“Not only do you have the greatest tutor to walk this earth, but he’s also funny, charming, and ridiculously good looking.”

“You left out incredibly humble.”

He nods. “Yes, that too.”

I laugh, staring at him as if I can memorize the details of his profile. “Simmer down. You’re not that great.”

He takes his eyes off the road. “Aren’t I, though?”

Maybe.

He turns the radio on and raises the volume when he realizes it’s a song from my favorite band, Siren of the Heart.

Okay, he definitely is.

He reaches across the center console and grabs my hand, the warmth instantly making me feel at peace. It suddenly feels like so long since I’ve seen him, since I’ve really talked to him—not about the shallow stuff, but about the heavy stuff. The real stuff. It hits me all at once how much I missed him. As the lead singer of Siren of the Heart sings in the background about needing to be closer to his love, the tightening in my chest tells me I feel the same way. He’s sitting right here, right beside me, touching me, holding my hand, but for how long? How much longer will I get to be with him, to touch him, to feel his arms around me?

“Pull over,” I say.

“What?” Aiden’s eyebrows draw together as he scans me, but he pulls over easily since the road isn’t busy, and engages the parking brake. “What’s wrong?”

I can’t unbuckle my seat belt fast enough.

“Thea?” he asks, and my real name on his lips sends shivers down my spine.

Instead of answering him, I attempt to climb over the center console. Pain radiates from the crown of my skull when I bang it on the roof of the minivan. It’s more spacious compared to the Challenger, but I may have overestimated just how spacious.

Aiden’s eyes are wide. “What are you doing?”

I grumble as I unsuccessfully attempt to clear the center console. “I’m trying”—I bang my foot on the glove compartment—“to be cute and spontaneous”—I slip off my shoes, which are too bulky for what I’m attempting—“but I’m failing miserably.”

The expression on Aiden’s face changes as he realizes my intention.

“Don’t laugh at me!” I huff, and he doesn’t bother hiding the amusement on his face.

“I’m not. Here.” He reaches beside his seat and the seat slides back, giving me space. “Better?”

I flop into his lap with as much grace as I can manage and straddle him on the seat. His hands come to my waist under my leather jacket and my hands grip his shoulders, the earlier awkwardness gone in an instant and replaced with an intense longing. Leaning closer, I press against his chest, my heartbeat speeding up with each breath he takes, with each glance at my lips. His are mere inches from mine, hovering there, teasing me. He’s so close I can feel his shaky mint breath against my skin.

“Much,” I whisper when I can’t stand the miniscule distance anymore and bring my lips to his. As soon as his lips meet mine, the unsettled feeling in my chest lifts, and every nerve in my body awakens. It’s rough and desperate and I know he missed me as much as I did him. There’s a deep groan from the back of his throat and his hands slip under my shirt and up my back, pressing me even closer against his hard chest. I can feel him everywhere, invading all my senses. The softness of his hair as I run my fingers through it juxtaposes the hardness of his body, and the warm earthiness of his cologne mixes with something that’s entirely Aiden. As he kisses me, all my worries and problems melt away as I lose myself to everything he makes me feel.