Chapter Forty

Justin’s POV

Apples, that was what she tasted like. While apples weren’t particularly a fruit I disliked, I didn’t like them either. But in that moment, they quickly became my new favorite fruit.

I'd been dreaming of the day I’d finally get to kiss Ayva since I was eighteen, but nothing could have prepared me for how soft her lips were. It was like velvet against mine, like clouds, and my chest tightened as I remembered the day I caught Jace and her kissing. Suddenly, I wanted to storm over to my so-called best friend and rearrange his face.

But when our tongues danced together and she let out a little whimper, all those thoughts melted away. I breathed her in, her scent intoxicating every sense of my body. I couldn't help but wonder why it took me so damn long to kiss her. My chest swelled with intense emotion like it was about to burst.

"I love you." I wanted to say those words, but pulling my lips away from hers was out of the question. I couldn't waste a single second away from he