Revive Me, Part One: The Act (New Haven, #2)

by J.L. Seegars

It makes for beautiful candid photos, especially because in every photo that she’s giggling, I’m smiling down at her like a lovestruck fool.

I want to kiss her again, to pull her body back against mine, and do all the things we just did for the camera again, but this time just for us.

A smile that’s just for me.

“Iced shaken espresso with dark caramel sauce and a splash of milk?” He finishes for me, pride stamped across his features as he beams down at me. “Yep.”

but I selfishly want to keep it to myself. Something that’s just between the two of us.

I stretch on the chaise lounge Mal and I cuddled on Sunday, which is now my favorite spot because even after nearly forty-eight hours I can still smell the faint scent of her here.

I was mesmerized by her. Drawn in by her beauty and held hostage by the serious frown tugging her lips down into a pretty pout while

It wasn’t a conscious thing, watching her, but it felt necessary. Imperative. Like if I took my eyes off of her for even half a second she would disappear forever and that was the last thing I wanted.

My entire heart shows when I look at Mallory,

I was afraid she would see that the only person I did it for was her.

Both of Mallory’s dimples are showing, little potholes in her face that I want to kiss because I know that they only come out when she’s happiest.

Ones that aren’t for anyone but me.

I’ve always liked her, and now I like her even more.

But I want you to let me, you’ve been fighting long enough.

move the photos from my camera roll and into an album that’s currently untitled but holds all of the solo pictures I took of Mallory on Sunday. The ones that are just for me.

I won’t have any trouble finding you.” There’s nothing special about the way he says it, and that only makes the sudden rush of arousal slicking my underwear that much more embarrassing.

“Perfect,” he says simply.

“No one gets as much of my attention as you do.”

My girlfriend.

Knowing she had a date with the library and passed it up for a chance to spend time with me makes me happier than I care to admit.

Because it means I get more of this.

I leave the last part out and study her profile. I’ve got every line of her face memorized. I know every expression. The unique way each emotion plays across her features. Right now there’s a serenity to her I haven’t seen before, and I want to know where it came from, so I can do everything in my power to give her more of it.

And when she’s done, she looks so fucking proud of herself I want to lean across the console and kiss her. “I’m proud of you.”

“You’re not just anyone, though.” There’s a world of meaning in those five words, and I want to kick myself for letting them slip out.

My brain chooses that exact moment to conjure an image of her doing exactly that. A skimpy skirt pulled up around her torso, baring the decadent place where her tummy falls over her mound, thick thighs parted to make room for my fingers that are desperately seeking her slick heat. A dizzying amount of blood leaves my extremities and floods my groin, causing my dick to swell.

And the only thing that stops me from thinking this was all a waste of time is her. Her peace of mind. Her safety. Her constant presence in my life.

A car can easily be replaced, but a person”—I let the words hang in the air, fighting back the urge to say ‘especially if that person is you’— “a person isn’t.”

The moment our eyes lock, he flashes me a smile that can only be described as deliciously primal. It only adds to the sensation building in my chest.

To win and be rewarded with the sight of his eyes on fire for me as we lap at the wounds we inflicted on each other. Bites and scratches. Flesh parted by claws tipped with desire, laced with trust and something we can’t name.

“It was quite a show.”

“Until it wasn’t.”

“Yeah,” he says softly, hands flexing around my waist. “Then I ended up here with you.”

Right where I’ve always wanted to be.

Now Mallory can rest easy knowing she doesn’t have to deal with him for the rest of her undergraduate career, and I can feel okay knowing she’ll have that peace when I leave for medical school.

I had a change of heart because of her.

“Yes.” The conviction in my tone isn’t lost on either of us, and I have to school my features into a neutral expression to hide the shock radiating through me. Once again I find myself caught off guard by the pure emotion coating my words when I talk about how I feel about Mallory. Even more worrying is that those feelings run deeper now than they did when I told Richardson about us just a few weeks ago.

the only person I want to see, the only person I want to share it with, is Mallory.

I’m standing in front of her door, heart beating a rapid tattoo of anticipation as I knock.

Touching him. Hugging him. Kissing him.

Now I know there’s so much more to him, and I want it all. The playful jokester who makes me smile. The soft, serious man with eyes that see through the smoke and mirrors down to the parts of me I hide from everyone, including myself.

the only person, who can make me feel safe right now.

He doesn’t bring girls here, but I have a key.

but it’s worth it to see the pride that shines in Chris’ eyes as he regards my injury.

There’s a tenderness to his eyes, mingling with the pride and some other emotion I can’t name to make a complex, layered expression I want more of.

“You.” I blow out a breath, and Chris’ eyes stretch. “Me? Did I…have I ever made you feel unsafe?” He starts to release me, and I use what little range of motion I have in my hand to grasp his fingers because I don’t want him to let go.

“Nothing, but when I couldn’t find you or get a hold of you, I was kind of freaked out.” My heart squeezes at the thought of him being worried about me.

His throat bobs and he swallows against what I can only imagine must be a lump there. I’m suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him there, to use my lips to soothe away whatever feelings are brewing inside of him. I wish he would name them, so I could use them to gauge the depth of his feelings for me.

“If that’s what it’ll take to make you feel safe, I’ll do it.”

“Mallory, if you really want to go, I’ll take you home. I’ll sit outside your building all night just to make sure you’re good, but I would feel better knowing you’re here.”

Again, I’m hit with the urge to kiss him, to show him just how much I appreciate his careful approach to a situation that would be uncomfortable for me if I was with anyone but him. I nod, knowing he needs the reassurance more than I do.