Page 36 (1/2)
The rain picks up again as our bodies and tonguesseeers up his bare, lean chest, while he runs a hand throughsoftly at the roots Heat flows off us, andthe roof of my mouth, and when he slips it out I bite down on et pinned between our chests I wiggle theether, and I circle them around his neck and pull hi into thethe smoothness of his skin, and I hold on to hiin to kiss hiettingmakes sense at the moment I can’t see any kind of future, and I have no idea what’s going to happen in the next thirty seconds I try to count to calone toin roans against ers into his back "Nova, slon"
I start gasping for air, s feel like they’re burning Then he’s pulling away and I think he’s going to leave, but instead he grabs my hand and helps me stand up
He leads us across the field and through the tent area and I think he’s going to stop at our tent, but instead he curves to the right and continues walking, heading toward the line of trees
"Where are we going?" I say through the chattering of my teeth My hair and clothes are drenched, and ht I have no idea where he’s takingto turn back to the tent, but I can’t see, or the willpower to let go of his hand, so I keep following hi you so ahead as he walks deterive you a break so that ht place"
"Wait, you’re not taking me to the nudist colony place, are you?" I start to pull back, but then I stop because it doesn’t seem as scary anymore
He shakes his head "No, I’m not" His shorts are covered in mud and his hair has flecks in it On his back are muddy handprints and streaks ofwith small crescent cuts on his shoulder blade
"I’m sorry I stabbed you with my nails," I say as ind around a rock and dip into the trees The thick branches above our heads block out the re off theet wet
"Don’t worry about it" He reaches around to his back, touching the scratches "But Nova… how ly lost count, and he sighs, letting his hand fall to the side We don’t say anything else until we reach a river flowing alances around for a way across it
"What is this place?" I ask, glancing up at the gray sky peeking through the branches
"I found it while I andering around trying to find a place to clean off without giving everyone a show," he says, winding around e of the streaently flows over it, but it acts as a stepping stone, and without warning Quinton grips my waist and lifts o and then juht and takes my hand, then leads me over to the other side of the rock There’s a little bit of a gap between the rock and the shoreline, and Quinton hops down, landing in the river, his shoes getting wet He stands in the water and reaches for ers spread around my hips, and he carefully lowers me to hi et wet
Once we’re both on the shore, he threads his fingers through uide me deeper into the trees as rain drips down on h the forest, and the farther we go the more I start to calm down By the time we reach an area where the trees open up, I’s and having no direction and being confused all the time I just want to be Nova, or at least find out who the real Nova is
When we stop, we’re standing on a rocky shore that stretches out to a glistening pond The river flows into it over the towering rocks in front of us, and the entire area is aled rocks, and flourishing trees "I give you a private place to clean off" He sers fro down in "You just found this by accident?"
He nods, stepping up beside me with his head tipped down so he can exa?"
I rub my eyes "A lot better, actually, but a little tired"