Teach Me by Amy Lynn Steele Read Free Book Online

kiss her perfect lips. I can get lost in these kisses, and I almost do. I open my eyes and find that my stage is set. Sean is just waiting, and I motion him with my eyes to leave. After a minute of silent battle, he gets the hint. I wait until I know he is out of sight. I even watch as he gets in his car and pulls out of the dark parking area. We are now totally alone. I lead Ali to a blanket that has been set up.
                  “Ready?” I ask. She nods, placing her hands, which is still covering her eyes, on mine. I uncover her eyes and take a small step back. “Open them.”
                  I am standing behind Ali, so I don’t know what she is thinking. Spread out in front of us is a candlelit picnic. I’m not just talking about little tea light candles in those silver tins. I had Sean set up and light about fifty white pillar candles in the sand. In the center of it is a dark blanket with a picnic basket toward the edge. I want Ali to say something—anything. The silence is killing me. I reach out to touch her shoulder as she turns around.
                  “Cooper,” she whispers, tears brimming at her dark lashes, “how did you do all of this?” Her voice is filled with wonder.
                  I moved closer and bent to whisper into her ear. “Magic.” Ali giggles, and a tear slides down her cheek. I pull her into me, kissing her with all my emotion. I can feel her damp cheeks as the tears keep coming. I pull back to look into her eyes, finding them filled with tears, but I don’t know if they’re happy or sad.
                  “What is it?” I cup her face in my hands, and she closes her eyes. “Allison, please,” I plead. Finally, she locks her gaze with mine.
                  “I love you,” she says slowly. I nod and keep quiet, hoping she’ll say more. “I don’t want to be away from you, and tomorrow I will be.” I know exactly how she is feeling, but I feel like I should be the strong and optimistic one for her.
                  “We still have tonight,” I answer, quietly wishing that tonight would freeze us here. For a while, neither one of us speaks; no words can make this any easier. I watch the candles twinkle around us, like stars in the sky, and I am lucky enough to hold an angel in my arms. Ali mumbles something about being cold, so we sit on the blanket, and I cover her with the extra one I packed and pull her close.
                  “This is so beautiful,” Ali says dreamily.
                  “I packed some food, if you’re hungry,” I mention. Ali leans back to look at me.
                  “You know me, always ready to eat.” She smiles.
                  This girl rocks my world. I love that she isn’t afraid of eating or speaking her mind. Most girls are so illusive that you never know exactly where they stand. Ali has always been straightforward and herself. Maybe I should tell her about my family. The money and trust funds waiting for me. Maybe that is why it is so easy to be with her—she doesn’t know that side of me. I am almost certain she wouldn’t care.
                  We pick at the food I had Sean set up for us tonight—cheese and crackers, fruits and a few vegetables, and chocolate-covered strawberries. I was thinking about a bottle of champagne but decided on good ol ’ apple cider since we both don’t like drinking. They weren’t large portions of food, but man, it filled me up. Or it could have been my nerves filling up my stomach. I lay back on the blanket and watched Ali sip the cider from her red plastic cup. I touched the small of her back, feeling the heat from her skin, and let my fingers explore the skin under the edge of her shirt. It is so soft and warm as my fingers traced her spine.
                  Ali turned to look at me, her eyes liquid. “That feels so good.” Her eyes are