"Madeleine..." He raised his head, his blue eyes piercing right through me. One of his hands was still holding mine, while the other gently cupped my cheek in a soft, almost brotherly caress. "I told you, and you didn't believe me. I've hated you since the day we met," he said, moving a little closer.

"And I hate you," I replied in a calm voice, not backing away.

"But whether you believe it or not, I've been worrying about you for a while now, redhead. In my own way, but I do," he added, brushing my cheek again. "And you have no idea how much it frustrates me... How much it pisses me off."

"I feel the same," I said, my hand moving instinctively to my wrist. We were too close again, and I knew how dangerous that could be.

"Steve told me what happened," Sandra, freshly showered, appeared out of nowhere, snapping me back to reality. Billy quickly pulled away. "That wrist looks pretty bad. It's swollen, Maddie. You should see a doctor," she said, gently taking my hand to examine my wrist.

"Tina's already gone, though. She left in a rage, but she's gone," Steve returned, his hair still wet, probably from a quick shower. "She's got a thick skull. Something worse could've happened to you," he added. He stepped forward, kissed my forehead, then gently ran his fingers over my cheek. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need anything?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"I'm fine, just a little scrape on my wrist. Nothing serious," I smiled, trying to downplay it.

"That doesn't look minor, Maddie..." He grimaced as he noticed the swelling in my wrist. "At the very least, it's a sprain. You really should see a doctor."

"That's exactly what I told her," Sandra chimed into the conversation. "Billy, take your sister to the hospital before her wrist swells up even more."

Definitely, this girl was way too sweet and kind to be with someone like Billy.

"I'm fine, really. Besides, we have to take you home and pick up Maxine too; she's probably waiting for us," I said. The mere idea of being alone with Billy after that brief conversation we just had... No, it was not a good idea.

"Exactly, I don't have time to take her," Billy grumbled with a sour expression.

"I can take care of both of you. I don't know what your damn problem is about taking your sister to the hospital," Steve glared at Billy defiantly before focusing back on me. "And you need to go to the hospital right now. Sandra's right."

"Fine," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Call me as soon as you get home and tell me how it went," Steve said, planting a long kiss on my cheek. "And don't be stubborn, take care of yourself and do what the doctor says."

"Yes, mom," I laughed.

"I'll wait for you in the car, Sandra," Steve said as he walked away.

I turned to look and saw Sandra saying goodbye to Billy in a way that was far too affectionate for my taste. I left and headed toward the locker rooms before I could throw up from watching that scene. After all that time, the sweat on my skin had already dried, but I still wanted to take a quick shower; if I had to go to the hospital, I didn't want to reek of sweat. Who knows—maybe there'd be a young, handsome doctor in the emergency room.

Luckily, the locker room was empty, so I could shower in peace. I undressed as best as I could and stepped into the shower. I turned the water as hot as my skin could bear, which finally helped me fully relax. The downside was that the blow to my wrist had cooled off, which now made me all the more aware of how bad the injury was—not just because of the even more obvious swelling, but also because the pain had intensified.

I stepped out of the shower, barely managing to wrap myself in the towel. Once I reached the bench where I'd left my clean clothes next to my backpack, I still don't know how I managed to dry myself before starting to get dressed. This was when the real ordeal began.

Reluctantly and trying not to scream in pain, I managed to put on my lace panties.
Yes, I always wear lingerie—you never know. I tried to put on my bra, but fastening it behind my back was impossible without making my injured wrist worse. So, after stifling a few cries of pain, I gave up. I'd spend the rest of the day braless.

But, obviously, I couldn't show up at the hospital without a sweater. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the undershirt with my uninjured hand. Big mistake. As soon as I tried to slide my arm through the sleeve, my wrist throbbed like hell.

"OW! DAMN IT, SHIT!" I yelled, letting the shirt drop onto the bench.

"For God's sake, Maddie, stop screaming—you sound like you're being murdered," Billy said, bursting into the locker room.

"It hurts, it hurts so much. I wouldn't be screaming otherwise, you idiot," I snapped, clenching the fist of my uninjured right hand, which thankfully was still intact.

"Come on, get dressed already. The longer you take, the worse it'll hurt, moron," he scolded me, his eyes staring at me intently—too intensely, I'd say.

"That's exactly why I'm screaming—it hurts, and I can't put my clothes on!" At that moment, my mind clicked. I was naked, wearing nothing but my panties.

"Shit, William! Get out, damn it!" I grabbed the shirt again and covered my chest. My cheeks started to burn. "Get out and let me get dressed!"

"Stop being so damn proud for once in your life, Madeleine. You know perfectly well you can't dress yourself," he said, stepping closer. I backed away until my back hit the lockers. "I don't care if you're naked, I couldn't care less," he said, snatching the shirt from my hands and pressing his body against mine. One of his hands gripped the back of my neck firmly. "Stop acting like a child and let someone help you for once in your damn life."

"And you... you..." I looked up and found his eyes locked onto mine

I was completely trapped by his body, speechless. Breathless.

Having him this close once again shattered my defenses. The scent of his shampoo, fresh from the shower, mixed with the faint trace of his cologne, overwhelming my senses. I bit my lower lip, my gaze dropping to his partially unbuttoned shirt, revealing the bare skin of his chest.

I placed my right hand on his chest and let my fingertips glide over it, feeling every pore of his skin. Feeling the rapid thud of his heartbeat beneath my hand. I looked up, and our eyes met again. We remained silent, the only sounds between us the quickening rhythm of our breaths.

I let my fingers continue their path across the warm skin of his chest, moving toward his neck, caressing it gently. I traced the line of his jaw with my index finger, feeling the subtle tension that built there. My hand kept traveling, finally reaching his lips—those perfect, full lips.

My breathing grew faster, and despite the cold around us, I couldn't stop the heat radiating through me.

I stroked his upper lip slowly with my thumb, causing his mouth to part slightly as I noticed his breathing growing unsteady. A faint growl rumbled deep in his throat. He leaned in closer, pressing his forehead against mine.

My index finger traced the corner of his mouth, and I began to caress his lower lip sensually. My own lips parted as well, and our breaths began to mingle...