Shattered: A Salvation Society Novel by Bella Emy (pdf to ebook reader .TXT) 📕

“Almost, what?” he asks, cutting me off. “Kissed me? And why would that have been such a bad thing?”

The ghost of a smile forms on his lips, and I feel the tension between us growing stronger. What in the world is happening right about now?

“Kalen, I…”

“Shhh,” he says, placing a finger over my lips, shushing me, and oh my God, do I ever get the sudden urge to run my lips up and down his finger. “There is no need to overanalyze what’s happening between us, no need to think things over. Just let fate take over, and let what’s meant to be take place.”

I search his eyes in hopes that he will add something more to assure me that this is supposed to be happening. But is it right? Is this what’s in the cards for me? I thought all along that Kalen and I were done and over with years ago. I thought my feelings for him had been buried along with the dream of him and I ever being a couple once again.

But as I sit here right beside him on this Ferris wheel on the night of my twenty-sixth birthday, I know there is nothing more I want than to have another chance with this man. I know for sure that I am not over Kalen Starling, and I know that there is only one more thing that could make this birthday the most perfect one ever.

And as I’m about to make more justifications in my mind as to why it’s okay for me not to push Kalen away from me, he leans in and smashes his lips into mine before I even have a chance to realize what he’s doing.

I don’t pull away. I don’t push him or ask him what the hell he’s doing like the Lexi from even just a few days ago would have done. No. Instead, I welcome his kiss, meeting it with one of my own, parting my lips open, allowing him access to explore my mouth.

His hand lands on my thigh, and I want him to go higher until he’s touching my most precious area. But of course, I’m just so turned on by him and I know if that’s going to happen, it’s not going to be right now. He’s a gentleman, and I know he’ll make sure that’s what I want before he goes ahead and goes any further. At least that is what the Kalen from long ago did.

I push the memories from our past to the side and focus on the here and now. As our tongues come together and caress one another in a desperate want, need, his arms wrap around me, pulling my body closer to his. I feel the desire build up inside of me, and all I want right now is for him to take me back on his boat and make love to me on that king-size bed of his in the lower deck where I spent the last night sleeping alone.

I moan into his mouth and he reaches up with his hand and places it behind my neck. Smashing his forehead into mine and pulling his lips away from me momentarily, he says through closed lids, “Fuck, Lexi. You taste amazing and I can’t believe I have you right here with me after so long. I have dreamed about kissing you once more for years, and I prayed for the day that you’d be back in my arms since the day we said good-bye.”

A pang of hurt hits my heart as those words leave his full lips. If they’re true, why did he ever let me go? If those words are real, then why didn’t he come searching for me? And if that’s the case, why am I only hearing about this now? Still, there was never a good-bye, and maybe that’s the reason why I spent so much time, so many years, trying to mend the pieces of my shattered heart.

I fight back the tears threatening to spill over once more, and in order to do so, I force my lips to his once more, kissing him harder than the first time our lips touched tonight.

He feels my desire and mimics it with his own, showing me just how much he wants me, craves me, by the way his kiss demands all of me. It’s enough to make me forget the pain, if only momentarily, if only for the time he’s kissing me tonight.

My head tilts to the side as he brings his lips to my cheek and then peppers kisses against the length of my neck. “Oh, Kalen...” I coo as he runs his tongue on my collarbone.

“Mmm, you’re delicious… I just want to taste more of you, sweetheart.”

As if I weren’t already a drenched mess, his words send me into a frenzy. Please do.

“Fuck, take me back to your boat, please,” I beg.

He pulls away, looking me dead in the eyes and smiles wickedly, which also does another fantastic number on my already raging hormones. “As you wish, sweetheart.”

We pull apart from one another just as the ride comes to an end and for fuck’s sake, it can’t come soon enough. Grabbing my hand in his, he helps me out and we quickly speed out of there away from the crowds. He knows what I want. I know what he wants, and it’s the exact same thing as I do.

A gentle rain starts to fall and we run as fast as we can just like high school kids, just like we used to be… high school sweethearts, deeply in love, unable to keep our hands off of one another.

Except we’re no longer in high school and we’re certainly not in love. Lust is more like it.

Reaching the boat, he steps on first and then turns around to help me up. The rain starts coming down harder, causing my hair to hang, dripping water onto my face. I let him pull me up, and as he does,