Reckless Radiance by Kate Roth Page B

A jolt of electricity seemed to flow through her at his touch and her flashlight fell to the ground. With his hands gentle on her hips and nothing but the darkness around them, she felt a perfect stillness with him. A sigh fell from her lips as she let the familiar, tranquil feeling invade her senses once more as his lips crushed against hers eagerly.
    Before she had another second to breathe, Russell picked her up off the ground. Her legs wrapped around him impulsively. Her eyes stayed closed reveling in the feeling of their mouths melding. Their tongues tentatively touched. She felt her back press up against a tree and she let her hands slip into his thick waves of hair. A noise came from him that sent another shiver through her. She didn’t want it to end. She wanted his hands on her and his lips against her skin forever. He wasn’t a stranger any longer. He was hers.
    In an instant, her eyes were bombarded with bright light again and as she opened her eyes, Russell set her down in a rush. The light was gone in a split second and he was backing away from her.
    Valerie watched as he raised a hand to absently cover his mouth. It was dark but she thought she saw him shudder.
    “Wow,” she breathed.
    He swallowed thickly and finally met her gaze. “I should not have done that,” he said. Her heart sank and she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.
    A beam came from behind them and Valerie turned to see Justin pointing his flashlight at her like a sword. “Gotcha!” he said victoriously.
    “We’re already out, Justin. Get a ride home with your friends,” she spat as she started in the direction of the car, pushing past Russell, staring him down.
    “Valerie, wait,” he called after her. His voice was getting quieter in her head . She willed her mind to forget the feeling of Russell’s body against hers. Instead, her thoughts played it over in a loop as she marched across the dark field.
    “Valerie?” She was standing at the car door when she turned to see him as a shadow walking toward her, lit only by the moonlight. It was cool blue against his skin, not the golden luminosity she kept telling herself belonged to him. It sounded ridiculous in her head but then again, everything about him was truly remarkable. She stood and folded her arms across her chest.
    “If you hadn’t—if Henry hadn’t … we’d probably be dating in Somerset and I wouldn’t have a clue you were hiding something. We’ve been avoiding saying anything real to each other since you got out of the freaking trunk but it’s clear there’s something between us,” she said, hearing the quiver in her voice. She swallowed her tears before they emerged. “I don’t understand you. What are you waiting for?”
    He halted and she watched his head hang low. “I’m sorry,” he said. She almost felt sorry for him but the feeling didn’t last.
    “Just drive me home.” She slid into the passenger seat and tossed her keys on the driver’s seat, waiting for him to get in the car. It took him a while to join her. She wanted to look back and see if he was sulking or scolding himself but she refused to show interest. She had to let it go. There was no reason to wait for something from him that wasn’t going to come.
    Russell climbed into the car, buckled his seat belt and started the engine in a quick series of smooth motions without saying a word. She shot him a sidelong glance and shifted in her seat. She wished she could’ve denied every bit of evidence that told her they truly cared for each other.
    As he sat facing forward not daring to look at her, she took in the strong angle of his jaw, the way his black hair curled at his neck and around his ear.
    She let her gaze stay on Russell as he turned down the gravel driveway to her house. When he stopped the car, she watched him lower his eyes and breathe deep. Maybe he was preparing himself to tell her.
    He turned to her, his face forlorn carrying a hint of regret.
    Her sympathy for