Excerpt

My heart thuds in time with his footsteps as they echo down the hallway, and Rain’s heart beats even faster where it’s pressed against my chest.
She’s here.
Holy shit.
She’s actually fucking here.
I wrap my arms around her trembling body and squeeze so hard I’m afraid I might crush her. I don’t move. I don’t breathe. I close my eyes and pretend that time has stopped, just for us. That tomorrow isn’t coming. That we’re fleshy statues now, and we can stay like this forever.
But we can’t because Rain’s trembles are now full-body shudders as the sob she’s been trying to hold in leaks out all over my chest.
“Wes,” she cries, burying her face in my neck. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn't have—”
“Shh.” I smooth a hand over her hair and feel her breath, hot and desperate, on my skin.
Rain lifts her tear-streaked face. Her pouty red lips tremble as they pull into a frown, but before she can let out another sob, I seal her mouth with mine. She tastes sad and girlie—all salty tears and cherry lip gloss—but she kisses me back with the determination of a woman. Her tongue slides and swirls around mine. And her hands dive into my hair, holding me like a balloon in danger of floating away. Then, her kisses begin to roam.
“I love you so much,” she murmurs, kissing my cheek.
“Oh my God, I missed you.” Her kisses trace the line of my jaw.
“This is all my fault.” She breathes against my neck. “I’m gonna get you out. I promise. I’ll … I’ll figure something out.”
“Hey.” I capture her face in my hands and tilt it back so that I can stare directly into her wide, panicking eyes when I tell her, “I’ll get myself out. Do you hear me? You shouldn’t be here.”
Rain’s eyelids close as she exhales a quiet, shuddering sob. “This is the only place I want to be.”
Without looking up, Rain grips my zipper and slides it down my chest. I grit my teeth as she reaches in and wraps her arms around my exposed torso, pressing her wet cheek against my bare skin. My eyes sting. My lungs scream for air. Nothing fucking hurts as much as this woman’s touch. It filets me like a dull knife. At first, it hurt because I realized that no one had ever cared for me like that before. Then, it killed me because I knew once she left, no one ever would again. But now? Now, her love cuts me down where I stand because I can no longer deny how much I want it.
I don’t want to die for her or let her go or try to convince myself that she belongs with someone else. I never did. The soul-crushing truth is that I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I want her by my side and in my bed and in my life forever. I still don’t believe that God will let me have her, but until he pries her out of my cold, dead hands, I’m going to keep fighting.