Chapter 11 #2
“What are you doing? It’s your birthday,” I remind her.
Standing, I take the plates from her. “Sit your pretty ass down.” I kiss her cheek because I can’t help myself, and carry our plates to the sink and rinse them, before adding them to the dishwasher.
I’m placing the leftover pizza in the fridge when the power goes out. “Well, damn,” I mutter.
“Now what do we do?” she asks.
“Stay there. I’ll grab a flashlight and matches. We’ll light some candles. Looks like you’re opening your gift to candlelight,” I tell her.
“We can wait.”
“Nope. I want to see you open it now.” Using the light on my phone, I go to the junk drawer, pull out some matches, and two flashlights.
Turning on the flashlights, I hand one to Eden.
“I’ll meet you in the living room,” I tell her, before using the other to light the way to my office to grab her gift.
Once I return, I say, “Okay, I’m not much of a present wrapper.” I hold up the gift bag. “I’m a gift bag kind of guy.”
She laughs. “Bags are perfect. Thank you for this, Foster. Truly. You’re the best. You’ve made today so special.”
“You don’t even know what I got you yet,” I tease. Inside, I’m preening, knowing I made her feel important and put that smile on her face.
“But you thought about me. That’s the best gift you could have given me.”
Damn, this girl. “Open it.” I sit down next to her on the couch and shine my flashlight in her direction, careful not to blind her. “I’ll light some candles after, but for now, I can’t wait any longer.”
She smiles as she reaches into the bag and pulls out a card. She opens the flap, pulls it out, reads it, and glances up at me. She holds up the gift card. “Thank you, Foster.”
“There’s more. Keep digging,” I tell her.
She nods, reaches into the bag, pulls out the box, and gasps. “Foster! You did not get me a Kindle!” She bounces in her seat and hugs the small box to her chest.
“I know you have one, but you said it’s been acting up. I thought you could use the gift card to get a case, or books, or whatever,” I explain.
“It’s perfect. It’s too much,” she says, pulling the box away from her chest and staring down at it in the dim lighting.
“Impossible,” I tell her.
“Thank you.” She puts the Kindle and her card back into the bag, then sets it on the floor before standing. She moves to stand in front of me, bends down, and hugs me. “Thank you,” she whispers again, and I can hear the emotion in her voice.
We’ve both placed our flashlights on the couch, so I can’t see her face, but I can hear it. “Anything for you,” I tell her, sliding my hand behind her neck, letting touch guide my way. “Happy birthday, Eden. I hope it was everything you wanted.”
“More, so much more. However,” she whispers, “there’s one thing I’ve never had on my birthday.”
“My cupcakes?”
“That, too.” She chuckles.
“What do you want, Eden?”
“A birthday kiss,” she whispers, her voice so low that it quickly disappears into the darkness.
A kiss.
She wants a kiss.
My chest tightens, and I lick my lips.
Does she have any idea how many times I’ve thought about kissing her?
“Can I give you that?” I ask, my voice rougher than intended, thick with something I’m refusing to name.
“Only you, Foster,” she breathes. “I’d only want a birthday kiss from you.”
The air between us pulses, fragile and electric, raging just as fiercely as the storm outside. I hesitate, tracing the line of her jaw with my thumb. I wish I could see her mouth so that I could memorize the curve of her lips. Slowly, reverently, I lean in and press my lips to hers.
My heart hammers against my ribs as I lean in closer, the air between us suddenly too thick to ignore. Her breath hitches, and she’s not close enough. I need her closer, so I pull her down onto my lap.
“This okay?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Again,” she whispers, and suddenly the world outside this moment ceases to exist. There’s only her and me and the faint scent of her hair that makes my stomach twist in a good way.
I move slowly, carefully, almost afraid to break the fragile bubble we’re suspended in. My hand hovers near her cheek, trembling slightly, and I wonder if she can feel how nervous I am. I’ve imagined this a hundred times, but now that it’s here, it’s nothing like I thought.
The moment is sharper, softer, more electric.
My breath catches as I lean in slowly, every nerve screaming, and my heart threatens to leap out of my chest. When our lips finally meet for the second time, it’s nothing like anything I’ve ever felt before.
Her mouth is warm, hesitant at first, like testing the waters, and then deeper, more certain, like she’s been waiting for this.
I’ve been waiting for this.
Time collapses. The world fades to nothing but the faint press of her lips against mine, the quiet intake of her breath mingling with mine, and a dizzying rush of everything I’ve been feeling since meeting her, squeezing into a single moment.
My heartbeat mimics the thunder rolling outside, each pulse echoing the longing I’ve tried so hard to ignore.
I don’t pull back, even though I know that I should.
My hands are trembling slightly, afraid that even the slightest movement might shatter this fragile perfection.
But it’s an impossible feat now that I’ve tasted her.
Every nerve in my body seems alive, hyperaware of her warmth, the gentle brush of her hair against my face, the faint scent that clings to her and refuses to leave me.
I realize how easy it would be to lose myself in her completely.
The thought alone sends a shiver down my spine, a mix of fear, guilt, and desire twisting in my stomach.
And yet, the realization of how much I want her is staggering.
Overwhelming, almost cruel in its intensity.
I can feel the pull between reason and instinct.
Each moment, each breath stretching into an eternity where nothing exists except her and the irresistible gravity of this connection.
Fear hovers, terrified to let myself fall.
Guilt from my past swirls in my gut.
Desire for this beautiful woman is stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before.
I know that pulling out of the kiss could save me from drowning in these feelings, but part of me—a deeper, wilder part—doesn’t want to be saved. All I want is this, this closeness, this impossible, intoxicating connection. Every inch of me aches to surrender, to let the world fall away completely.
For once, I want to live in the moment without thinking about my mistakes. I want this small sliver of time where it’s just Eden and me, lost in one another.
Finally, I pull back because my need to check that she’s still on the same page as me is stronger than anything else I’m feeling. “You still with me, birthday girl?” I ask.
“More kissing. Less talking,” she says, pulling my lips back to hers.
For the first time in a long time, I let myself forget everything else and just exist.
With her.