His smile was a little sad. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It’s not easy. It’s just… a choice. You made the right one with Sandoval. Now you just have to keep making them.”
“I wish I could go back to high school,” he said. “Do everything differently.”
“Me too,” I said, feeling the weight of my past, of everything that had happened after that night at Brandon Miller’s party. “But we can’t, so we just have to make things right now.”
He stared into my eyes. “I’m actually feeling pretty good about how things are going right now.”
I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat. “I’m coming around on it.”
And for the second time that day, I kissed one of the three guys who’d made my life a living hell.
28
LILAH
Jude’s kisswas different than Nolan’s but no less thrilling. He lingered over my mouth for what felt like forever, his lips absurdly pillowy and soft in the moment before I felt the push of his tongue.
I didn’t even try to protest when he pulled me onto his lap. His arms came around my waist and I clung to his neck as his tongue made languid sweeps through my mouth.
The fire in my body built slowly this time, an ember that started between my thighs and grew as Jude’s hands slipped under my sweatshirt, his thumb stroking the tender skin of my stomach until goosebumps rose on my arms and my nipples got hard.
His hard dick under my ass stoked my desire and I moaned as he closed his hand around one of my tits, bare under my sweatshirt. He stroked my nipple expertly, the ministrations of his fingers working with the slide of his tongue to ignite every nerve ending in my body until I was humming for him.
I was so lost in the kiss I didn’t have time to think about the fact that twelve hours earlier, Nolan had his fingers in my pussy, his thumb on my clit, his tongue in my mouth.
Which was probably why I didn’t notice him enter the room.
“Goddamn,” he said.
I jumped, then tried to rise off Jude’s lap before his arms tightened around my waist, holding me in place. “Not so fast, boss.”
“I’m… Oh my god,” I stammered before hiding my face in my hands. “I’m so sorry.”
“Well, that’s kind of insulting,” Jude said.
I shook my head, my face still covered. “That’s not what I mean. Not sorry about the kiss, just…”
“I think what Lilah’s trying to say is I got her off at the beach and she’s embarrassed she was about to let you do the same,” Nolan said.
I lifted my head and watched as he walked to the fridge. He grabbed a water bottle, then closed the fridge and leaned against the counter, a mischievous light in his eyes.
“You jealous motherfucker,” he said to Jude.
Jude shrugged. “I mean, yeah. Obviously. But that’s not all.”
I looked from Nolan to Jude and back again. “Am I missing something? I feel like I’m missing something.”
“Jude didn’t like me beating him to the punch,” Nolan said.
I pulled away from Jude and returned to my original chair, then crossed my arms over my chest because I had a feeling they were fucking with me. “Is this some kind ofgame?”
Nolan looked stung. “A game?” He shook his head. “No game, sweetheart.”
I chewed my lower lip. “Then why aren’t you mad?”
“Mad?” He looked confused.