by Alex Grayson
“How would you know? Did you visit the roof already?”
“Maybe.” He shrugs, the cutest damn smile on his lips. “I was scouting the place out earlier. It’s what I do.”
“Once a soldier, always a soldier.”
“It’s true.” He chuckles. “When you’ve been to some of the places I have, you learn to look over your shoulder.”
“And on rooftops apparently.”
“Especially on rooftops.” He gives me a serious look and I’m quickly reminded that he’s likely seen things most people can’t even begin to imagine. “So what do you say?”
“Hmm. That depends.” I pull my bottom lip into my mouth in an effort to contain my smile.
“On what?”
“On whether or not you plan to kiss me this time.”
I don’t miss the look that passes over his face or the way that one look makes me feel. Almost like I’m vibrating from the inside out.
“I wanted to kiss you that night, you know.” He falls serious. “I resisted the urge all night long.”
“Why?” I can’t help but ask, knowing how badly I wanted him to kiss me.
“Because I was there for my brother. He was crazy about Blue and I didn’t want to do something to complicate that for him. That, and I didn’t want to lead you on knowing there was nothing I could give you.”
“But you’re okay leading me on now?”
“Who says I’m leading you on now?” He quirks a brow.
“Am I missing something?” I don’t try to mask my confusion.
“Last time was different. Things were different. But I’ve had a lot of time to think over the last few months and you want to know the one thing I keep coming back to?” He looks at me for a long moment, the intensity of his stare causing the little hairs on the back of my neck to stand. “You.” He finally finishes. “I keep coming back to you. I’ve played that night on repeat in my head countless times. And every single time I do all I can think about is what a monumental mistake I made letting you get out of the car with Blue that night. I should have taken you home. I should have walked you to your door and told you what an amazing time I had. I should have kissed you.” He leans forward, his lips a beat away from mine.
My breath catches in my throat and I suddenly become acutely aware of how many people are witnessing this encounter. God, I can only imagine what my mother is thinking right now. But for some reason it doesn’t bother me the way I expect it to.
Maybe it’s because of Everett’s close proximity, and his incredible scent filling up my senses. Maybe it’s because he’s saying everything I wished he had said months ago. Maybe it’s because I feel validated in how often I’ve thought of him since we were last together. Whatever the reason, I find myself caring less and less about our audience and more and more about what it will feel like to kiss Everett Avery for the first time.
I could do it, too. A slight lean forward and our lips would be pressed together. But for some reason I don’t. I think deep down I want him to be the one to kiss me. Does that make me old fashioned? Maybe a little. But a woman knows what she wants.
“I won’t be making the same mistake twice.” He slides his nose against mine before pulling away a few inches. Disappointment creeps through my bones but he quickly squashes the feeling down. “Meet me on the rooftop in twenty minutes.” He lays a light kiss to my cheek before he steps away.
Only then do I realize that the music has stopped playing. I smile, attempting to seem completely natural as I follow Blue, Harris, and Everett back toward the wedding party table.
The next few minutes are torture. I mean, not really, but kind of at the same time. Everett gives the most incredible best man speech I think I’ve ever heard. And then Blue smashes nearly an entire piece of wedding cake in Harris’ face. If I wasn’t anticipating what was to come with Everett that would have been the highlight of my night.
As the formalities start to wind down, the real party begins. Knowing that I won’t be missed at least for a little while, I make some lame excuse to Blue about needing to make a phone call before quietly slipping out of the banquet hall to go in search of Everett, whom I haven’t seen since the cake incident.
Having a pretty good idea where he is, mainly because he told me where he’d be, I take the elevator to the top floor and follow the signs to the roof access.
When I step outside, the night air is cool on my warm skin. It’s been an unseasonably warm winter but that doesn’t mean a coat isn’t required. Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t thought to bring mine up with me.
It doesn’t take me long to locate Everett. He’s standing at the far-right corner with his back to me. I try to be as quiet as I can, but my heels click against the concrete, giving me away. It’s not long before he turns and watches me walk toward him, a smile playing on his lips that does things to my body I’m quite sure should be impossible.
It isn’t until I reach him that I realize he has my coat slung over his arm. He offers it to me, helping me slide it on. The gesture is beyond sweet and sends my already frazzled heart into overdrive.
“I was starting to think you weren’t coming,” he tells me, taking my hand in his as he turns us back out toward the amazing view the rooftop offers.
“I didn’t want to draw too much attention to my departure. I had to wait for the right moment.” I smile, taking in the gorgeous sight of the city before us.
“My brother and your best friend.” He grins, turning toward me. “I still can’t believe he’s actually married.”
“You? Blue’s the one that claimed for years she didn’t believe in love. Now look at her.”
“Seeing them together tonight made me realize something. Something I already knew really. But I guess maybe it just pronounced it more.”
“What’s that?” I ask when he doesn’t continue.
