Page 85 of Striking Range

Did he just…. Did he just ask me for a kiss? I haven’t had the pleasure of pressing my lips to his since his birthday! And right here? In the light of day, while we’re not even—

Oh, god. Oh no. Did I…

I took Skylar’s virginity and didn’t kiss him once.

In a flash, I’m sitting up, my hands clasping Skylar’s cheeks. He startles, eyes widening as his own hands grip my wrists.

“Evie?” he whispers.

“I’m so sorry. Oh, fuck, I’m so sorry, Sky.”

“Huh? Why are you—what is going on?!” He is completely bewildered as he stares at me, searching for answers in my teary expression.

“I’m the worst first ever. Genuinely. I wanted to give you such a sweet first time, and instead, I drunk fucked you and didn’t even bother to kiss you once. That’s the bare minimum! At the very least, I should have offered you a single kiss.”

My apology doesn’t seem to affect him, negatively or positively. Instead, he starts laughing.

“I’m not sure why you’re laughing,” I deadpan. “I’m serious! You may not understand, considering this is all new to you, but there are rules and expectations for—”

“You’re ridiculous!” he pushes out through a fit of giggles. “There is no such thing as rules for losing your virginity, Everett. I liked it; I had a good time. That’s all that matters.”

“You’re not getting it. We should have waited until we were sober, at least.”

Skylar still doesn’t agree—I can see it in the defiant glint of his eyes. But he doesn’t object outright, leaning forward to press his lips to mine.

And he might be inexperienced in a lot of ways, but my little viper can master a skill faster than most.

His tongue pushes into my mouth without warning, rubbing against my own as he shoves his body flush against me. His ass presses against my dick from where he still sits on my lap, and it takes everything in me not to move.

It’s such a beautiful, peaceful moment that I almost let my indiscretion slide. Almost.

As he pulls away to breathe, I say, “Sky, listen. I really need you to acknowledge this.”

He’s so close that as he smiles, I can feel it against my own lips. “Alright, Evie. I acknowledge your failure. Which, I guess, means you’ll have to make it up to me. A redo of sorts.”

A redo? Skylar is literally rewarding me for bad behavior. I feel like an untrained dog being hand-fed treats after ripping up the carpets.

But you know what? I’ll take it. I’ll take anything his hands feed me.

“Great. Should we start now?” I’m reaching around his waist, gripping his ass and squeezing, as the question leaves me.

Skylar rolls his eyes, swatting me away as he stands. “No, dumbass. We have to buy sheets first, remember?”

“I could always fuck you on the couch. There are plenty of ways for two guys to—”

“I’m so done listening to you right now.”

A blissful calm overcomes me as I watch him enter the kitchen, pulling out the ingredients he needs to prepare us breakfast. He cracks eggs and mixes them with vanilla, slicing bread in half, his naked body moving gracefully around the small space.

And it feels right, this singular moment. It’s comforting. It feels like home.

As I watch him, in my mind, I’m eight years old and checking under his bed for monsters to calm his tantrum. I’m fourteen and listening to him whine about maturing, and how it’s ruining his perfectly smooth skin. I’m fifteen and defending him from bullies at our high school once again, all because of how pretty he was.

I’m eighteen, noticing that beauty fully for the first time, staring longingly after him as he parts for his first lecture of freshman year.

There are so many moments between the two of us, and as this new energy we’ve created unfolds, I can’t help but remember them fondly. We have shared so much, experienced the world together, and I refuse to lose the future moments we could create.

If I could keep Ash placated long enough, then maybe one day I could slip away. Maybe I can grow up a bit more, become a bit stronger, then Skylar and I can run far away from Sinclair and all its horrors.