As he spoke, I let the words drift over me. I felt the feelings of excitement he must have felt, the quiet thrill inside me that feel like snuggling down in the warmest bed on the coldest day of the year.

“But you never entered any races, or anything like that,” I said, opening my eyes. “I would’ve known. I would’ve come and cheered you on.”

He shrugged. “People like me don’t get to be Olympic champions. We get to ride around on errands for goodbreeds and get paid for it, if we’re lucky. And besides—if I made it real, it would’ve taken away the secret feeling about imagining it. And that was the best part. I’ve never told anybody about it until right now.”

“Why are you telling me?” I asked. My eyes were all the way open now. I propped myself up on one arm so that I was on level with Jaden.

He shrugged again, but this time the nonchalance felt forced. “I don’t know, Makayla. I guess I’d tell you just about anything.”

I sat up against the fancy headboard. Our hands were just a few inches away on the bed, and then there wasn’t any space separating them at all—I had my hand clasped over his. I wasn’t sure how it happened, just that it felt good. We’d slept near each other every night in the shelter, but there it had been for protection. I reached out my other hand and curled it around the back of his neck, feeling the little hairs at the base of his skull. I began massaging his neck with my hand, and then I pulled him closer to me.

Our lips met gently. For a minute I just sat there, doing nothing. My mind was blank, and it felt so good. All I could feel was the sensation of his soft lips. I didn’t think of the past, or the future, or anything but their softness. I felt so warm. He began to move his lips just a bit, pressing them against mine. Our mouths opened and I felt his tongue. He tasted wonderful, a hint of the bottle of wine we’d found and drank after Ale went to bed still on his lips.

My hands were in his hair, pulling his face closer to mine. Our kisses grew longer, deeper. His hands moved over my shirt to my breasts. My nipples were getting harder and more sensitive. He slipped his hands under my shirt and the touch sent shocks through me.