I take hungry possession of her mouth, my tongue tracing over her puckered lips, dipping between the seam. Taking what I want, her, Kensington. I want to be surrounded by her, consumed. If the whimper she releases is an indication, she and I are finally on the same page.

The sound of quads passing on a nearby trail brings me back to reality. I want nothing more than to sink deep inside of her and stay there, but I can’t. Won’t, not here. I slow the kiss as I nibble on her lips. Needing to slow this down, I kiss the tip of her nose, her eyes, and her cheeks. Burying my face in her neck, I can feel the blood pounding through my veins, my heart thundering against my chest. Breaking the connection, I cup her face in my hands. That’s when I notice the trembling. At first, I thought it was her, but it’s not; it’s me.

The reality of the situation crashes into me. She’s slowly chipped away at the walls erected around my heart. My motto: the only way to have truth in any relationship is to stay true to yourself, slaps me in the face. My truth is no matter how hard I fight it, or deny it, it’s there. I feel something for her that I’ve never felt. She’s softened my hardened heart to the point that all I see is her. In the back of my mind, I know this is what my dad meant when he said when you found the one you would just know. That nothing would be able to keep me from her. I feel that, now with Kensi. Is she “the one”? I’m not ready to dive into that just yet, but she is the one “for right now,” and that’s a first for me. For the first time in my life, I want a relationship. I want to get to know her, explore her luscious body.

The game has changed; I still want her in my bed, but now I also want her. I refuse to share her. Having someone like Lance swooping in and catching her attention is not something I’m okay with. I need to tread lightly and feel her out. I need to convince her to give this, to give being with only me, a shot. We can learn together, and maybe, down the road, she will be “the one.”

The thought of her really being mine, it humbles me. This girl is amazing and… yeah, I need to make that happen.

“You’re shaking.” Her voice is reverent.

“That’s all you. You wreck me, Kensi.” No truer words have been spoken.

“Max,” she whispers, and just as I’m about to capture her lips again, I hear them coming back. Not able to prevent it, I place a chaste kiss on her forehead and help her off the quad. I remain sitting; otherwise, they will all know what we’ve been up to, or at least what I’m up to.

I QUICKLY HOP off his lap and stand beside the four-wheeler. I stretch my arms above my head, pretending to be stretching, when all I really need to do is pull air into my lungs. He leaves me breathless.

Bright and Nicole pull up beside us. Bright shuts off the bike and they both take off their helmets. “What happened to you two?” she asks.

“I just wanted to stretch my legs. I was so nervous; I was gripping Max too tight.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I’m blushing. They sound crude and suggestive and fit into what was happening between us just minutes ago. Thankfully, my best friend laughs it off. She would never believe what just happened. I’m the girl who shy’s away from guys, especially guys like Maxton. I don’t get close enough for events like today’s to occur. I keep to myself and live in the past. I now understand what Dad was trying to tell me. This is what he wants for me, well, maybe not groping a ridiculously hot guy in the middle of the woods, but living. He was trying to tell me that he and Mom had this and he wants that for me, that she would want that for me.

I feel tears well up behind my eyes. I bend over, pretending to be messing with my shoelaces, until I can fight them off.

“We’re heading back to fire up the grill,” Bright chimes in.

“Sounds good, man. We’re right behind you,” Max agrees.

Within no time, their helmets are back on and they are speeding off toward the truck. Max climbs off his four-wheeler and stands next to me. His hands rest on my shoulders. Bending his knees, he makes himself eye level with me. “You okay?” His voice is concerned.

“Yeah, I’m good. We better head back before they come looking for us.”

Maxton exhales, stands to his full height, and wraps me in a hug. I feel a light kiss on the top of my head, then the loss of his warmth. He climbs back on the four-wheeler, holding out his hand to help me climb on. Placing our helmets back on our heads, we head back to the lot.

Nicole and I take over setting up the food. There are two grills going, both operated by guys we don’t know. Two other girls are here as well, but they’re sitting around with the guys, vying for their attention. Nicole and I have everything set up by the time the grilling is done. Several of the guys comment on how nice it was for us to take care of set up. A few of the guys throw us winks, but nothing inappropriate. Bright and Max are the last two in line. Bright carries Nicole’s plate to the trailer; they have a table set up and a small heater. Apparently, they brought it for us. It’s a little chilly, but not terrible. Max and I make our plates, and he takes mine as we join our friends.

The food is great; of course, we’re all starving. None of us have eaten since Maxton’s breakfast this morning. A few of the guys come over, and we are introduced. Everyone seems friendly and I find myself having a good time. This morning I was dreading it, now I’m more than glad I came.

Just as we finish eating, Lance stops by to tell us one of the guys has a flat, but as soon as it’s fixed, we’ll be ready to go out again.

“I think we’re going to head up the north trail,” Brighton informs him. He looks at Max for approval.

“Yeah, I think the girls will like the overlook,” Max agrees.

Lance nods, tells us he’ll catch up with us later, and heads back to the group.

“You don’t have to change for us,” Nicole speaks up.

“Yeah, if you think it’s too much, we can just hang out here,” I chime in.

“Not gonna happen, Nic,” Brighton says. “Besides, it has nothing to do with you not being able to handle the trail.” If I’m not mistaken, there is a slight blush to his cheeks. “I just wanted to be away from the group.” She seems to finally get what he’s saying, because she lays a loud kiss on his lips. His smile widens.

We spend the next twenty minutes, for lack of a better term, shooting the shit. Bright and Max entertain us with stories about their childhood and growing up together.

The guys decide, since we’re not going on the same trail as the others, we can go ahead and head out. I take my place behind Max and hold on. He places his hand over mine and laces our fingers together. He doesn’t let go until we reach the trail and are able to pick up speed. I relax against him and watch the fall colors roll by.

Maxton stops beside Bright and they discuss which way to go next. Apparently, there is an overlook that has a great view they are trying to remember how to get to. I’m not paying too much attention because as soon as we stopped, Max once again placed his hand over mine and laced our fingers together. He’s melting my resolve one touch at a time.

The guys finally decide on which way to go and we’re off. Feeling brave from his affections, I slip my hands underneath his shirt and clasp my hands back together. Every once in a while, I draw a lazy pattern with my thumbs, but for the most part, I just hold on, skin to skin. I hold on tight.

WHEN WE REACH the lookout, I’m disappointed. She seems to relax when we’re riding, so much so that she tortured me with those hands of hers. Not that I’m complaining.