I want you to breathe me in, let me be your air, let me roam your body freely

-Calvin Harris, Disciples

We were back at the hill. I think ride had become our code word for coming here. The mode of transportation didn't matter, the location did. We'd stopped by a pizza place to grab some food, so I wasn't really hungry at the moment.

Theo stripped down to his boxers, walking ahead to the edge of the hill. I swiped my tongue across my bottom lip, my eyes not leaving the devilish way his muscles clenched with each step he took, the way his boxers hung low on his hips making me go wild. I had this sudden urge to take a bite.

Ha! Maybe I was hungry after all, just not for food.

"If you jump after me without hesitating a bit," He said, and looked behind at me. His green eyes twinkled with humor and he smirked, "I'll let you in on a secret."

I stripped down as he jumped. I deliberately did not walk to the edge directly so that he wouldn't be able to see me. I took a deep breath, willing myself, gathering all the confidence I had. Then I walked over to the edge, seeing his head pop up from the water. And I jumped.

Nothing had ever felt this beautiful before. I had never felt so much free until the first time I'd jumped. When my body hit the water, I didn't gasp for oxygen like I used to. Because in that moment I knew nothing would happen to me, and I wanted to enjoy. I came to the surface, blinking back the water drops from my eyes.

Strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me against a hard chest. When I opened my eyes, I found myself looking into the most beautiful orbs I'd ever seen. He gazed at me with such purity that I wanted to shrink back. His expression was so vulnerable and raw that I wanted to break away the tiniest bit of my own walls and fling myself into him.

"You are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." He whispered.

I smiled, then frowned. "Was that the secret you wanted to tell me?"

He grinned. "Did you fall for that?"

I slapped his chest. "You're a liar."

He caught my hand in his, bringing it up to brush his lips across it. My heart fluttered. "The secret part was a lie but you being the most beautiful girl was not. There's no one like you."

"Of course there's not." I scoffed. "I'm awesome."

His chest vibrated with chuckles, "You are."

"Tell me something." I whispered. "Anything."

"My parents are excited to meet you. They came to know yesterday that we're dating and they were delighted."

I smiled. "I'm glad."

"My mom's hosting this party day after tomorrow for the inauguration of her shop. It's the third she's opening here."

"That's great!"

"And I, as her son, have the right to invite people. So you're coming."

I bit back a smile. "I'm not free day after tomorrow." I teased him.

"Really?" He cleared his throat, seemingly caught off guard. "Oh, um, okay, I didn't know that. Could you not even stop by for some time?"

I chuckled at how easily he believed me. "Maybe if you ask me politely I'll think about it."

Understanding reflected off his eyes. He smiled, catching up to me. "Miss Parker, would you do me the extraordinary honor of accompanying me to my mother's party?"

"If you say so." I smiled as he grabbed my head and pressed his lips to mine. I kissed him back with the same ferocity, his arms coming down to grasp my hips and hoist me up. I wrapped my legs around his torso, tracing the wide expanse of his shoulder blades, letting him slip his tongue into my mouth.

"Wait." I gasped. "Wait I have a question."

He groaned, but pulled back. "You have a really bad timing, angel."

"Why didn't you tell me you'd never dated before?"

He froze, then scoffed. "Of course I've dated before. Who said I haven't? Of course I have."

I raised an eyebrow, giving him an unimpressed expression. I made a move to get down from his hold but he tightened his grip and sighed. "Fine, sorry. I haven't. I didn't tell you because, well...it didn't come up."

"No. That is not the reason."

"Of course that's the reason. It just didn't come up."

I started at him. It suddenly clicked in my head. "You-you're embarrassed by it. You're embarrassed because you haven't dated before and that is why you didn't tell me."

He made a move to deny, but we both knew there was no point. So he sighed again. "Yeah, I just, I don't know. I never found a girl who actually liked me for being me. Everyone was with me for looks or just to get popular. They all wanted Theo the captain of the football team, or Theo the sexy guy, no one even knew the Theo who came up to a hill to clear his head."

My eyes softened.

"I didn't commit because I was scared I'd start to develop feelings for someone who didn't even know the real me. That's my only excuse for sleeping with girls, for the meaningless sex."

I traced his cheekbone. He shivered slightly, either from the water, or from my touch.

"And then you came," He chuckled. "And you made me go through hell."

I smiled. "When did you first realize you had feelings for me?"

"I'd always felt attracted to you. Not just physically, but you intrigued me so much that I wanted to be close to you. But I realized what I felt for you was not merely attraction when we came here the first time, when you were scared of jumping down. At that time, the only thing running in my head was that you didn't have to be scared because I would never let anything happen to you."

"I know you wouldn't." I whispered.

"When did you realize you had feelings for me?" He asked.

"I don't know." I replied. "I think the first time I admitted to myself that I had feelings for you was when you left. But I'd had feelings before that as well, I just didn't admit them."

