Chapter 2

A faint pink glow lights the thin line of the horizon. Still indistinct, it is already driving the night’s darkness away, inevitably promising sunrise and a clear morning. Very little time will pass, and that glow will flare into a bonfire. It will paint the sky and ocean in thousands of bright shades of a new day—and I think I’ll be the first to see it.

“It’s so peaceful here, as if no other world exists,” I finally say, filled with wonder. “It’s so beautiful… the Bluff!”

“People ruin this place. When I realized that, I stopped hating it. It’s different, and I want you to see that.”

Matthew speaks, and his breath burns against my temple. The warmth of his chest heats my shoulders, and inside this embrace, I don’t want to move.

“Cold?”

“No. It’s impossible to be cold on a night like this.”

“Then just watch.”

There is no time here, no rules, and no conditions. Even words disappear here, losing all importance. Right now we are as if alone in the whole world, and when Matthew’s lips touch my hair and then my cheek… something real flutters in my stomach, something very much like happiness.

I stand there, looking at the ocean and smiling at my own feeling while Matthew kisses me. He has pulled the elastic from my ponytail and spilled the strands through his fingers. And I could stand like this for a very long time, watching the birth of dawn, as long as this cautious tenderness never ends. As long as I can feel the warmth of his strong shoulders behind my back.

When the edge of the sun’s disk appears beyond the horizon, swiftly separating earth and sky and coloring the waves with golden velvet, I hear my name:

“Ashley… I’ll show you how to see the sunrise, but you have to trust me. Okay? I will never hurt you.”

The sound of his voice sends goose bumps over my skin, and at his promise, every cell in me answers with trust.

Of course I agree:

“Yes!”

He isn’t trying to impress me with his looks or with eloquence, though he has plenty of both. He simply holds me—how could I not agree?

Matthew turns me to face him, my back to the ocean, and asks me to close my eyes. He leads me to the very edge, close enough to the drop that my breath catches and all that’s left is the sound of the wind striking the cliff and stirring my heavy hair. Taking off his jacket, he drops it under our feet and slowly lowers himself to the ground with me. Once he’s sure I’m doing as he says, he swings a leg over my thighs and pins them to the ground with his body, leaving my palms in his hands.

“Lean back, Ashley. Don’t be afraid. I’ve got you. Be brave!”

And I lean back. On a deep breath, I tip my shoulders out over the abyss, my eyes flying open from fear as a small cry escapes my chest… And then I freeze in awe, seeing the sunrise in front of me.

“Let go!” Matthew commands, and I release his fingers so I can throw my arms wide and feel the abyss that has opened to my gaze all around me.

Its beauty steals my breath and stops my heart. The sun, the dawn colors, the purity of the air, and the presence of the person sharing it with me.

It’s as if I’m flying with the Bluff itself, and the wind catches my fiery hair and blows over my cheeks with a gentle breath.

“Matthew, this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life!” I shout joyfully to him. “It’s so beautiful! Is the whole sky really… in front of me?!”

“It’s yours, Ashley!”

I want to laugh and cry at the same time. Right now I’m so full of emotion that I feel unbelievably alive. And I’m not even a little scared. Not at all! And the sun… it rises higher and higher above us…

“Time to go, Ash. Give me your hand!”

Matthew catches my fingers, grips them tightly, and lifts us both. Pulling me to him by the waist, he moves farther from the edge and smiles wide when he sees my eyes, full of delight.

Right now I’m looking only at him. And then… I’m the one who reaches for him, and I’m the one who kisses him—he immediately pulls me closer. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I find Palmer’s lips, and we stand like that for a long time two steps from the drop, kissing on the Bluff.

There is no one here who could interfere. And there is no time. There is only us and our feelings, and the kiss goes on and on…

When we finally pull away from each other, I smile at him and confess:

“Matthew, this sunrise is amazing! And you’re amazing, do you hear me? I want to tell you that while I still have the courage. I’ll never forget this morning! I’m so glad I know you like this!”

“Ashley, right now I’d jump down there just to cool my head after hearing that.”

“Are you insane?”

“I’ve jumped from here before. More than once. But I don’t want to leave you alone. Come on, Miss Smile!”

“Where?”

“Down. To the ocean! I’m not ready to let you go yet!”

We get on the motorcycle and leave the Bluff. We ride down to the wide shore, which is deserted too, except for the silver-white gulls flocking to the surf, and us.

It’s light enough now for me to see that my cheeks and eyes aren’t the only ones burning. Fire melts in Palmer’s dark-amber eyes, and I let myself look at him.

“Oh no, Matthew!” I exclaim with a laugh, realizing what he’s about to do when his jacket flies onto the sand and determination appears in his gaze.

“Yes. I need this, Ashley, or I’ll lose my head and do something stupid! But don’t you dare disappear on me!”

“You’re crazy! The water’s cold!”

Smiling, he undresses without being shy in front of me, pulling off his T-shirt, boots, and jeans until he’s left in only his boxers. Backing toward the ocean, he takes several steps, then turns and runs—a lean, strong guy with tanned skin and dark hair. Kicking up a cloud of spray, he dives into the water headlong, and I can’t stop watching him, my hands pressed to my cheeks.

It’s the beginning of November, and the ocean is cold. You can feel it in its breath and in the foaming surf that has licked away all the seaweed. But apparently not cold enough to stop Matthew. He disappears in the waves for a while longer before he comes back.

He emerges onto the shore, cutting through the waves with strong legs, pushes the hair off his forehead with one hand, and heads toward me with a hungry smile on his lips.

“Cold?”

“More like cooled off. But don’t hope it’ll last long!”

“Then I think warming up would be good for you, Mr. Perfection. Catch me!”

I break into a run and race along the shore as fast as I can, frightening the gulls and making them rise in flocks with loud cries. I laugh, my hair flying behind me, but of course competing with Palmer for speed is stupid, and he soon catches up. Easily grabbing me by the waist, he sweeps me into his arms and spins me until, laughing, we tumble onto the sand. I fall on my back and he lands on top of me, his hands around my hips, his face buried against my chest. We lie like that, laughing ourselves out and growing quiet.

Running has shoved my sweatshirt up, baring my stomach high. Matthew lifts his head and lowers his gaze to my skin. The chill of him has raised goose bumps there, and now it’s dotted with tiny drops of water. But I’m not cold. I’m still hot, and when his lips touch my stomach, I take a sharp breath and freeze under that touch—it stops me so completely. Embarrasses me and thrills me at the same time.