Keeping You Away - Kennedy Fox Page 0,3

phone from my pocket.

I quickly shoot Everleigh a text and ask her if she can hitch a ride with someone so Gemma and I can talk. She immediately sends a response of random emojis—an eggplant, cherry, and smiley face with its tongue sticking out. I’d scold her if I wasn’t in a hurry to leave.

She follows me, and when the house is out of sight, I grab her hand and loop her fingers through mine. When we get to the car, I pull her in front of me and grip her waist. We’re inches apart as she leans against the door.

“I got your last letter,” I tell her as we lock eyes.

“You did? I wasn’t sure if it’d make it on time.” She grasps my biceps, and I can hear the anxiousness in her voice.

“I did, and I wanted to respond in person…”

“Okay.”

“Actually, I wanted to show you.”

Her breath hitches.

“However, I get the impression that you’re a bit nervous, so maybe we should talk and—”

“Or you could kiss me so I can stop wondering if you’re going to.”

She sucks in her lower lip, then bites down before releasing it. For a split second, I hesitate, making sure it’s what she truly wants. There’s no doubt about it as I dip down and gently brush my mouth against hers.

“I’ve thought about kissing you for way too fucking long,” I whisper.

“Probably not as long as I have…an inappropriately long time.”

The corner of my lips turns up slightly, knowing she wants this as badly as I do. I cup her face, tilt her chin up, and this time, I claim her mouth. We take our time as our tongues slide against each other. Gemma moans, and the desire to have more of her overwhelms me. Lowering one hand down her body, I cup her ass and squeeze, pressing her into my erection.

As we continue, our kiss grows hotter, and my dick gets harder. Gemma arches her back and rocks her hips against me, which drives me even more crazy.

“You need to stop that. People can see us out here.”

“Then take me somewhere so they can’t.”

Fuck yes. I open the car door for her, then jog around to the other side.

“Alright, tell me where you wanna go.” I crank the engine.

“I’ve been fixing up my mom’s old cottage. We can hang out there.”

It takes us less than ten minutes to get to her house. As soon as we’re out of the car, she grabs my hand, and we quietly sneak to the backyard. The quaint cottage needs a lot of work, but it’s cute. There’s a bed and a small studio area where she explains her mother used to paint. I know her mom passed years ago because she talked about missing her a few times in her letters.

“Now that school’s done, I can actually spend more time remodeling. It needs a new paint job and a good cleaning. Then I can decorate it and make it cozy.”

“It’s nice, actually. You’re close to your dad’s house but far enough away to have some privacy.” I walk around, looking at everything.

“I plan to keep her art hung, at least my favorite ones.”

“You never got into painting?” I ask, closing the gap between us.

“I tried. I think I liked it as a child, but then I think I associated it with pain because I was sad she wasn’t here.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to talk about that right now. I’d much rather you kiss me again instead.” She grins, grabbing my shirt and yanking me toward her.

I smirk and lower my eyes to meet hers. “I think I can accommodate that.”

Our mouths fuse again in a white-hot kiss. The way she makes me feel burns through my entire body. I crave her, and I need to feel more of her. The way our relationship grew over the years led us to a deep connection. The emotional drives the physical, and being with her like this feels even more intense than I could’ve anticipated.

Peppering kisses down her jawline, I attach my lips to her neck. She shivers against me as I flatten my tongue against her soft, smooth skin and lick up to her ear.

“Fuck, Gemma. You’ve consumed me for so long that I can hardly control myself around you.”

“I don’t want you to…I’m yours. Take all of me.”

Gripping the bottom of her ass, I lift her as her legs wrap around me. I walk us toward the bed, then lay her down on the mattress