I wasn’t sure he’d heard my response, but then his head dipped down and—
The feel of his lips was staggering. My hands moved, one reachingup to clutch the fabric at his chest, while the other wrapped around him so my fingers could rake the hair at the nape of his neck.
Way too soon for my liking, Alec broke away. His mouth lifted into a half grin, all lopsided and adorable. “Is this okay?”
It was not okay.
It was better than okay.
Beautiful. Wonderful. Amazing.
There wasn’t a word to describe the way his mouth felt on mine. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it, and then there was my breathing—shallow and choppy, like I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. I was too jumbled on the inside to answer him, so I nodded my head.
His grin grew. “Good.” Then he closed the distance between us again.
This kiss was anything but shy. His lips were hot and demanding, like he’d been waiting for this moment, and when his tongue slipped inside my mouth, I realized I had been waiting too. Alec pushed me back onto the bench so we were lying down, but even with his entire body draped over me, I didn’t feel close enough. When his mouth left mine and trailed softly down my neck, I was a goner. My mind hazed over, and all I knew was that Iwantedhim.
And just like that, it was over.
Alec pulled away suddenly, like he realized this was moving too fast for a first kiss, and if we didn’t stop soon, we might never.
He sat back, his breathing heavy. “I… Sorry.” His voice was raspy, almost regretful, and he lifted a hand, like he was going to run his fingers through his hair, but then stopped and let it fall back to his side.
“I’m not.” I pushed myself into a sitting position and patted down my curls. There was absolutely nothing for him to apologize about, except maybe for stopping. Or not kissing me sooner.
This must have eased his guilt because we sat there, timidly grinning at each other, until our smiles faded into reflective silence.
Then Alec said, “So my sister,” which was a rather strange conversation starter after a make-out session. “She’s getting married at the end of the month, and I thought that maybe—” His phone buzzed, and he jammed a hand into his pocket instead of finishing his sentence. “Hello?” He paused for whoever was on the other end. “Yeah, sorry. We’ll be down in five.”
“Who was that?” I asked when he hung up.
“Stella. Apparently, everyone is waiting on us.”
A deep blush erupted across my cheeks. For the past five minutes, I’d forgotten anyone else existed. As if he was thinking the same thing, Alec grinned and dragged a hand through his bangs. Had I been standing, my knees would have buckled. He was drop-dead sexy, all swollen lips and messy hair.
Outside, the weather had shifted, and the rhythmic patter of the rain against the window helped ease my pulse to a normal rate.
“Well,” he said, standing and holding out a hand to help me up. “We should probably go. Otherwise, Stella’s going to send a search party.”
***
We didn’t return to the kitchen.
Instead, Alec led me down another flight of stairs to the basement level, and we entered a large entertainment room. To our leftwas an air hockey and pool table, and beyond that, an over-the-top flat screen accompanied by movie theater seating. On the other side was a bar with a sparkling granite countertop, glass shelves displaying colorful liquor bottles, and a row of stools. In the corner, a vintage jukebox was blasting “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”
A chorus of cheers caught my attention, and I turned toward the small alcove sitting area. Our friends were gathered on two overstuffed couches, and everyone was laughing and pointing at Xander. I watched as he shrugged and took a long chug from the drink in his hand.
“What are they doing?” I asked.
“Playing Most Likely.”
“What’s that?”
“Watch.”
“Your turn!” Stella announced, elbowing Asha in the side. The two were squashed next to each other on the bigger couch, Oliver and Boomer on their respective sides.
Asha displayed a wide grin and pushed a wisp of hair from her eyes that had escaped her braid. “Okay, let me think.” Pausing, she looked around until her gaze landed on me. Her grin stretched, and she asked, “Who’s most likely to keep someone else’s secret?”
