Chapter 34
Chapter thirty-four
Together
Shepherd Kingsley
The sound of footsteps makes my heart skip a beat.
I watch the corner up ahead and break out into a grin when a familiar head of wild curls rounds it.
As soon as Jasmine sees me, she breaks into a run.
I set off too, and we collide halfway. I wrap her up in my arms, spinning her around while she giggles next to my ear.
As soon as her feet are on the ground again, she’s dragging me down by my neck to kiss me.
I don’t have it in me to tease her, not after missing her so desperately the past few days.
Only seeing her during class isn’t enough.
I let out a low groan as soon as her lips touch mine. She smiles into the kiss.
I walk her backward until she’s leaned against the wall, not breaking our kiss.
She gasps when her back hits the cold brick, and I use it as an opportunity to deepen the kiss.
She tastes like cinnamon sugar and feels like a dream.
Her body molds to mine. I hold her close, memorizing every soft curve.
A branch snaps nearby, making me jerk my head back. We both survey our surroundings, our breaths intermingling in pale white puffs. Jasmine lets out a giggle when we determine the coast is clear.
“This probably isn’t the smartest place to make out.” She looks up at me through her lashes while playing with the strings of my hoodie.
“You’re the one who started it,” I tease.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says with a smile that makes my stomach swoop.
“You are the most gorgeous woman to ever exist,” I say, speaking my thoughts as they come.
Jasmine ducks her head, tucking herself into my chest. “You can’t say things like that,” she mumbles.
I kiss the crown of her head, her curls tickling my nose. “Why not?”
“Because I’m liable to melt into a puddle in the middle of campus.”
I smile and hook my finger under her chin to lift her gaze back up to mine. I lean down and press a slow, lingering kiss to her pink lips.
“I like when you melt for me,” I whisper against her mouth.
She kisses me in response. It’s frantic and hungry and everything I’ve craved since our knees brushed in class.
My willpower to follow through with my plan for tonight is fraying with each hard, possessive crush of her lips.
When she pulls back for a breath, I have to press my palms against the icy brick to bring myself back to my senses.
“I had a plan,” I rasp out.
She looks up at me with a dazed expression.
“It’s very difficult to recall it when you look at me like that,” I murmur.
“Like what?” she asks innocently while her hands roam over my chest.
“Like—”
I’m cut off by the sound of the campus security cart.
Jasmine pulls my hoodie up over my head and yanks me closer.
In the shadow of the building, away from the lampposts’ reach, our forms should be hidden.
We hold our breath as the crunch of wheels on dead leaves sounds closer, closer…
Jasmine’s hands grip my hoodie. Her eyes squeeze shut as if that will keep us from being found.
The sounds of the security cart fade away once more. We’re safe.
“I think that’s a sign that we should pause our kissing until we reach our destination,” I whisper.
“I don’t know, this is kind of fun,” she says with a dangerous smile.
“You’re going to get us caught, Chamberlain,” I warn, but I’m smiling too.
“I get the feeling that your plan won’t be any less of a risk,” she retorts.
“Only one way to find out.” I step back and hold out my hand. “Come on, let’s get out of the cold.”
She places her hand in mine. “I haven’t felt cold since I saw you.”
I pull her into my chest as she giggles and tuck her under my arm before setting off toward the date I have set up. Even though I said we should get inside, I take the long way. There’s something about the campus after dark—when there’s not a big game or event—that feels so peaceful.
Lampposts cast amber light on fallen leaves, giving them a fiery appearance as we walk through them. A breeze passes through the buildings, and Jasmine curls in closer. We pass beneath an archway of interwoven oak trees with lights strung through them.
“I’ve never been over here at night,” Jasmine whispers.
We keep our heads and voices down. There’s another couple in front of us who seem to be enjoying the calm night too.
“They put this up last winter but never took it down,” I tell her. “I don’t know if that was on purpose or if they forgot, but I thought you’d like it.”
She smiles up at me, the lights refracting in her eyes and casting a soft glow on her skin. “Thank you.”
I glance up ahead, noting that the couple has disappeared, then give her a gentle kiss. She tries to stop us beneath the trees, and I chuckle.
“We still have to get to the date I planned.” I tug her along. “And if we stay here in an archway of light, we’re begging to be caught.”
She laughs, the sound floating on the breeze like wind chimes. “Fine, I suppose you’re right.”
“As per usual,” I say with a grin.
She playfully hits my chest.
