Her eyes flick to mine, wide—like she’s barely holding it together.
Like she can’t believe what she just did.
Like she might do it again.
Like she might run.
But there’s no way in hell I’m gonna let her.
I keep my hands on her waist, grounding her, grounding us.
Then, I drag my thumb across her lower lip, just once, testing—was that real?
Her eyes lock onto mine.Wide.Wild.Wrecked.
She’s shaking.Or maybe I am.I can’t tell anymore.
Then I murmur, voice still hoarse from kissing her—my body still vibrating with energy.“You kissed me.”
She swallows hard, that beautiful smart mouth of hers somehow silenced.
“You kissed mefirst,” I repeat, because it feels so fucking good to say it.
She blinks fast, like she’s trying to make sense of it but it’s not computing.
I let out a breath, grinning like an idiot.“Took you long enough, Ace.”
Her jaw tightens as she comes to her senses.Just a little bit.“Don’t start.”
I chuckle.“I think I just did.”
She groans, hiding her face in her hands.
And fuck, I think I’m in love with her.
Hell, I think maybe…
Maybe I always have been.
CHAPTER25
Anna
Icannot breathe.
I mean,technically, I am breathing.My lungs are working.My heart isdefinitelystill beating—too fast, too hard, too much.
But my brain?Completely fried.
Because I just kissed Joel Price.
And notjustkissed him.
I grabbed him, pulled him in, melted against him like he was the only thing keeping me upright, and then—then—I let him take me apart, piece by piece, with his mouth, his hands, his words.
I want you.
The memory claws at me like my teenage dream come to life.