Free New Forever by Yessi Smith Page B

blanket with nothing but nature around us as the sun rises. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him in for another kiss.
    “I love it,” I tell him between kisses and feel his lips turn into a smile.
    “I’m glad, but you haven’t seen your surprise yet. Over there.” He points to our left and I squint my eyes, only seeing the silhouette of something very large. Whatever it is, it is so large, it takes up a huge amount of space on the ground and in the air. We walk toward the direction of my surprise and I see what seems to be some sort of flame floating inside the silhouette.
    Max takes my hand and leads me towards it and I can’t even begin to guess what it is, but I feel my heartbeat quicken as we get closer. My eyebrows furrow together and I stare in the direction of my surprise with intense focus. I stop suddenly when finally, I see it and my smile builds slowly across my face.
    A hot air balloon!
    I squeal and jump then throw myself at Max, hugging him with my arms and legs.
    “You like?” he asks.
    “I love! But nowhere near as much as I love you.” My breath catches in my throat as I pull Max the rest of the way towards our hot air balloon.
    The desire to explore the balloon is strong, but not as strong as my need to hug Max. So I hug him, molding our bodies flat against one another. A soft cough interrupts our embrace and Max spins around with me still latched onto him like a koala. After the mandatory introductions are made and safety instructions are told, we climb into the basket of our hot air balloon with our guide and basket of crepes.
    Max puts his arms around my waist and I lean into him as we softly float off the ground. Once we’re in the air, I feel it—the freedom I envy every time I see a bird in flight. I watch the city grow smaller as we float higher and higher in the atmosphere. The wind tickles my nose and I close my eyes to enhance the scent of the fresh, warm air. This is freedom. In Max’s arms, I watch the sunrise as it paints the clear sky in an explosion of orange, red, and gold.
    This is to live. To love.
    I get out of the car on shaky legs and take each step toward the hotel deliberately. Max still loves me. In his deluded mind, he’s taking care of me just as he’s done since the first day I met him. Now, I just have to convince him that I still want him regardless of what he’s hiding from me.
    Maybe his secrets should scare me. Maybe I’m the one living some deluded dream, but he’s the hero of my story. The only time he’s ever hurt me was when he got this ignorant idea that he had to protect me. His preconceived idea of nobility sucks.
    I exit the elevator, turn to his room and on a long exhale, knock on his door.

Pacing like a caged animal, I try to convince myself I’m not waiting for Hayley. Not at all. In fact, I don’t want her here at all, screwing with my plan and reminding me of how much I miss her. So instead of pleasure, I tell myself I feel nothing but annoyance when I hear the knock at my door. I know who I’ll find before I open it and for a millisecond I consider not opening it at all. Instead I mask my uncertainty with a cocky smile and allow my eyes to stare at Hayley long enough to make her squirm before she waltzes into my hotel room and back into my life.
    She smells like spring—fresh and sweet with an earthy undertone. My fingers itch to touch her, to trace the outline of her face and run my fingers through her hair. Her lips, slanted into a scowl, beg for my attention.
    I inch away from her, giving me enough space to clear my head and watch her as she sits on my bed and crosses her legs. I doubt she means to be seductive, but that’s exactly what she is. My gaze follows down the hem of her skirt and over her long legs, and I immediately harden when my eyes trace back over her body and land on her partly open mouth.
    I know that body—I’ve studied and worshipped that body for countless hours. I know where to touch to hear her sigh and