I leaned against the wall and sipped my drink. William stood next to me. I said, “Thanks for deterring that guy in there.”
“I’m sure you can handle it on your own. That kind of thing must happen to you all the time,” William said, taking a long sip of his drink.
“Yeah, but it’s nice to not have to deal with it, too,” I admitted.
“That’s what friends are for,” William said, taking a spot on the wall next to me. I tried not to let the sting of the wordfriendsshow on my face. We were quiet for a moment.
William patted his pockets and pulled his phone out. It lit up from a call. I saw the name Meredith and a beautiful woman’s picture glowing on the screen. Meredith? I had seen William’s phone ringing and the missed text messages all week, but this was the first time I got a clear view of who was calling. Not wanting to gawk, I looked away quickly.
“You can take that if you want,” I offered. If we were justfriends, I shouldn’t be jealous of someone calling him.
William slipped his phone back in his pocket. He looked down at me. His brow wrinkled. “What’s wrong? You’ve got that look on your face.”
“What look?” I asked, biting the inside of my lip.
“The look you used to always give me before…before Christmas when you didn’t like me,” William said with a frown. He pushed a piece of hair away from my face and the brush of his fingers on my skin, in such a tender way, took my breath away.
“I’m all right. Just a little cold,” I said softly. I looked down and then said, “But for the record, I never didn’t like you. I just think…I put up walls to protect myself.” When I looked back up, William held my gaze.
William shoved a hand in his pocket and said, “Hey, I just wanted to say that I know you were supposed to be with your dad for Christmas and you had been looking forward to that, and I’m sorry that didn’t work out. But for what it’s worth, this has been one of the best Christmases I’ve had in years.”
I felt a flutter in my stomach. “Me too.”
“Let’s go back in so we don’t miss the countdown.” William put out his hand and waited for me to take it. I looked down at his hand and then up at him. My heart skipped a beat. I put my hand in his and we headed back inside. William led us straight out onto the dance floor. Sasha was right about the DJ. As we got to midnight, the DJ started playing more upbeat dance tempos, and more people were coming out on the dance floor.
This time, dancing was a little different. The dance floor had gotten crowded, so we had an excuse to dance closer to each other. William kept one hand on my hip, but he kept just enough space between us. Occasionally, William would twirl me around. With each passing moment, I could feel myself being drawn closer to him, until we finally danced pressed against each other, the way couples do.
William pointed to the DJ table. Nick had taken the mic and called out to the crowd that it was time for the countdown. A large screen behind the DJ table was showing a split screen view of the countdowns in Atlanta, NYC, Boston, and Miami. We all cheered. I turned to face the table where Nick and the DJ wereleading the crowd in the countdown. I felt William close behind me. I stepped back and pressed against William, and I felt his hand settle on my hip, sending a tingle through my whole body. I realized I hadn’t felt like this in so long: not just desired but protected.
When the countdown reached zero everyone cheered. People all around us were blowing noisemakers, and someone shot off confetti cannons from the bar. Still standing behind me, William leaned forward and in a low, sexy voice said, “Happy New Year, Kit.” I could feel his hot breath on my neck and his deep voice resonated through me in a way that set a chill down my spine.
A trap beat version of “Auld Lang Syne” played over the speakers. I spun around so I was facing him. I felt a gentle tug as William pulled me closer to him, both of his hands on my waist.
“Happy New Year, William.” I couldn’t help myself. I leaned against him, my hands on his chest. I saw his eyes search my face and linger on my lips. I let out a little laugh and said, “I think it’s good luck if we kiss…since it’s New Year’s.”
William pulled me closer to him, and I felt the rough stubble from his cheek brush my face before our lips touched. I reflexively closed my eyes, and savored the warmth of his lips against mine. I felt the pressure of one of William’s hands against the small of my back, while his other hand gently cradled my cheek. Our lips parted and the kiss deepened.
I pulled back and looked up at William. A crooked smile spread across his lips. I felt out of breath, but I managed to say, “Maybe we should get out of here.”
William took my hand and led me through the crowd. We finally made it to the door. When I got outside, I felt the relief as a cold blast of air hit my face. I held William’s hand as we hurried down the sidewalk toward the house. I felt a littledizzy with excitement as I followed William’s lead. I couldn’t remember ever feeling that way just from a kiss.
It had been such a brief one, and the anticipation of the next kiss was just as exciting. As soon as we turned the corner off Main Street, William turned and pulled me toward him. I practically melted into him as we started kissing.
I took a few steps backwards and William pressed me against the brick wall. He kissed my cheek and said in a low whisper into my ear, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” As he kissed my neck, one of his muscular thighs pressed between my legs. The lower on my neck he kissed me, the more I pressed into his thigh. I felt his hand grab my ass to steady me against him.
Finally, I gasped and said, “Please take me home.”
William took my hand, and I let him pull me along as we hurried the next two blocks home. Light with excitement, we rushed down the sidewalk and up the front steps. I had never felt so eager before. I fumbled to pull my keys out of my jacket pocket at the front door. He was behind me kissing my neck. I felt his hand slip around my waist and under my shirt. His fingertips traced the line where my waistband lay against my stomach. His palm lay flat against my stomach and his hand lightly skated up my abdomen, sending chills through me as his fingers reached the bottom lace of my bralette. I stopped and let him whisper how he wanted me in my ear. His deep voice reverberated through me and ignited a desire that I had never felt before. At that moment, I knew that whether it was just once or forever, I needed to be with William.
Chapter 10: William
It simply had never felt like this. The build up to the moment, the sensation of our lips finally touching, the way her body responded to my touch. It all drove me wild. Before we kissed, I knew that I liked Kit. She was attractive, but it was more than that.
We spent so much time together. The sexual tension was perfectly primed. But once we kissed, something was unlocked, and Kit became my sole focus. I felt this urgency to be with her. I had simply never felt like that with anyone else before.
I kissed her long neck from behind as she pressed against me. She tried to reach for the door, but she paused, and I heard the hitch in her breathing as my thumb traced the soft skin on her stomach. I felt her press against my hips, and I whispered into her ear, “I want you.”
Kit turned and looked over her shoulder at me. Her beautiful eyes met mine, and I knew she wanted the same thing. Kit bit her lip and nodded at me as if calling me forward. Kit turned to unlock the door, and as soon as she turned the key she froze. Her body went rigid, and I knew something was wrong.
