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toward me, climbing through the window.
    His feet hit the wooden floor, and something inside of me sparked, what I couldn’t feel outside. Like we belonged …
    He stood there, looking around. My place was nowhere near the size of his. The Morans lived in a fancy apartment in the newest building in the neighborhood, the kind of place without rusty old fire escapes and creaky windows.
    For the first time in my life, standing in front of him, I was actually nervous .
    I wringed my hands together, biting my bottom lip, unsure of what to say, or do, or what we were even doing anymore, but as usual Cody knew.
    Cody always knew.
    Reaching over, he grabbed my hands, stopping my anxious fidgeting. Wordlessly, he pulled me from the living room, leading me straight back to my bedroom, not even asking me which one it was. “How do you know—?”
    “Just because I’ve never been inside doesn’t mean I don’t know the layout,” he said. “I see your shadow moving around the apartment when you’re alone.”
    From most people, that would probably sound creepy as fuck, but coming from him, it made my heart soar. He was always looking out for me, even when I didn’t realize it.
    My room was typical for someone my age, I supposed—clothes everywhere, shoes all over the floor. Shades of pink mixed with the darkest black, the walls covered in posters and things cut out of magazines. I didn’t have movie stars or singers—no, I had places. Places I wanted to go. Things I want to see. My walls were a visual bucket list of dreams.
    Cody’s eyes scanned them in the darkness. It was all things he knew. I told him everything. But still, I was nervous.
    Cody pulled me to him before I could start to fidget again. “You have nothing to worry about. It’s just me.”
    “I know.”
    “We don’t have to do a thing.”
    Again, I knew, but I wanted to, and that was what made me nervous. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers lacing through the messy hair at his nape as he kissed me. He didn’t rush me, didn’t push me, but he didn’t force me to take the lead, either. Even though we both knew there was no reason for it, he could sense my anxiety. He pulled me over to my bed, laying me down on it. His hands roamed, slipping beneath fabric and exploring bare skin, as he kissed me.
    And kissed me.
    And kissed me some more.
    He kissed me until I was breathless, until every inch of me was on fire from the inside out. My clothes were tugged off, one-by-one, discarded along with his shirt, until I was laying there in nothing but my underwear. My nerves intensified along with the rampant beat of my heart as his mouth traveled everywhere. Pleasure mingled with an edge of fear, adrenaline like never before coursing through my veins, making me tremble beneath him. His lips traveled down my chest, between my breasts, before trailing along my stomach. He moved along my sides, leaving kisses on my hips. I writhed, my hands running through his hair, as his tongue swirled around my navel before going lower …
    Lower …
    Lower …
    He rubbed against me, teeth nipping around the black cotton of my underwear. Even with the fabric separating us, the spark of pleasure that rushed through me was intense. I arched my back, gasping, gripping tightly to his hair as his mouth explored that one place he had never been before. His hands grabbed the sides of my underwear, pulling them down, leaving me completely naked beneath him before I even had a chance to wrap my brain around the fact that this was actually happening. His gaze trailed along my body as he made his way back up, hovering over top of me. He met my eyes, a smile slowly overcoming his lips, wiping away that harsh scowl. Laugh lines and dimples nearly rendered his scar invisible.
    He was so beautiful when he smiled.
    I wished he’d do it more.
    He kissed the corner of my mouth, his bare chest pressing against mine. I wondered if he could feel my heart beating, if he could hear it speed up