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sexy-as-hell timbre
reached out, stroking her like a soft caress.
    She wiped the tear sliding down her face. She
didn’t want either of them to remember their last night together as
the time when she totally lost it and begged him not to go.
    He stepped onto the footbridge, kissed her
forehead, and sat beside her. His long legs hung down farther than
hers did. He draped his arms over the railing and propped his chin
on the bar. “I’m gonna miss this,” he said.
    She hooked an arm around his and leaned her
head on his shoulder. “Me, too.”
    Five years ago, almost to the day, they
kissed but not since.
    Gorgeous, tan, and muscular, his sweet and
caring personality filled her with so much warmth she couldn’t
catch her breath. She liked everything about him from his
bluish-green eyes to his funny second toe that was longer than the
first.
    “Do you think your parents will ever accept
me?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.
    Mom and Dad tolerated her seeing Matt. Still,
she hated the times when they badgered her with questions and
threatened not to pay for college if they ever dated. “I can
hope.”
    “Me too,” he said, his tone low and face
forward. Unusual for him, he always made eye contact when he
talked.
    “Tonight is tough,” she said, meaning it more
than she believed possible. “How will I deal with not seeing you?”
Moisture filled her eyes. She promised herself she wouldn’t fall
apart and do this to him, to her. “I don’t want you to go.”
    “Aw, sweetheart.” He slid an arm around her
and tucked her close. At five-three, she snuggled against his
six-one frame perfectly. “We knew this day was coming. Neither one
of us can renege on our commitments.”
    “What about the one we have to one another?”
The words spilled out without a care. They hadn’t discussed their
bond.
    “Nothing will change,” he said, his manner as
absolute and resolved as it had been since they first met. He
controlled his actions and his feelings. Kept a handle on what he
wanted, and what he needed to do to get there.
    She wasn’t as strong or as sure. A
double-edged sword played devil’s advocate in her mind. She wanted
him, the forbidden fruit. Thankfully, he hadn’t complicated matters
by pursuing more of a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship. His
thoughtful and protective manner opened the door for their
friendship to flourish. Wonderful, yet depressing—she wanted a
taste, an adult sample of the man he’d become.
    She admired his generosity, humility, and
most importantly, his no-nonsense way. Despite her parents’
warnings not to date him, she couldn’t stop from entertaining the
idea. Long ago, she accepted she couldn’t have him, not really
accepted but endured. Her path in life would take her down a road
of money and status. Things Matt didn’t care about. She’d rather
have these lovely moments with him, than take a chance he would
tire of the ongoing battle against outside forces—her parents—to be
together.
    Love existed; she knew it but didn’t expect
to experience the big bang love others raved about. Her parents
didn’t have it. Her brother hadn’t found it. Although part of her
imagined she could have the big bang love with Matt, she wouldn’t
take the risk. The unknown wasn’t worth losing her best friend, her
right arm. She’d settle for a nice home, a complacent love, and not
worry about the amazing, panty-wetting desire her friends gabbed
about.
    Yet…
    For the last year when he brushed against her
with a hand or a shoulder, her body hummed. She’d resisted the urge
to press against his chest and kiss his lips. Instead, she
fantasized about arriving at the footbridge pantyless, like tonight
when she carried out the silly girl notion. She sucked in a deep
breath, shifted to make sure her skirt covered her butt. She’d hate
to get a splinter.
    “There’s Trina.” He pointed at a
constellation he’d named for her eighteenth birthday two days
ago.
    “You’re so