“Wow. I knew she’d slept with him, but I had no idea there was still something going on between them.” A shiver ran through me, and it wasn’t from the cold, though the frigid mist had nearly saturated my clothes. I could even taste the salt on my lips.

  “Cold?”

  I shrank further into the warmth of his jacket. “A little.”

  “Come on.” He took my hand and pulled me to my feet. “We can walk around a little. Get out of the wind before we have to go back.”

  “Okay.” I had to shake my head to keep from getting lost in his eyes.

  He threw his arm over my shoulder and nestled me against his side. “Is this okay?”

  “Mmhmm.” More than okay. Fantastic. Amazing. I never wanted to leave.

  He led me toward the lighthouse, and I watched the sweeping path of the beacon as it swirled around. “So tell me why you moved to Port Michael.”

  “My, uh, dad died.” The words were bitter on my tongue, and I suddenly didn’t want to focus on anything other than the tops of my shoes.

  He stopped walking and turned to look at me. He cupped my face in his hands and forced me to look at him. “Ava, I’m sorry.”

  I shrugged, swallowing back the instinct to cry. I didn’t want to cry in front of him. “Heart attack. Six months ago.”

  He pulled me into a hug. “That must have been hard.”

  “It was.” I pressed my nose to his chest and breathed in more of his intoxicating scent. “My dad and I were close. Really close.” The minute I opened the floodgates, I couldn’t stop. I told Maddox about my obsession with classic rock and how Dad started collecting the vintage tees that eventually became mine. And then I told him about Virginia, my little brother, and my mom and how the devastation of her loss had completely changed her—until we’d gotten to Port Michael and somehow, the light was back in her eyes again.

  “Maybe your mom just feels safe in Maine. You said she spent summers here as a kid?”

  I nodded. “My grandmother left her the house in her will.”

  “Well, that makes sense. The memories here are different from the memories she had in Virginia. She can probably think about your dad without getting overwhelmed. I-I imagine it’s not easy to go on after losing your soul mate.” He gave me one last squeeze then turned so we could continue forward. “My mother got sick when I was young, probably before I was born, actually. It wasn’t cancer, but it was equally devastating. She lost touch with reality, as if something had eaten away her soul, day by day, little by little. But I don’t think she and my dad were ever really in love.”

  “That’s horrible. How could you marry someone you didn’t love?”

  He shrugged. “It was just how things were done where they were from. I think they had affection for one another, but there wasn’t that spark.” He took my hand, and I felt the very spark he spoke of.

  We’d reached the door to the lighthouse, and I somehow wasn’t surprised when Maddox opened it without any trouble. “After you.” He let go of my hand to rest his on my lower back as he followed me into the dimly lit room. Light filtered down from high above, highlighting over two centuries of yellowed paint, chipping and flaking from the brick walls like a snake shedding its skin. A winding flight of ornate iron stairs twirled up through the massive tower. Maddox sat on the bottom step, waving me to join him.

  I sat beside him, but my thoughts were still on his mom. “I’m sorry. Did she… is your mom…”

  “Dead? Yes. But she didn’t die until I was much older. She slowly went crazy until she died alone, lost inside her own damaged mind.”

  “Oh, Maddox. That’s terrible.” I pressed my hand to my chest. My heart actually ached for him. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially to watch someone he loved deteriorate right in front of him.

  He rested his forehead to mine, and I tasted a faint hint of minty toothpaste on his breath. “Don’t be sad. It was a very long time ago.”

  I nodded, but I wondered what he considered a long time ago. He couldn’t have been much older than me.

  “So…” He cupped my chin, lifting my face up to his. The playful grin on his lips told me he was about to change the subject. “You really didn’t remember our kiss that night?”

  I swallowed before answering in a whisper. “Oh, I remembered it. I-I just wasn’t sure if it really happened.”

  “Well then, I clearly didn’t leave much of a lasting impression on you, did I? I definitely think I deserve a do-over.” He glanced at my lips then back to my eyes as he waited for me to respond.

  I sucked in a jagged breath and went back to gnawing on my bottom lip. My ears buzzed. Whether it was the roar of the ocean or something coming from inside my own head, I didn’t know. But my entire body vibrated with excitement. “A do-over, huh?”

  “Yes, I’d like a chance to burn the memory into your brain this time. My fragile ego is slightly bruised at the thought of you finding our last kiss so forgettable.”

  I didn’t tell him I’d already irrevocably burned the memory into my brain. Even if I had thought it was all a dream, I would likely never forget that kiss. “Why is it boys are always so worried about—”

  Without preamble, he captured my face in his warm palms, pinning me between his hard chest and the iron railing behind me. Before I could even take a breath, he closed his mouth over mine, silencing the rest of my thought. I moaned and felt a tremor go through him. His soft, pliable lips coaxed mine open, and he slipped his tongue between them to tease the tip of mine. As if someone had run a lit match over my skin, I was burning up and out of breath. Operating on pure instinct, I reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt, tugging him closer—as if that was even possible. Lack of oxygen made my head spin.

  His arm came around my waist, yanking my entire front against his. We were so close I could feel his heart beating in my chest as if we were one person. One soul.

