Cherry Wine {lex luthor}

chapter sixteen

We arrived back at the mansion as the sun was beginning to set. Long shadows stretched through the tunnel of trees, striping my face as we drove between them.

The ride was long and silent-once my hiccuping breaths had calmed, I hadn't wanted to speak for fear of breaking down again. I was trying to hard to keep it together; but the dam in my chest was beginning to crack under the pressure. Lex seemed to sense this, and every so often he would reach out to stroke my face, or my thigh, or take my hand. The feeling of skin on skin was so startling to me-not that it should be, at this point-that I jumped whenever he touched me. It was comforting, too, though, and I wanted nothing more than to be held by him.

This, for me, was shocking. Not once in my life had I ever had the desire to be close to a boy. Yes, there were the schoolyard crushes, and the fumbling high school flirtations, but never once had I had the urge to give myself over to someone so completely. I tended to push people away, to keep my guard up, and that had, at some level, stopped me from ever pursuing a normal relationship.

Lex had changed all that, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

We pulled into the gravel drive, buttery rectangles of light spilling from the windows. Lex stopped the car, leaving the keys in the ignition, and was opening my door before I could blink.

He offered a hand to me, and I took it gratefully. My leg had begun to throb, and I wasn't sure how steady I would be standing on my own.

"Wait." I said, as Lex pulled me forwards, towards the front door. He turned to look at me, and I stretched up into tiptoe, and kissed him.

He dropped his hands to my waist, pulling me closer. I was shivering slightly, from the cool air and from the nerves of doing something so out of character. I threaded my hands through his long hair, and smiled into the kiss.

After what felt like mere seconds, Lex pulled back.

"Well." He said. I felt my cheeks warm, and he placed his hands over them. "Adorable. Simply adorable." He hummed.

"Sorry." I said, looking down. "I just-sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Lex asked, lines appeared between his brows. I wanted to reach up and smooth them away, but I kept my hands firmly at my sides.

"I just never do stuff like that." I said, my teeth beginning to chatter. "I mean never, Lex. Like, with anyone else."

He blinked, realization dawning on his face. I looked away, embarrassed at the confession.

"You mean I was your first kiss?"

I couldn't decode the nuances in his voice, but even in the ever-dimming light, I could see his grin.

"You don't have to look so happy about it." I said, through a shudder. Lex dropped his hands from my face and rubbed my arms.

"You're freezing. Let's go inside and finish this chat."

"Or we could not." I muttered under my breath.

Inside, the mansion was brimming with light and warmth. Though I never saw any staff other than the cooks, it was becoming more and more evident exactly how much work-and personnel-it took to keep the place running.

Blood rushed to my hands as the warmth hit them, and I flexed them, the stiffness dissipating.

"Let's go upstairs." Lex suggested, toeing off his white canvas sneakers. I sat heavily, reaching down to take off my black shoes. Lex stopped me. "Allow me."

He knelt in front of me, his hand warm on my ankle. I watched as his long fingers deftly undid the buckle, and slid the shoe off my foot. A shiver ran through me, and it had nothing to do with the weather.