A Little Independence Teaser

            "You all right to sleep here?" he asked, his voice low. "We can lay down in the back if you want, but…"

          "No," I said. I felt my eyes go wide at the rasping of my voice. He noticed, too, and sucked his lip into his mouth. I watched. "I want to stay right here."

          "OK. Whatever you want."

          I lay my head down in the dip of his shoulder and neck. I inhaled and exhaled harshly. He smelled amazing. The scent caused me physical problems. My body was rethinking some things. It wanted Caleb in all ways and it was making it hard for me to keep my head on straight. Rationally, we were going to get married anyway, right? That was a fact, but I wanted to keep to the Ace's tradition. And I wanted to keep to my tradition. It wasn't religion or old fashioned-ness or parents sheltering me or any other reason. It was just my decision. But as I felt Caleb's fingers graze the top of my hand, I shivered from the small touch alone because I was so wound tight and attuned to him.

          My heart hitched, my lungs beckoned me to take another whiff of him, my fingers curled into his shirt without even asking me first.

          He leaned his head against mine. "Welcome to my world, Maggie."

          I sighed. "I can't believe it's been like this for you the whole time."

          "Believe it." He chuckled, the movement shaking his chest and me on it. "It's Heaven and Hell."

          He turned the Pandora on his phone on and placed it on the front seat. Where I Belong by Switchfoot began to play.

          I sat up a bit and looked into his face. "We're going to find them, right?"

          He cupped my face and promised, "We won't stop until we find them."

          I licked my lips. "Thank you for being so…you."

          He smiled. Not a smirk, a smile that was real and full of the love that was my constant. He leaned forward to kiss me and pulled back after one small taste. He licked his bottom lip. "I know," I groaned. "I taste like honey buns."

          "Baby," he told me, his eyes lidded and dark, "you always taste like honey buns."

          And then he went in for the kill.

          We both groaned at the same time, and our mouths opened to each other's at the same time, and I gasped while he sucked in a quick breath. I put my arms around his neck while he pulled me closer with his hands on my hips.

          And then they slowly moved away from my hips and he gripped my bottom to lift me to him even more. I gasped in a good way and loved that he hadn't asked for permission. This was a first. A good first. I was Caleb's and he was mine. I didn't plan on asking for permission either, so when I found that his breath caught every time I lifted using my knees, I kept doing that.

          Soon he was pulling the too hot hoodie from my body and tossing it in the seat next to us. I was only wearing a white tank underneath and the suddenly cool air made me shiver with goose bumps. He took my hand and kissed the pads of my fingers, and then the inside of my wrist, and then the inside of my elbow.

          I closed my eyes, my lips parted on their own.

          He kept going and eventually made it to my bare shoulder. He pulled the thick strap down and kissed me there, too. When he bit into the flesh there softly, I almost accused him of lying to me about me being his first girlfriend, because he was way too good at this. But then his imprinted body knew me inside and out. It knew exactly what to do to drive me insane for him.  

          So I felt it out to see if I could do the same to him.

          As if on instinct, I leaned forward to nibble under his chin. It was coarse and scratchy, but in a very good way. He leaned his head back on the seat and let out a smothered moan as his hands gripped me tighter.

          "Hell, Maggie."