CHAPTER 19 MATT’S MOONLIGHT KISSES

Without realizing it, Matt was at the cliff edge too, on his hands and knees, peering down into the swirling blackness, weighted down by his dread, not even breathing, holding his breath, staring into the rolling, twisting waters.

She’s dead too, he realized.

She has fallen to her death.

Frozen by his fears, by the thought of what he knew he would find, Matt stared down into the waters, crashing against the wall of rocks.

And saw Jessica smiling up at him, standing near the shore, waist-deep in the water, her hair catching the bright moonlight.

“Huh? Jessica?” he managed to utter, surprised that he had any voice at all.

She waved up at him, tossing her head back.

Then she motioned for him to come down, to join her.

“You’re okay?” he called.

She couldn’t hear him way down there. She motioned again for him to come down.

But he couldn’t stop staring at her.

How had she survived that fall? he wondered, feeling his heartbeat return to normal, feeling the heavy dread lift from his body.

How did she keep herself from crashing against the rocks?

How did she do it?

He was on his feet now, waving back at her.

So happy. So happy she was alive. So happy that he felt like spreading his arms and taking off, flying off the cliff edge and floating down to her.

But he turned and carefully made his way across the flat stone ledge. The rocky pathway down was steep and slippery, but he ran eagerly, stumbling, kicking stones, sending them scuttling down in small avalanches.

“Jessica—you’re okay!”

She still couldn’t hear him over the wind and the waves.

Standing on the pebbly shore now, she smiled at him, hair aflame in the bright moonlight, arms at her sides as if patiently waiting for him.

“Hey—you scared me!” he cried, sneakers splashing in puddled crevices in the rock-strewn sand. “You really scared me!”

She didn’t reply.

She threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled his face to hers.

The perfume. It seemed to float around him, to hold him, to draw him near.

She felt warm and cold at the same time, wet from the ocean waters, yet her lips were so dry, hot and dry.

Before Matt could take a breath, before he even realized what was happening, she was kissing his mouth, kissing his eyes, kissing his chin.

Kissing him with such surprising passion.

So hot and so cold at the same time.

The tangy perfume, the hot, dry lips, the brush of her hair, the warmth of her face—it all overwhelmed Matt.

The kisses. The kisses.

He struggled to respond.

But he found himself sinking—willingly, so willingly—into dizzying, spinning darkness.

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 681