Page 91 of More For Me

Bodhi

Okay, so this isawesome.

I’ve imagined what it would be like to kiss Everly about a million times. The little taste of it I got last week had been world-changing, but way too quick. Tonight is not going to be quick. Not if I have anything to say about it. It’s way too good to be quick.

The best part is that Iknewit would be this good. All this time, all these years, I knew we would be perfect together. That slipping from friendship to something more would be the simplest thing in the world, because it was what was meant to happen. And I was right. Kissing her is the most natural, most obvious thing that’s ever happened to me.

But it’s also nothing like I expected at all. My imagination wasn’t robust enough to picture just how fully she would melt into me. How much softer her hair would feel when my lips were covering hers. How insane I would feel at the sound of her little gasp when I move my hand down to her waist and yank her entire body close.

“Bodhi,” she whispers against my mouth, and I pull back, but only far enough to give her lips room to form words. I can’t bear to release her face or move my hand away from her back.

“Are you okay?”

She nods, looking dazed as she sucks in a gasping breath. “I just…I think I stopped breathing somewhere in there.” But she moves in to place little kisses against my lips and chin, like she can’t bear to stop touching me anymore than I can stop touching her.

“Everly,” I groan as she moves her lips down to my neck. “I would very much like you to not pass out from lack of oxygen but I’m not going to be able to stop kissing you if you keep that up.”

“You smell so good right here,” she whispers, pressing her hot mouth into the space right under my ear. “I’ve always thought so.”

I’m pretty sure I growl—my heart is pounding too hard to really hear myself. I cup her cheek, pulling her face back to mine so I can kiss her again, but her glasses knock against my cheek and she gasps a little, eyes widening in horror.

“Oh my God,” she groans. “I totally forgot what I look like.”

I blink at her. “What does that mean?”

She’s pulling away and I think I might cry. “Come back.” But her hands are patting around her messy hair, that same horrified expression on her face.

“I look like a troll.”

I bark out a laugh. “What? No you don’t. Come back here.”

She starts to move from the couch. “Will you just give me a few minutes?” she says. “I want to put my contacts in. Wash my face. Change my clothes.” She groans and mutters under her breath. “What the hell am I going to do about my hair?”

Understanding dawns and I can’t keep the grin off my face. She thinks she looks bad—which is absolutely bullshit—but the idea of her wanting to impress me makes this all seem more real somehow.

But now she’s standing and the grin slips from my face. “Hang on.” I grab her hips and pull her back to me, right onto my lap, and she gasps. I wrap my arms around her to keep her from going anywhere.

“Remember how I told you I was going to tell you all the things about you that I find attractive?”

She narrows her eyes. “If you say messy hair and a swollen face, I might hit you.”

I study her, noting that her faceisswollen, especially around the eyes. My heart twists. Because she was crying. Over me. I risk moving one hand from my hold on her so I can slide her glasses off, setting them next to me on the side table. Then I press my lips against the puffy skin under her eyes, making her breath catch.

“You’re gorgeous, Everly. You’re gorgeous all decked out in clothes from your very own amazing fashion line and you’re gorgeous just like this.”

She rolls her eyes. “I amnotgorgeous right now. I’m not even cute.”

I laugh, pressing my face into her neck. She makes a happy noise and kind of snuggles down into me. “You are absolutely cute. The cutest thing ever.”

“Bodhi,” she complains.

“I mean it. I love you like this.” I pause at her quickly sucked in breath and I realize what I said. “I love when you look like this,” I clarify, not because the other statement isn’t true, but because I know she isn’t ready to hear it. “I love it when you’re comfortable at home. I love that you feel comfortable enough with me to just be yourself.”

I slide my hands down to her hips, fingers wrapping around to barely graze her ass, and she squeaks. I haven’t touched her like this yet, but holy hell, I want to. “You also look ridiculously sexy in yoga pants.”

“Bodhi!”

“What?”