Ever: The Ever Trilogy, Book One (Volume 1) by Jessa Russo [paranormal] Page A

my eyes and slowly stood, turning to crawl back into my window. Toby’s hands on either side of my waist stopped me, and he turned me around to face him. He gently pulled my hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ears, leaving his hands there on either side of my face, his thumbs caressing my cheeks. He kissed me again, less needy than earlier, his tongue never entering my mouth. Though this kiss was much softer and gentler than our earlier kiss, my butterflies flew into a tizzy nonetheless.
    So thoroughly focused on his kiss, I hadn’t even realized he’d moved when I suddenly felt the heat of his hands on my back, underneath my cover-up, one hand between my shoulder blades and the other resting right above the top of my bikini bottoms. The hand on my lower back pulled me toward him and held me firmly in place. I was acutely aware of the fingers on that hand, their placement a little lower than my waist. All feeling in my body was centered there, in that small area just below my waistline where his fingers rested easily, an area that had yet to be touched until now.
    My excitement burned, and I felt exhilarated. No longer tired, his light, easy kissing was suddenly not sufficient. I wanted more from him. I opened my mouth over his, exploring his mouth with my tongue, my body waking up from its brief slumber. He responded in kind, his hands tightening around me, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. I reached my hands up behind him and tangled them in his wavy hair. I was suddenly very fully awake, and much more aggressive than I’d ever imagined I could be. He pressed me back against the wall again and leaned into me. His hips crushed mine, and I was acutely aware of the pressure of his body in places that had never felt that kind of pressure before. My eyes wanted to pop open and widen at the thought of it, but I refrained. Instead, I continued to kiss him, my hands in his hair, and my hips pressing back lightly into his.
    A few minutes later, he pulled away from me. I was breathless and slightly flustered. That amused grin was on his face once again, and his hair was slightly askew. Wow. I felt a chill from the night air touch my skin in all the places the heat of his body had just been pressed. Longing seeped through me, my body begging not to let him stop kissing me.
    “Can I see you tomorrow?”
    “Mmhmm.” It came out as almost a moan, and he laughed quietly. Geez! Get a hold of yourself! I cleared my throat and tried again. “Yes, definitely.” Better.
    With my hand absently smoothing my hair, I smiled, pressing my lips tightly together to try to restrain the shit-eating grin bursting to get loose. Holy mackerel! That kiss was amazing.
    “Cool. Tomorrow then. Eleven?” He paused, waiting for my response.
    I nodded.
    “Good night, Ever.” He kissed me on the tip of my nose, turned me around, then lifted me back onto my window sill, all without my help since I was still half-dazed and useless from the intensity of the kissing. Behind me, I heard him reconnect the screen I had popped off earlier. “Sweet dreams, Ever.”
    When I turned around again, he was gone. A content and exhausted sigh escaped my lips, and I plopped down onto my bed without bothering to change into my pajamas. I fell asleep feeling happier than I could ever remember feeling. I was really looking forward to tomorrow. Or, well, not tomorrow exactly, since it was already three in the morning.
    I hoped I would dream of Toby.

E ver, Ever, wake up.”
    With a gasp, I woke up to Frankie leaning over me. I was terrified. My eyes darted around the room, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I was vaguely aware I had been desperately searching for Frankie in my dream again. My heart thudded loudly in my ears as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. At the sight of Frankie’s face, relief slowly pushed its way to the surface; the fear subsided, securing itself back into my dream world.
    I sat up and reached out to hug him, so thankful he