“That I want that, too. I want to put my heart out there and risk it all for the chance to be even half as happy as they are right now.” He reaches up and cups my cheek, looking down at me in a way I don’t think anyone has ever looked at me before. It’s enough to make me want to profess my love right here on the spot.
Do I love him? No. At least not yet. But what I’m feeling is something almost as overwhelming. The possibility of love.
I knew there was something there the moment I stepped into the restaurant and locked eyes with Everett nearly five months ago. I could feel it in my bones. And when we parted ways that night, deep down I knew that if what I felt was real, we’d find a way to explore whatever this thing between us is. But the more time that passed, the more my belief faded as well.
Now, to have him standing in front of me, saying all the things I’ve been dreaming he would say, I’m not sure if I’m more elated or terrified. I think maybe I feel both things equally.
My heart lodges somewhere in my throat as Everett shifts, his face lowering to mine. He stops mere inches from my mouth, his soft gaze holding mine.
“I’m going to kiss you now, Hannah.”
He doesn’t wait for a response. The statement is no more than off his tongue before his lips are pressed to mine.
Despite the cold temperature, warmth spreads through my entire body. Like tiny fireworks going off inside of me, I feel myself shake and pulse under the feeling of his kiss.
It doesn’t take long for things to escalate. What starts out as slow and cautious, quickly morphs into hunger and need. I kiss him like my life depends on it, and he kisses me right back with the same intensity.
And while I’m not the kind of girl that just hops into bed with a man, right now it’s the only thing I want to do. I want to feel Everett. I want him on me, against me, inside me. I want to know every part of his body. I want to touch him, explore him, and feel him in a way I’ve only ever dreamt about.
Maybe it’s the buzz of alcohol running through my veins. Or maybe it’s that I’ve known all along that Everett Avery is who I want.
When Everett finally breaks the kiss, we’
re both panting like we’ve run a marathon. My heart is thudding so loudly against my ribcage it’s the only sound I can hear.
“I have a room,” I say, not the least bit embarrassed by my forwardness. “I wanted to stay here so I could drink and not worry about driving home.”
“Seems you and I had the same thought.” He smiles, pulling a key card from the front pocket of his jacket. “So I guess the only question now is, your room or mine?”
“Tell me something about you. Something I’d be surprised to know.” I snuggle into Everett’s side, running the tip of my index finger along the dips of his perfectly sculpted abdomen.
“Something you’d be surprised to know.” He thinks on it for a long moment. “Let’s see. Well, I’ve never been in love before. Does that count?”
“You haven’t?” I lift my head from his chest and look up at him. He looks so perfect. His messy hair. His lazy smile. It’s everything I thought this moment would be and yet so much more at the same time.
“Nope. What about you?”
“Um, yeah, I guess. I mean, I’ve loved people before. But I don’t know that I’ve been in love.”
“In a way I haven’t wanted to find it.” He admits. “I’ve been married to the military for fifteen years. My life is unpredictable at best. I guess I never wanted to bring anyone else into that chaos.”
“But you don’t feel that way now?” I’m trying to keep up. His words are saying one thing but his tone is saying something else entirely.
“My situation has changed. Or well, it is changing.”
“How so?”
“I’ve decided not to reenlist.”
“Wait, what?” This has me moving into a sitting position, swiveling my body so that I’m facing him.
He tucks an arm behind his head, his gaze dropping to my bare chest for a brief moment before coming back up to my face.
“I think it’s time for me to do something different with my life.”
“Does that mean your coming home?” I ask, not even really sure where home is for him. I know from Blue that Harris and Everett are originally from Maine, but I don’t really know much more than that.
“No.” The one word is enough to make me feel like I’ve been punched directly in the stomach. My excitement instantly deflates.
“So you’re staying in Hawaii?”
“I am,” he confirms. “I love it there so much. The thought of leaving doesn’t feel right.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“Well,” he kneads his bottom lip between his teeth like he’s not sure if he wants to tell me or not, “you’re probably going to think I’m crazy.”
“Okay, now I’m really curious.”
“I bought a restaurant.”
“Wait, what?”
“You heard me. I took my entire life savings and bought a little run-down restaurant on the beach. It’s not much, but with a little TLC I know it will be incredible. The location is perfect and the bones are there. It just needs some work.”
“You bought a restaurant,” I repeat, not sure why I’m having such a hard time believing someone like Everett would be the kind of guy to sink everything he owns into something that may not be a sure thing.
“I did.” He smiles. “I signed the papers this week. It’s why I missed my first flight. The seller had to reschedule last minute, and it was either switch my flight or possibly lose the restaurant.”
“Wow. I don’t even know what to say.”
“I know it’s a risk. But I’ve spent my entire life planning every move I make. For once I want to live my life for me. I want to do something that makes me happy.” The smile on his face is hard to ignore, even if the disappointment I’m feeling stings.
