I feel dizzy and off-balance so I try to take a step back, but suddenly his arm is around my waist. His embrace is strong, urgent and heats me from the inside. The blush of humiliation on my cheeks is turning to the heat of lust. I grip his biceps just like I did yesterday, only today it’s not for balance, it’s because I want to make sure he doesn’t pull away this time.
He dips his head and tilts it, brushing his lips against my cheek either by accident or on purpose. It causes a ripple of desire to quiver down my spine. God, I hope it was on purpose. “I want things from you I shouldn’t want. You have a boyfriend.”
“I don’t,” I reply my voice a quaking whisper. “Victor and I broke—”
I stop before the last word because his lips are brushing mine now. It’s not a kiss but it’s so close; it’s both soothing and painful. His eyes flutter closed, his breathing gets shallow, but his grip on my waist starts to ease. I tighten my grip on his arms. And then I whisper strongly, “Do it.”
His eyes open and then his lips are brushing mine again but instead of just ghosting by, they stop. I rock up onto my toes and his arm around my waist tightens, our torsos press roughly against each other and his mouth opens. The first feel of his tongue against mine makes me whimper and that seems to break him free of his hesitation. The kiss is nothing short of monumental. He’s rough and wild—claiming me with abandon, his tongue searching, his lips pushing, his hand slipping to my ass as I circle his neck and tangle my fingers into his hair. But then there’s a sound upstairs. A toilet flushing. And he’s gone so quickly that I’m left wondering if I just had a hallucination. The door is wide open, the hallway is empty and there’s nothing but cold air and a dark empty New York street. I step onto my stoop. He’s already halfway down the block.
I want to chase him. I want to drag him back here and continue whatever the hell we just started. But I know he’s like a wild animal and if he’s chased he’ll just run faster—emotionally and physically. And besides, I can’t with Mackenzie in the house. I lean against the closed door and press a hand to my chest. My heart hammers against my palm. I don’t know what that was, but I want it to happen again.
Chapter 14
Alex
I’m smiling as we finish the run, which actually turned into more of a walk than a run, albeit a brisk one. These kids haven’t been lucky enough to be on team sports or even been in PE classes since they haven’t been in school regularly, so I knew it wasn’t going to be much of a run. Still, they were troopers and they all were interested in technique and tips. I had a good time and I think they did too, which makes me really happy I didn’t bail like I contemplated after making out with Brie.
I feel a wave of panic just thinking about it again.Colisse,I swear at myself, what the hell was I thinking? I mean honestly, just last week I thought she was the most irritating person on the planet. She started to grow on me when she came to my rescue, well Mac’s rescue, but then she got all nosy and pushy and I was back to being irritated. Then…I touched her. I’ve touched a lot of girls, with intent and without intent, and this candid moment of saving her from tripping, it was like I was hit with those defibrillator paddles at the hospital. Every single part of me, every nerve and every cell was jolted alive. With desire. I would have pulled her to the floor in her hall and done a hell of a lot more than kiss her if it wasn’t for two things—the sound of that toilet flushing reminding me Mac was just feet away and the fact that this woman isn’t one-night stand material, and that’s all I know how to do.
Mac is staring up at me with a weird look on her face, which I’ve noticed even after just a week, is filling out. She looks healthier. I glance down at her. “What?”
“Were you at Brie’s house after the game the other night?”
“What? Why?”
Oh shit, if Mac saw anything I will truly die.
“I thought I heard your voice.”
“I…Umm…Yeah…I was, I guess.”
Her face twists into a mix of sarcasm and judgment in a way that only a teenager can accomplish. “You guess?”
“I was. For a second.”
“Why?”
We’ve reached Daphne’s now and so I stop and say a personal good-bye to each of the kids who came on the run. They all head inside except Mac who is clearly not going to let this go. She’s still looking up at me with an expectant look on her face. “I wanted to clear up something with Brie.”
“At like midnight?” That look is on her face again. God, this kid is too smart for her own good.
“It wasn’t midnight,” I reply defensively. “And even if it was, I’m an adult. So is she, so we can have late-night conversation. It’s no big deal.”
She smiles. Doesn’t speak, just smiles and somehow that feels even more judgy and sarcastic than the look she was giving me before. She turns and heads into the house. “I’m going to take Len’s budgeting class this afternoon.”
“Cool. Have fun. Tell her hi,” I say casually as she climbs the stairs to the front door.
“You can tell her yourself,” I hear Len’s voice behind me.
As Mac disappears inside I turn and see Len walking up the sidewalk behind me. She’s smiling conspiratorially so I know she knows about the kiss before she even says a word. I must look as embarrassed as I feel because she lets out a soft, sympathetic chuckle and pats my arm as she stops in front of me. “It’s okay. I’m not going to chew you out for your late-night kiss stealing.”
“I didn’t steal it,” I mumble, my eyes firmly glued to a crack in the sidewalk between our shoes. “She gave it to me.”
Len laughs again. “When you take it and run, it’s stealing.”
I finally pull my eyes off the pavement and look at her. “I left because I needed to stop it from going any further. Mac was there and…”
I can’t seem to figure out how to finish that sentence so Len decides to help me. “And you didn’t want her to hear you two getting it on? But also you weren’t sure you should get it on right now?”