"You made me lose my mind." He murmured.

"Oh baby I'm still going to make you lose your mind." I smirked.

His chest vibrated with a groan. "I fucking love it when you call me that."

I bent down to catch his lips on mine. They were soft like always, tasting of salt water and berries. My legs tightened, and I gasped in his mouth when I felt his erection press into my body. He smiled, pulling me closer, not breaking away. I let him carry me out of the stream. He gently placed me on the sand, hovering above me.

"You have no idea what you do to me, angel."

"And you don't have any idea what you do to me." I whispered back. He trailed kisses down my lower jaw to my neck. I almost moaned when he sucked on the sensitive flesh behind my ear, diving back to my neck and teasingly biting it. My breath hitched when his fingers lightly brushed my sides. I lifted my hands up to grab his shoulders, letting them go down to trace his chest.

I arched as his hands crept over to my back, unclasping my bra and flinging it away. His mouth devoured my neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses down till the middle of my stomach. I inhaled harshly when his hand came up to cup my breast. He flicked my sensitive bud and I closed my eyes tightly.

"No, look at me." He demanded. "I want you to keep your eyes on me. You look away and I stop."

He maintained a strong eye contact with me as he took my nipple in his mouth. I moaned, urging my eyes to stay open. His tongue teased me, making me go all sorts of crazy. His hand was still toying with the other one, and even though I'd willed myself to listen to him once, my eyes closed on their own at the pleasurable sensation.

And then the same sensation stopped. I whined.

"I'd warned you, angel. You didn't listen to me."

I huffed, annoyed by him.

"Open your eyes."

I shook my head, and I heard him chuckle, coming up to give me a kiss on the lips. "So fucking stubborn all the time, huh."

And then I suddenly flipped him over. Sand clung to my back, my hair coming up to shield our faces. His expression was that of astonishment, he'd clearly not expected me to take control. "My turn." I whispered seductively.

I let my lips wander down his jaw, his light stubble tickling me. He groaned when I bit his earlobe, swirling my tongue round and pulling it gently. My teeth grazed his neck, biting the same spot I'd previously given him a hickey on. He tilted his head back and I was once again astounded by how long his neck was.

He slapped my hands which were supporting my weight, and so I fell down on him. He grabbed my waist and flipped us around again. I know he could've done this a lot earlier, but the fact that he was letting me have control, even for a short time, was fine with me.

"Tell me something." I whispered. "Anything."

"I'm so fucking hard right now that my dick is about to tear off my boxers." He said, and froze.

My eyes widened.

"Fuck I did not just say that." He swore. We'd never talked so openly about sex, but now that he's started, I would be the one finishing.

"Yeah? How hard?" I asked, daringly. I didn't know where this sudden confidence was coming from.

He froze again, looking down at me. Then he smirked, as if to say, challenge accepted. "Hard like a diamond."

"Too bad you're not gonna get a release right now, baby." I whispered.

He groaned and buried his face between the valley of my breasts. "Why do you always have to tease me like that?"

"Theo, I'm not having sex with you here."

"But...but why?" His voice was small as if he was actually confused and curious.

"Because I do not want my first time with you when I'm covered in sand and filthy."

"Some people like filthy sex. Like bathroom-"

"Well I'm not those people. And, um, that kind of sex is okay when they've already slept together. I'm talking about my first time with you."

"Okay, fine." He slumped down on me again.

"Theo-"

"It's alright angel. I just need some time to..to adjust." He said with a little difficulty.

I giggled. "Okay, take your time."

He remained like that for a long time. I traced imaginary patterns on his back, his skin rough because of the sand. When he sunk his head in my neck and pressed a kiss there, I giggled and pushed him off me. "Get up now, horny pants. I'm tired."

"I swear you tease me like that again and-"

"Yeah? And then what?"

"I'll tease you back." He swore. "Like this." Then he blew hard against my right nipple, and I arched my back as the hot air hit my skin. He did that again, and I moaned loud. And then he got off me.

"Theo!" I whined.

"What? You stop and I'll stop." He shrugged and gave me a hand.

I got up, huffing dramatically and clasping my bra. "It's freaking cold."

"We've just come out of the water semi naked. Of course it'll feel cold. I've got a spare towel in my car, you think you'll manage till there?"

"Sure."

I rubbed my arms together. "Next time, we're gonna bring everything here itself. If I catch a cold it's all on you."

He raised his hands. "Hey! How the heck could I have known you'd seduce me into making out in the sand?"

I gasped. "I seduced you?"

He grinned. "No, I did. But you seduced me back. So you're not completely innocent."

"Grab me my towel, boyfriend!" I commanded.

His smile copied mine, our eyes shining like twinkling stars, the dimple in his left cheek telling me how hard he was smiling. His jolliness was infectious. "You got it, babe."

And in that moment, I found the only thing I'd so desperately wanted to find.

A safe place.

He was my salvation.

*