You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?” He smirks…

““You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?” He smirks, resting his hands on my waist. “Hoped.” My cheeks ache from smiling, but I don’t care. I don’t care about anything but Darren and him kissing me again. I trace the smooth skin around his mouth. “You better be careful,” he says, kissing the tip of my finger with each word. “I’ve been known to bite.” We laugh and he tightens his hold at my waist and pulls me against him, pressing our lips together. I rake my fingers through his hair and grab a fistful, tugging him closer and deepening the kiss. Electricity courses through me from my chest to hips and back again. His warm, wet hands explore my bare back, setting every inch of my skin on fire. His shoulder muscles tense and release in synchronization with his hands all over me. He takes my face in his palms and slows the kiss down, our breathing still heavy. I’ve never been so dizzy in my whole life. My head, my body, are part of the sea, ebbing and flowing with the tides. I get it now. This is what kissing is really supposed to be. Any others before were merely run-throughs with understudies. Darren is a leading man. Our foreheads rest together and the pads of his fingers slowly trail up and down my arms. “What do we do now?” he asks. I inhale deeply, trying to clear my mind, to be struck with a brilliant solution. “I have no idea.” He plays with the wet ends of my hair. “I think we just made saying good-bye the next time exponentially more difficult.” “Infinitely more difficult.” But I’ll worry about that tomorrow.””

— Kristin Rae