  And then he was on his feet, pacing the floor in the tight space. “I, uh. I’m sorry.” He glanced at me with genuine pain reflecting in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to take it that far. I would never try to take advantage of you, Ava.”

  I licked my lips and tried to smile. The bitter taste of rejection slowly faded away. “It’s not taking advantage if I’m a willing participant, right?”

  He laughed. “I still shouldn’t have done it. You deserve better than that.”

  I stood and took a step in his direction, careful not to move too quickly. “Why don’t you let me decide what I deserve, hmm? Maybe I liked the way you were kissing me. Maybe I liked having your body against me. If that makes me a—”

  He silenced me with his mouth, turning me and pressing my back against the brick wall and raising my hands above my head in one of his. “Don’t ever disrespect yourself like that,” he whispered as his lips burned a trail over my chin and down my throat. “God, you make me so crazy. I can’t seem to help myself. I lose control when I’m around you.”

  Lose control? Until that moment, the boy had exhibited more control than a Franciscan monk. “Let go just a little bit. I’m not ready for… you know. But I want you to kiss me.”

  His lips found mine again, and I let my arms wrap around his neck as he kissed me into oblivion.

  “You will be in class tomorrow, right?” My teeth sank into my swollen bottom lip as I looked up at him under the streetlight in front of my house. We were right back where we’d started three hours ago. God, three hours had flashed by in an instant.

  “You mean today?” He gently pulled my lip free and flashed me a smug grin. “I think that’s taken quite enough abuse for one night, don’t you?”

  I shrugged and gave him a smug smile of my own. As far as I was concerned, he could abuse my lips any time—preferably sooner than later. He wasn’t even gone yet, and I already missed him. “Oh, I almost forgot.” I begrudgingly relinquished the warmth of his jacket and shivered in the cool night air.

  “You’re cold.” He eyed my pebbled skin before leaning down to kiss me again. “You should go in.”

  My brain knew he was right, but my heart couldn’t hear it over the hammering in my chest. “You never answered my question.”

  “Yes. I’ll be in class tomorrow. I’ll even get there early and wait for you in the parking lot.”

  I wanted to ask him to pick me up in the morning, but I wasn’t that girl. I’d already given in to the teenage beast too many times in one night. I’d let things evolve naturally. “Okay. Good night.”

  I backed away until my feet hit the asphalt then turned and ran all the way to the house, stopping again to tiptoe up the porch steps to the front door.

  I turned my key in the lock and slipped inside, but not without taking one last peek behind me at the boy who’d somehow managed to steal my heart.

  Chapter Ten

  His warm hand clutched mine as we darted through a field of wildflowers. My billowing skirts slapped against the tall stalks, kicking up millions of dandelion seeds as we ran. They floated through the air on tiny parachutes, sticking to the glistening sheen of sweat on my skin.

  “Stop. Stop,” I panted through giggles. “I can’t run anymore. I need to rest.”

  The musical sound of his laughter kept me going until he tugged me down, pulling me on top of him on a soft bed of flowers. I struggled to sit up, but he held me close. “You said you wanted to rest.”

  I stopped struggling but didn’t quite relax. “But what if my father sees us?”

  “He won’t.” His smile was as bright as the sun. Without moving from his place beneath me, he plucked a bouquet of snowdrops from the ground and presented it to me. “We’re very well hidden.”

  “What if he comes looking for us?”

  “He won’t. You always worry too much.” He rolled until I was under him and brought his lips down to mine for a quick kiss. “He knows I’d never harm you.”

  I laughed at the lascivious look on his handsome face. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I think you mean to give me a raging fever.”

  “It’s only fair. I already burn for you.” His mouth captured mine again, sucking the breath from my lungs. No matter how many times I kissed him, I would never get used to the unbridled thrill of it.

  Like practiced perfection, our lips moved together. He had me breathless and drunk on his affection. I never wanted him to stop. I needed his touch more than oxygen—the feel of his weight above me, pressing me into the warm earth, his strong hands gripping my hips to keep me still. I would rather suffocate than stop him.

  Without warning, he pulled back. He didn’t say a word, just stared down at me with a look I couldn’t decipher.

  “What is it?” My breath caught in my throat. “What’s wrong?”

  His eyes burned into mine for a long moment. He smiled. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” I laughed, grabbing his shirtfront and tugging him back to me.

  He kissed me again, nipping and licking my lips. Then he shook his head and pulled away, sitting an arm’s length from me. “Wait.”

  I crawled to sit beside him and pouted out my bottom lip. “No waiting. Just kiss me. We only have until sundown.”

  He looked into the hazy blue sky then turned his eyes back to mine. “Marry me.”

  “What?”

  “Please. I want to know you’re mine forever. If your father won’t give us permission, we’ll run away together. I’ll make all the arrangements if you’ll just say you’ll marry me.”

  My smile was so wide I worried my face would crack. “All right. Yes. I’ll marry you.”

  “You will?”

  “I will. I love you, Maddox.”

  As if I’d stabbed him in the chest, he wrenched himself away from me, a look of horror marring his perfect features. His voice cracked on a single word. “Laith.”

