Dear Ana

by I.I.E.

“Can I kiss you?” he whispered into my ear. “I know you want me to, Maya. I can taste the desire emanating from you and luring me in like a Venus fly trap. Except I know your bite won’t be filled with poison . . . only lust and passion.” He placed a small kiss on my earlobe and my eyelids fluttered shut at the sensation, everything around me disappearing as I drowned in the feeling of his lips on my skin. “I know you don’t know how . . . let me walk you through it.” He placed small kisses up to my temple. “Your pulse is erratic; I can feel it beating against my mouth. Is that because of me? Do I make your heart race, Maya?” I nodded quickly, the needful ache returning full blast. My eyes were closed but I knew he was leaning in closer because my skin was tingling with his proximity. His warm breath was on my face and his scent was swirling around me, mingling together with mine. Very gently and very slowly his lips brushed against mine, pressing down with the slightest bit of pressure before pulling back, testing the waters. My breath caught and I touched my lips in astonishment, not believing these feelings could exist in real life but it wasn’t the same.

The only person capable of provoking that intense thrill of euphoria inside me was Noah. I looked up at him, his eyes dark with desire, and without another thought, I knotted my fingers into his hair and pulled him back down toward me fiercely. I fumbled around blindly for a second, not knowing what to do but needing to satisfy the overpowering hunger raging in my veins. I felt him chuckle against my lips before moving them with mine, sending shockwaves of passion and fire through me. I returned the pressure, mimicking his movements until our lips were in tune and moving simultaneously. Noah tilted his head slightly to the side, opening his mouth and kissing me harder, faster, frantic. I followed his lead, inhaling him in as my body registered the connection of our mouths in overwhelming elation. His hands stroked down the length of my body and curled around my thighs, lifting me onto the counter. My legs immediately wrapped around his torso and I dug my heels into his back, pushing him into me even closer. He released my swollen lips and dragged his mouth across the length of my jaw and down my neck. I leaned my head back, my breathing unsteady as he peppered kisses in the indent of

my collarbone, sucking gently on my flushed skin. I felt his hand slowly pull down the front of my shirt before brushing his lips against my scar. He looked up at me, pure love and devotion radiating through his eyes. “You never told me, Maya . . . do you love me too?” “Do I love you?” I chuckled erratically at his stupid question. “You are my miracle, Noah Davidson. My heart used to form a new crack every day I woke up and realized that I was still alive––” I leaned in closer, not breaking away from his endearing stare. “Although it’s borrowed, fractured, and imperfect . . . my heart is still completely and undeniably yours.” “And I, my love, am completely and undeniably yours,” he vowed against my lips. I opened my mouth to kiss him again, but a gut-wrenching sound cracked through my lips instead. “What’s wrong?” he whispered breathless...

breath of air. “I just––” my chest was heaving “––you know, Noah, and you . . . believe me.” He wasted no time pulling me down from the counter and crushing me into his body. His arms wrapped around me tightly in an iron cage of safety. “I believe you, Maya.” My bones were breaking. My body–– My soul–– Someone finally believed me. He lowered us to the ground because I couldn’t hold myself up anymore. I was on my knees and my head was in his lap and my core was shaking uncontrollably. Noah didn’t speak. He tilted his head down so it was leaning on mine. He stroked my face and my hair and my...