Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow, #3)

by Rainbow Rowell

I move closer to him, holding on to his sides. “You’re going to be young and pretty forever.” Baz pulls me even closer, by the small of my back. “Don’t say that,” he says, soft. “You don’t know that.” “I don’t mind.” He shakes his head, like he doesn’t want to think about it. “Snow . . . we’ve got a few minutes”—he pulls on me again—“before we have to leave.” “All right, I’m ready.” “No, I mean . . .” Baz moves his head from side to side like he’s trying to find words for something. It’s a rare look on him. “No matter what happens right now,” he says, his eyes on my chin, “we have to stop in a few minutes. So you don’t have to—you don’t have to worry about it going too far. Or being too much.” Oh. Baz glances up at my eyes. His pupils are wide and shiny. I’ve got us both shadowed by my wings. I nod, sucking nervously on my bottom lip. “Lean into it,” he whispers. My shirt is untucked. He slides one cool hand under it, just above my tail. I lean forward to kiss him. “Just for a few minutes,” he says, before I reach his mouth. “I’ll tell you when.”