“I love you,” he says before welding his lips to mine. This kiss is softer, sweeter, and I’m drowning in sensation as he worships my mouth, reassuring me of our love with every glide of his lips. Slowly, he pulls out of me, reluctantly breaking our kiss. “I would love nothing more than to spend my time balls deep inside you, but it’s prom, and I believe I promised you some dancing.” He stares adoringly at me, and my heart does cartwheels behind my rib cage.
“You did.” I’m smiling as I fix my panties and my dress while Reeve tucks himself back into his pants. “You look gorgeous,” I say, watching him through the mirror as I smooth my hair into place and tidy my makeup. His broad shoulders fit snugly in the tailored black Armani suit, and the red tie looks vibrant against his crisp white dress shirt.
“Stop stealing my lines,” he purrs, circling his arms around me from behind. “You are stunning, Vivien Grace. More beautiful than any mere mortal. You are a goddess among women.”
Reaching back, I run my fingers through the longer strands of his hair. “Thank you.” My eyes glisten with emotion as I twist around in his arms. “Thank you for being here. I can’t express how happy I am to see you.”
“I’m sorry our plans were ruined.” Lifting my hand to his mouth, he kisses my knuckles. “And I wish I could stay all night, but I had to beg the director to give me a few hours off.”
“I don’t care.” I place my hand on his chest, right over his heart. “I’ll take whatever time I can get with you.”
He dots kisses all over my face before his lips brush against mine. “I hate being separated from you.” He bundles me into his arms. “It’s the worst form of torture.”
“I know,” I admit against his chest. “It’s been killing me too.”
He rubs his nose against mine. “You’re my home, Viv,” he whispers.
“I know what you mean.” I softly cup his handsome face. “Everything feels right when you’re with me.”
He eases back, smiling as he takes my hand. “Then let’s make the most of our time, because it’s got to last us another month before I’m back home.” His gaze treks up and down my body. “Damn, Viv. You’re breathtaking, and that dress is exquisite.”
His words and his loving gaze paper over the cracks in my heart, and I’m dancing on air as we make our way into the ballroom and out onto the dance floor. Our classmates call out and reach for Reeve, but he has single-minded determination, and he stops for no one. Alex plonks Reeve’s crown on his head, and we grin at one another like lovesick fools as we dance. Reeve lavishes me with his undivided attention, twirling and spinning me around as we dance and laugh and revel in being back together. His lips don’t stray far from mine, and we cling to one another through the more romantic songs. It’s everything I had hoped prom would be and more.
All too fast, our time is up and Reeve needs to leave.
I go with him in the car, because it gives us more precious minutes together, and we make out like demons on the back seat, enjoying every second.
His father’s private jet is ready and waiting on the runway when we arrive at the airport, and we hold tight to one another until time has run out. I swipe at the silent tears streaming down my face as he walks away from me and I wonder if I’ll ever get used to the long separations.
13
“Congratulations, honey,” Mom says, enveloping me in her arms. My graduation cap tilts sideways on my head, but Dad fixes it.
“I want a photo of the two of you.” He gestures for us to pose. “Say cheese, princess.”
I laugh, snaking my arm around Mom’s shoulders as she holds on to my waist. We smile for a few pics, and then Dad swaps with Mom. Audrey approaches with her parents and her two younger sisters, and my bestie takes some shots of the three of us before I return the favor. Then Mom takes some solo shots of me, as well as some with my friends.
We made plans to enjoy a celebratory meal with Audrey’s family and Alex’s family, but we separate to travel to the restaurant in our own cars. En route to the steakhouse, I post a group pic with our friends on social media, tagging Reeve and mentioning how much we miss him today.
“Have you heard from Reeve?” Audrey asks, as we settle into our chairs at the restaurant.
I shake my head, and waves of my long dark hair tumble over my shoulders. “I had a message when I woke up, and he sent me flowers, but I haven’t spoken with him yet.” The time difference and his early starts are a real pain.
“Only four more days and it’ll all be over,” my bestie says, hugging me. “We’re going to have the best summer.”
“We are, and I can’t wait.”
I laugh as Nate lets out a loud battle cry before jumping from the large speaker resting on the temporary stage, hurling himself into the packed crowd. He is such an idiot, and I wonder if he’ll ever grow up.
Butthead is hosting our graduation party, but this time the action is largely taking place indoors because his parents have moved to Greece for the summer, giving him free rein of his palatial home. Some people spill out onto the beach, drinking and skinny-dipping, but the DJ has been set up inside, and that is where most of my classmates have gravitated.
I drink my vodka cranberry while I take a breather from the dance floor. I chuckle to myself as I watch Audrey and Alex dirty dancing in the middle of the packed crowd. Alcohol sloshes through my veins, and I’m nicely buzzed yet still in control of my faculties. I keep an eye on the time and my cell, hoping Reeve isn’t too late calling me tonight. I’m desperate to speak to him, having really missed him at graduation today. I don’t like thinking about all the milestones Reeve is missing, because it just gets me depressed. Instead, I’m trying to focus on the fact he’ll be home in four days, we have all summer together, and then we’ll be starting UCLA. Finally, things are falling into place, and I’m excited for this next phase of our lives.
Extracting my cell, I open my Insta, to check my graduation post, because I’m clearly a glutton for punishment. “What the fuck?” I blurt, squinting at my screen in confusion.
“What’s wrong?” Alex plonks his butt on the stool beside me.
“My graduation post is gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” He arches a brow while swigging warm beer from a red cup.
“I mean it’s disappeared. Gone poof.” I rub a tense spot between my brows.
“How does a post just disappear?” he asks, smiling as Audrey makes her way toward us.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” I murmur, as a sense of unease slithers over my skin.
“Do you know anything about my missing graduation post?” I ask Reeve when he calls twenty minutes later. I’ve been mulling over ideas and quietly stewing since I discovered my post was gone.
“I didn’t know anything until after the fact,” he says, immediately on the defensive, which instantly pisses me off.
“What did Cassidy do?” I bark, because I’ve no doubt the stuck-up hyper-ambitious publicist hired by the studio is behind this.
Tension oozes between us down the line.
“I’m disgusted, Viv. I just want to put that out there first, and I’ve already ripped her a new one. It’s not going to happen again.”
“Spit it out, Reeve.” I flee the house and walk around the corner in search of somewhere more private to have this argument, because I sense one brewing.
“She had someone hack into your account and remove it.”
“She what?!” I screech. “She has no right to do that! I’m going to sue her fucking ass. The studio too. Who the hell do these people think they are?” My free hand is clenching and unclenching at my side, and I have an almost insurmountable urge to punch something.
“I get you’re pissed. I am too. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to wanting to hit a woman, but we can’t do anything about it.”
“You can’t, but I can!” I pace back and forth on the stone path that runs alongside Butthead’s house. No one is back here, and the noise from the party is muted.
“Babe. You can’t. Not without it affecting me.”
“You’re almost finished filming,” I remind him.