I move my hand up into his thick, dark hair while studying his face up close. It’s still hard for me to reconcile the boy I once knew with who he is now. “You grew up into a very handsome man, Ezra Keen,” I say, before brushing my lips across his.

He leans in to prolong the kiss, but I pull back.

“And you’ve grown into an incredibly beautiful woman, June Bennett,” he says.

And there we are—the secret password. I push into him so that our lips crash together in a kiss. Unlike the last time, we go right into frenzied passion. I walk him backward toward the bed, not even thinking about how old or dirty it might be. Our mouths stay locked together, our tongues working fast, until I drop down on the bed and lie back—physically granting him permission to have me however he wants.

He shoves the fabric of my dress up around my waist and kneels on the floor in front of me. I lift my hips as he pulls to free me of my black lace underwear. Then he slows right down, running his hands up my calves to grip the backs of my knees. He leans into me, his breath hot against my skin. I sigh with pleasure as he begins to slowly kiss his way up my leg.

I try to lose myself in the sensation of him, but the dress is suddenly too tight, and the underwire of the bra digs into my left rib. Readjusting my position only intensifies the discomfort. I close my eyes and I see her. My mother, in the exact same position I’m in now, same dress, same everything, with West kneeling between her legs.

I sit up fast. “Stop.”

The word seems to physically throw him backward, away from my body. “What’s wrong?” His eyes are full of confusion and fear. “Are you okay?”

As I look into his face, the image of my mother and his father slowly fades away. “It’s nothing.” I laugh in an attempt to rid myself of the horrible feeling inside. “I’m sorry. I just thought I saw a mouse or something.” He glances around the room and then, seeing nothing, starts to move toward me again.

I shove the skirt of my dress down and stand up. “Can we go somewhere else?”

He pushes himself off the floor. “Ah, sure. Like another cabin?”

“Um.” I struggle to find the words, not knowing what it is that just happened to me or what I now want. It’s never happened before. Being with a man has always been a guaranteed escape, my mind becoming an empty vessel that fills only with him and with the physical. “Let’s just finish the tour and have dinner and then see how we feel.”

He nods, but the confusion lingers in his expression. “Sure. That’s fine. Whatever makes you comfortable. We don’t have to do anything, June, if you don’t want to. I just like spending time with you.”