For a brief moment I thought maybe we could do this, but his future plans confirm how wrong I was. If he has no plans to leave Hawaii and my life is here in Boston, what chance do we really have? And I know it’s premature to think that way, but after spending what has been, hands down, the best night of my life with Everett, I can’t help but want to spend many more nights just like this one.
“That’s really awesome. I’m really happy for you.”
“And the best part.” He pushes up on his elbows before sitting the rest of the way up. “There’s a small detached building behind the restaurant that I’m going to have turned into a house. So not only will I get to work footsteps from the beach, I’ll get to live there as well. Can you imagine? Waking up every day and walking out to the beautiful blue water and warm sunshine on your face?”
“It sounds like a dream.”
“It is. And it’s a dream I can’t wait to start living.” He reaches out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “But there’s one thing missing.”
“And what’s that?”
“You.” That one word holds more weight than any other word that came before it. “Come to Hawaii with me.”
“What?” I choke out, convinced I’m not hearing him right.
“You heard me. Come to Hawaii. Be with me.”
“Everett.” I’m at a loss for words. How could I possibly agree to something so completely ludicrous that it doesn’t even make sense to me?
“We can rent a place until the house is ready. You can help me with the restaurant. We can do it all…together.”
“Everett, I can’t. I have a job and family and friends here. I can’t up and leave everything behind.”
“Why not?”
It’s a valid question.
Why can’t I?
I hate my job. Blue is married now. My mom would be elated to have a reason to visit Hawaii. The wheels are already turning before I can even wrap my head around the fact that I’m actually considering this.
Do I have feelings for this man? Undeniably so.
Are my feelings strong enough to risk everything on a chance to find happiness with him?
If they weren’t would I even be entertaining the idea to begin with?
“So you want me to what? Up and move to Hawaii with you?” I question again to confirm that I’m not losing my mind. Which maybe I have for even considering this…and maybe he has too for asking.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I want.”
“But you don’t even know me. What happens if I go with you and two weeks from now you realize you’ve made a horrible mistake in asking me to do this?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t a hundred percent certain that wouldn’t happen.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I can, because I know how I feel when I’m with you.” He reaches out and cups my cheek. “I know it’s a big ask and I know it’s a risk. Nothing in life is guaranteed. This could blow up in our faces. But it could also turn out to be the best thing that’s ever happened to either of us.”
“I don’t know, Everett. This is just so crazy. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“You think I don’t know how insane this must seem to you? Hell, it’s insane to me and I’m the one suggesting it. But it feels right, Hannah. More right than anything has felt in a very long time.” He leans forward, resting his forehead against mine. “Say yes,” he whispers. “Say you’ll take this chance with me. Jump with me, my sweet Hannah. Jump.”
“Okay.” The word is off my tongue before I can take it back, but truthfully I don’t want to. I don’t want to take it back because from the moment he suggested it all I have wanted to do is say yes.
Everett smiles against my mouth seconds before his lips capture mine.
I might be crazy for what I’m about to do. But when I look back at my life in fifty years, I don’t want to regret not taking this chance. I want to look back and know, that good or bad, win or lose, right or wrong, I had the courage to live.
The End
About Melissa
Melissa Toppen is a Bestselling Romance Author of New Adult, Coming-of-Age, Contemporary and Romantic Suspense. She is a lover of books and enjoys nothing more than losing herself in a good novel. S
he has a soft spot for Romance and focuses her writing in that direction; writing what she loves to read. Melissa was born and raised in a small town in Ohio and now resides in Cincinnati with her husband and two children, where she writes full time.
Visit her at www.mtoppen.com
Sign up to her newsletter
Join her reader group
First Kiss
A Defiance Falls Prequel
Ali Dean
She’s untouchable, the only girl in our crew, but I can’t stop wanting her.
Am I willing to risk the group’s trust and respect for a shot with Hazel Ross?
1
Cruz
The ball went flying through the air and I jumped with all my might along with everyone in the penalty box. We were a swarm of bodies, sweaty, dirty, and desperate to win this game. It was the final one at this prestigious soccer tournament and we’d played many hours for four days straight to make it to this point. An elbow slammed into my rib and a cleat whacked my calf, but I hardly felt a thing. The ball was coming right at us and I twisted my body, using my height to edge in front of the defenders surrounding me. The side of my forehead connected with the ball and I sent its momentum in the direction of the goal.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the goalie lunge for it. My feet landed back on the ground with a couple of bodies crashing into me, but the cheers from the sidelines told me I’d hit my mark. It was the final seconds of overtime, and the ref blew the whistle at that exact moment. We’d won the game, the tournament. As Spike and Bodhi, two of the other top players on New England Elite, helped me up, it wasn’t the win that sent a surge of satisfaction through me. It was the look of respect on my teammates’ faces. Four guys in particular who I needed that from.
Bodhi threw an arm around my shoulder. “Nice work, man.”
His twin Emmett, who’d sent the pass, jogged over and went in for a bro hug. “I knew you’d get that, Cruz.”