  “What?” I scrambled to my knees, terrified by the wild look in his eyes.

  “My name is Laith.” He ripped a flower from the ground and proceeded to crush it in his fist. “And I’d almost rather see you die again than let Maddox have you.”

  A scream bubbled out of me, and I bolted upright in bed as it tore out of me, making my ears ring from the shrill sound.

  My heart had clawed halfway up my throat, and I swallowed it down as I worked to get my breathing under control. Only a dream—a nightmare—nothing more. I wasn’t surrounded by a field of flowers. I was safe in my bed… at home, though I could still smell the sweet fragrance of the bluebells and the beautiful boy by my side. I licked my lips and still tasted him there. But Maddox had kissed me, hadn’t he? Last night at the lighthouse. And again outside. For whatever cruel reason, my subconscious was playing tricks on me again, as if my own brain was hell-bent on ruining my happiness.

  “Ava!” My mom’s voice shouted from the distance, but I couldn’t bring myself to respond. I was still too shaken up. “Ava, baby, are you okay?” She came barreling into my room, her eyes frantic until they rested on me. She pressed a hand to her chest. “You screamed. It scared me half to death.”

  An unexpected laugh worked its way out of me. “A nightmare scared me half to death. But I’m fine now, really. It was just a bad dream.” I took slow, steadying breaths, trying to convince myself as much as her.

  “Well, all right. If you’re sure you’re okay…” She shook her head and made a noise in her throat. “I think you just gave me a few new gray hairs, kiddo.”

  I hopped out of bed and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before walking over to the window. “Not that anyone would know if you still colored it.” Part of me hoped Maddox would still be down there, staring up at me. But he wasn’t. The man with the Pomeranian paused to let the dog pee on the lamppost.

  “Smart ass.” She barked out a laugh. “I haven’t found a new hairdresser yet. Oh, while I have a chance… I’m going to be late getting home tonight. Your brother has a meet and greet at school, and I promised him fast food. So can you fend for yourself for dinner?”

  Fast food?

  “Mom?” I turned around as she was walking out the door.

  “Great.” She disappeared down the stairs. “Have a good day at school, honey.”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll be fine.” But I wasn’t thinking about school. The dream still had me wrapped from head to toe like a pervasive vine. And the name Laith played on a loop inside my head.

  “He threw pebbles at your window?” Sam spun around to gape at me. Her bubblegum-pink lips parted in a perfect O.

  “Yes, now watch the road!” I braced my hands on the dashboard as she took the next corner too sharply. “Eyes forward if you want to hear the rest.”

  She scowled at me, but kept her eyes on the road. “Fine. Keep going.”

  “I opened my window, and he was standing beneath it, pleading for me to forgive him.” The memory made my insides flutter.

  “Oh my God, that’s so Romeo and Juliet. How freaking romantic. You made him beg, right?” She glanced at me, and I pointed to the road in front of us. “Whatever. Never forgive a guy right away. Always make him work for it.”

  I giggled at her serious face. “Yes, I made him beg a little.” I left out the part about him falling to his knees in front of me and almost getting run over by a car. She didn’t need to know all the details. I didn’t want her to faint when she saw me with him at school. “But once he explained everything, I did end up forgiving him.”

  She didn’t respond right away, as if she was thinking about it. Then she nodded once. “Well, I would have made him sweat it out for a while, but if you’re sure, then I’m happy for you.”

  Was I sure? A faint sliver of worry worked its way under my skin. What if after everything that happened last night, he still didn’t show up? What if the nightmare was some sort of subconscious warning not to trust him? I had to stop thinking like that, or our relationship would be doomed before it even got started. Relationship? I didn’t even know what our status was. After last night, was I his girlfriend? Were we just friends? Would he even acknowledge me in front of other people? And the voice inside my head whispered, “Laith.” The unknown was eating me alive.

  “Earth to Ava.” Sam waved her hand in front of my face, and I realized we’d stopped moving. “There you are. I thought I’d lost you for a minute.”

  I shook the fog from my head and searched the parking lot for the familiar flame-orange motorcycle and the boy in the black leather jacket. “Sorry, I guess I zoned out for a minute.”

  She tilted the rear view mirror down and applied another coat of pink lipstick. “He’s not here. I already looked.”

  My eyes snapped to Sam’s, and she grinned. “Oh, you’ve got it bad all right. But don’t look so worried. We’re a few minutes early. Maybe we beat him.”

  I pulled my lower lip between my teeth and nodded. “Right. Of course. He’ll be here.” He promised. My stomach churned, and I immediately regretted the runny eggs I’d eaten for breakfast.

  “Come on. Hannah and Paige are waiting.” She nodded toward my window, and I turned to see Paige tapping out a rhythm with the toe of her fancy red stiletto. Hannah stood beside her, twirling a lock of blue hair around her finger, a bored look plastered on her face.

  “Okay, fine.” I blew out a breath. “At least I can always count on Paige to distract me.”

  Sam was still laughing as we reached Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters, although I didn’t really think of Hannah that way anymore. I didn’t know what to think of her after hearing about her weird relationship with Abercrombie.