Inferno - Chelle Bliss by Chelle Bliss

Those words make my heart hurt. I see pain behind her blue eyes, and the smile she has plastered on her face is more about her resiliency than the experience.

I reach over, wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, and pull her toward me. She moves without hesitation, keeping her gaze locked on mine as her face comes closer.

“I want this forever,” I tell her, never having had something so easy with another person. “I want you forever.”

“I want it too,” she breathes, sending a shock wave of excitement and nervous energy throughout my body. “I want this. I want you.”

When my lips find hers, the sparks grow, causing goose bumps to scatter across my skin. I’m bombarded by the warmth of her skin, the sweetness of her scent, and the nearness of her.

What should’ve been a gentle, slow kiss turns into something almost feral. It’s a mess of lips, tongues, and moans. I could get lost in the moment, allowing my need for her to take over.

But I pull away, gasping for air. “We can’t.”

Her eyes flutter open, her lips still puckered. “What?”

“We’re going to the beach, babe. If we kiss any more, we’re not going to make it out of your parking lot.”

“Can we kiss at the beach?” she asks me, her lips all bee-stung from our moment.

“We sure as hell can.”

“Then let’s get going. We have an ocean to get to and some making out to happen.”

“I like your style, Opal,” I tell her, twisting my body back into place and putting the truck in drive. “It’ll be a day you’ll never forget.”

“Every day with you is like that, Stone.” She places her hand back on my arm as I drive. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

The opposite is true. She’s the chillest woman I’ve ever met, and for that, I’ll forever be thankful. Maybe I needed someone calm to bring me down a notch or two. I no longer want to party, because nothing is better than making Opal smile and watching her light up when she experiences true joy.

I do that for her, and I’ll do my best to keep that look on her face.





16





OPAL





“It’s so beautiful,” I whisper as I lean against Stone, tucked between his legs with my toes buried in the sand.

I haven’t been able to take my eyes off the horizon as the sun slowly sets, growing larger and the colors becoming more brilliant.

“It looks like a postcard,” I add, completely in awe.

Stone’s arms tighten around me as he rests his chin on my shoulder and his head next to mine. “This is my favorite place.”

“I can see why.”

The few people on the beach around us have become still, captivated by the same view. Every second, the sky changes, shifting between colors like a kaleidoscope.

This moment is too good, too peaceful. Whenever my life appears to be falling into place, I wait for the other shoe to drop and squash everything. It always happens. Every single time I feel like things are swinging my way, boom…reality smacks me in the face. I push the thought out of my mind, trying to keep the bad away from all this good.

This time will be different.

“Thank you for today.”

His lips find my neck, sending a cascade of goose bumps and shivers down my body. “I want to show you all the beautiful things you’ve been missing.”

Been missing? I’ve missed so many things my entire adult life. So many things, I’m not even sure where to start. As they say, you don’t know what you don’t know, and I don’t know a hell of a lot.

It’s as if I’ve lived two separate lives—before my parents died and after. When they were there, they made sure I knew exactly how much they loved me, showering me with love. But afterward, I only remember darkness. The feelings of loneliness were so overwhelming at times, I couldn’t imagine them ever going away.

I pull myself forward and shift my body until I’m facing Stone. I tuck my legs under myself and move as close as I can without smashing my front against him. “Why are you being so good to me?”

He raises his hand and moves a few wild hairs away from my eyes. “I don’t get the question.” He tilts his head, the sunset reflecting in his eyes. “What do you mean?”

I find the bare skin of his shoulders with my hands, feeling the heat from today’s sun against my palms. “You don’t have to be perfect all the time.”

His eyebrows draw inward. “No one’s perfect all the time, Opal, and I’m not an exception.”

“You’re perfect to me,” I whisper, letting my fingers inch farther up his shoulder to his neck.

“That’ll wear off.” He smiles down at me, making me feel like I’m the only woman in the world.

“I can’t imagine it ever will.”

I haven’t had as much attention and caring from anyone since my parents. And if I am being totally honest with myself, it scares the ever-living daylights out of me.

“Why me?”

“Why not you?”

I shake my head, unable to answer the question.

“Why me?” he asks me.

“Why not you?” I tease.

His arms find their way around me again. “Do you believe in fate or love at first sight?”