The rest of the walk to the Bernard Hattington Building is tranquil. We don’t come across many people on this side of campus since it’s far from the dorms and common areas.
“What are we doing here?” Jasmine breaks the silence as I lead her up the steps to the brick building where we had our first match.
I pull a set of keys out of my pocket and unlock the building.
“Where did you get those?” Her question is dipped in giddy disbelief.
“I know a guy,” I say with a wink as I open the door.
In reality, I bribed one of the janitors with fifty-yard line tickets to his game of choice.
I pull out my phone and use the flashlight to guide our way to the classroom where I set things up earlier.
We walk inside and Jasmine gasps. Near our table by the window, surrounded by pushed-aside tables and chairs, is a small picnic blanket.
The blue plaid fabric is decorated with battery-operated candles and topped with a chessboard, as well as one more surprise.
“Shepherd…” she trails off as I take her hand and lead her to the spot.
“We haven’t gotten to play in a while, so I thought our first date could be a match,” I explain, hoping that she likes the idea. “Unless you don’t want to, then we can just talk, or leave—”
She pushes up on her tiptoes and cuts me off with a kiss. “It’s perfect. I’ve missed playing against you.”
“Even though you lose every time?”
She smacks my chest. “Don’t ruin this, Captain.”
“Yes, Chef.” I smirk.
She rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile on her lips when she sits down. I sit across from her and grab the small brown bag with the last surprise in it. She takes it from me and looks inside.
“How did you—?” She shakes her head and reaches inside, pulling out the small box of chocolate bonbons.
“I know you said your favorite candy was the caramel chocolate bars, but I thought these would be even better since they’re made by a real chocolatier. I didn’t even know that was a thing, by the way.” I laugh, but it’s cut short when I notice the tears streaming down her face.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I push aside the chessboard and move closer to her. “What is it?” I murmur, wiping her tears away.
“My mom and I used to get these all the time. It was our tradition. I haven’t had one since—”
I pull her into my arms and cradle her in my lap. “I’m sorry I didn’t know.”
She buries her face into my neck. I hold her to me, rubbing circles on her back.
“We can throw them away if you want,” I tell her, hating that I upset her so badly on our first date.
She pulls back and shakes her head. Her green eyes are watery when she meets my gaze, but there’s a small smile on her lips.
“No, I want to share them. She—” Jasmine sniffles. “She would love this. She was always a romantic.”
I use the sleeve of my hoodie to dry beneath her eyes. “Are you sure? If you’re not ready, then we can wait for another night.”
She nods. “I want to. I’ve wanted to get them for a long time, but I didn’t want to do it by myself, and I didn’t want to hurt Dahlia by asking.”
“I don’t think it would have hurt her,” I say gently. “I think she’d feel honored to be included, the same way I do.”
“You’re probably right.” She sniffs. “It’s not like we haven’t talked about our parents or done activities we used to together, but it’s still hard not to feel like I’d be dragging her into grief when she’s so happy.”
“Would you see it that way if the roles were reversed? Would you think she was dragging you down?”
“You sound like her when she’s in therapist mode.”
“I’d make a terrible therapist. I’d tell everyone to get over it or run laps until they forgot their problems.”
Jasmine throws her head back and laughs. The sound echoes off the walls of the room and my heart. When she meets my gaze again, there’s a lightness in her eyes that warms my chest.
“Okay, so maybe you wouldn’t be a good therapist, but you’re an amazing boyfriend.”
“Yeah?” I ask and brush my nose against her.
“Yeah,” she echoes before looking down at the box she set down when I pulled her into my arms. I grab it and set it in her lap.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
She draws in a deep breath and opens the little paper box. Her delicate fingers grasp one; then she gestures for me to take one. She lifts the chocolate in her hand to my lips. I smile and do the same to her.
“Together,” she murmurs.
“Always,” I repeat her sentiment from the other day in my room.
She opens her mouth, and we feed each other at the same time.
Her lips brush the tips of my fingers, sending warm tingles down my spine.
Sweet chocolate and creamy caramel coat my tongue.
I watch as Jasmine’s eyes flutter shut. I can see her sifting through the memories.
After a long somber moment, she opens her eyes again.
There’s a sweet joy that radiates from her gaze.
“What did you think?” she asks.
I smile. “Second best thing I’ve tasted today.”
She giggles at my implication, pushing me down onto the blanket for a candy-coated kiss. It’s there, on the floor of a random university classroom, surrounded by chairs and desks and dust, that I realize I’m starting to fall in love with Jasmine Chamberlain.