Lighthouse Liasions
We left Reid’s car and my bike behind, choosing to walk to the lighthouse instead. It was a short walk, only about five to ten minutes, depending on how crowded it was.
The lunch rush was about to start, so the area around the cafe was getting busy, but the further away we ventured, the less populated it became.
Neither of us spoke for a little while, a sort of quiet tension settling between us. I knew what was on my mind—our kiss. If he was thinking the same, then his face certainly wasn’t showing it. He was the epitome of calm on the outside.
About a block before the lighthouse, a tourist on a tourike took a corner too sharply and careened straight at me.
Me, being oblivious to life and lost in my own head, didn’t realize it until it was almost too late. But Reid, being the utmost attentive person I had ever met, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of harm’s way before the tourist crashed into me.
Déjà vu and all that.
When he yanked on my arm, it sent me barreling into his chest, his other arm wrapping around my shoulders protectively.
“Are you okay?” he whispered directly into my ear, sending an all body shiver shooting down my spine.
I gulped. “Yup. Thanks to you.”
He didn’t respond, but rubbed my back once and let me untangle myself from him as the biker sent his apologies.
We were almost to the lighthouse before I realized Reid was still holding my hand. I bit my lip, suddenly overly aware of my fingers intertwined with his, my now clammy palm, the way it felt heavier than ever before.
Could he feel my pulse through my wrist? The loud thumping in my chest surely translated down my arm. I couldn’t remember how to breathe correctly as I stared more at our hands than I did where we were going.
“We’re here,” Reid said, gesturing to the lighthouse. He waggled his brows up and down. “Where do you want to start?”
I shrugged, trying hard not to move my left arm, so I didn’t draw attention to it. Maybe he didn’t realize we were still holding hands. If I moved, he would notice, and he would let go. “The only way is up, I guess.”
“Perfect. After you,” he said, opening the old wooden door at the bottom. Once I walked through, he let go of my hand so I could grab the rail on the spiral staircase that led to the top.
Instantly, my heart dropped. A part of me wanted to call the whole thing off, just so he would hold my hand again.
After the first few stairs, a tingling sensation hit my back.
Reid rested his hand on my lower back, helping guide me up the stairs like a true gentleman. I sucked in a deep breath and tried to steady myself, but every nerve ending exploded like an arcade game, going completely haywire at the slightest touch from him.
When we reached the top, we separated, heading to both sides of the massive beacon, looking all around it.
Five minutes later, we stared at each other in defeat.
“It’s not here,” I said with a frown. I had been so sure that I cracked this clue. It made the most sense. Everything pointed to the lighthouse, and specifically to the beacon.
Reid narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re missing something. Let’s think again.”
“Can we think while back at the bottom and outside? I’m kind of getting claustrophobic up here.”
He nodded, but instead of sending me down first like he had sent me up, he took the lead and started down the spiral staircase. He paused on the fifth step or so, glancing over his shoulder to make sure I was coming.
We both winced as the bright mid-day sun hit our eyes as we exited through the small door.
“Should we look around out here, just in case?” Reid asked. As soon as I made it to the doorway, he reached for my hand again.
I nodded, using my other hand to pull my sunglasses out of my hair, settling them over my eyes. All use of the English language escaped me at this moment as I focused on his hand in mine.
This time, it had been intentional. He didn’t grab it to save me from my ultimate doom. He purposefully intertwined his fingers into mine and held tight as we started around the base of the lighthouse.
Reid, being closer to the building, kept an eye out for anything on the outside, and I scanned the surrounding area. Next to the lighthouse was a small park, where people could come and toss a Frisbee, or have picnics. A few benches were spread out to enjoy the view of the coast.
We made an entire loop before coming back to the original door. I sighed and pouted. “I was so sure,” I mumbled.
Reid glanced down at me and frowned. He enveloped me in a hug and cradled my head on his chest.
I wrapped my arms around his torso, breathing in the scent of him that used to bring me comfort. Now, it just confused me. I wanted to melt right into him, to have him take away all my worries.
“I was sure too, Mars. It made sense. You came up with a brilliant solution. You did amazing considering the vagueness of the clues.” He leaned his cheek against the side of my hair, then turned slightly and planted a soft kiss on my temple.
I squeezed my eyes shut and counted to five before deciding to be brave and go for it.
Leaning back a few inches, I looked up at him. “Can you do that again?”
He cocked his head. “Do what? Tell you how fantastic you are?”
“No,” I breathed. “Kiss me.”
His body tensed under my arms, but he didn’t let it show on his face as he dipped down and tried to plant another tender peck on my forehead. I pulled away at the last second, shaking my head.
“No. Not like that.”
His eyes snapped to mine as he tilted his chin slightly. I took a half step back, resting my hands on his hips, before lifting my sunglasses back into my hair.
Reaching up with one hand, he took my chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifted before meeting my lips to his.
A thousand fireworks exploded behind my eyes as I closed them, leaning into him. He wrapped his other arm around my back, resting it on the opposite hip as he pulled me into him, chest to chest. His hand slid from my chin to behind my neck, cradling the back of my head.
His shoulders hunched as he kissed me harder. I grabbed his shirt and held on for dear life, never wanting to let go of him again.
The two of us stayed like that, locked in each other for an indefinite amount of time. I couldn’t fathom ever pulling away, but eventually Reid did, his lips leaving mine cold and deserted.
“Thank you,” he whispered, his forehead resting on mine for a beat as he took a deep breath. “Thank you for asking. I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks.”
I blinked, trying to come back down to reality and decipher what he just said. “Weeks?” I croaked, my voice not yet returning.
Reid reached up with both hands and cupped my face, his thumbs brushing over my cheeks as he stared at me and nodded. “Yeah.”
His dark eyes sparkled as one side of his mouth twinged into a small smile. “Since the moment I almost swung at you with that baseball bat, all I’ve wanted to do is wrap you up and kiss you until I had no breath left in my body.”
My legs shook. My entire body had melted like a bowl full of jelly after. “This whole time?”
“This whole time, Mars.”
“But… you kissed me yesterday. By the pool?”
“That… that was a brief lapse of control.”
“What?”
“I couldn’t not kiss you then. You were right there, and I just… I’m not explaining this well.”
Reid slid his hands down my neck, brushing over the necklace I had yet to take off, and down my arms until he reached my hands. He squeezed them, then let go, turning and pointing to a bench not too far away.
He slipped one arm around my waist. I leaned my head onto his shoulder as we made the few steps over to the bench.
We sat side by side at first, until Reid moved over a few inches, his knee touching mine. The second it did, I flinched, and my leg started bouncing.
I didn’t know what he was going to say. Whatever it was, it would change everything. Nothing from this moment on would be the same as it was the past few weeks.
I licked my lips, waiting to see what he would do. How he was going to explain what he just said. I replayed it in my mind, focusing on the part where he said he wanted to kiss me until he was breathless.
Which was exactly how I felt. Were we on the same page again? Did he really feel the same way about me?
Had he this entire time? While I was hanging out with Declan? While he flirted with the girls on the beach?
Had we literally wasted this whole time?
Reid cleared his throat, his fingers dancing along the back of my hand, fidgeting. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you, Mars.”