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I catch my bottom lip between my teeth. “Not according to the bottle.”

“Fuck the bottle. The bottle’s an idiot.” He grins, and his mask slips again before completely falling away. I like this Jordan, the relaxed, not-so-broody version of him.

Staring up at him, I replay his words from earlier. He never actually said what he liked about me. “When you said you were waiting for that inexplicable something between two people, what did you mean by that? You don’t strike me as someone who doesn’t know what he likes.”

He clears his throat. “I know what I like.”

“And it’s not me.” The thought instantly depresses me.

“I never said that.” He glances at my lips again, so fast I can’t be sure it happened.

“No, you never say anything.” I sound like a sulky child, but I can’t help that I want this guy to want me for those inexplicable reasons he talked about.

Jordan exhales. “What do you want from me, Kennedy?”

My confidence slips again. What if I tell him and he laughs? I can’t bear to have Jordan Keller reject me in a fucking coat closet while ten other guys vie for my virginity in the other room.

“I don’t know, Jordan. What do you want from me?” My voice trembles.

“I want you to stop acting like someone you’re not.” He leans in, his warm breath washing over me. “To stop pretending your eyes don’t follow me every time we cross paths.”

I suck in a breath, and he chuckles.

“You didn’t think I’d notice? Well, I did. And I noticed you at freshmen orientation, too. I was tempted to ask you out that day, but your friend looked at me like I was dirt on the bottom of her shoe, and you let her drag you out of that auditorium as if I was contagious.” He sweeps a loose tendril of hair from my face. “Every time I see you around campus our eyes meet and I think, today’s the day she’ll talk to me. Then one of your pretentious sorority friends shows up and you look away, as if you’re embarrassed to acknowledge me. I’d like to get to know the fearless girl who boldly stole those glances at me at orientation.”

Stunned speechless, I let my jaw drop. I had no idea. “Jordan, I . . .”

“Even after you started dating the tool, I’d catch you watching me with that same curious look in your eyes. When everyone else crossed the quad to avoid me, you gravitated in my direction. Hell, I knew I intimidated you, but you never once backed down. And maybe I didn’t have a shot in hell with someone as smart or pretty as you, but knowing you didn’t look at me like I belonged in a zoo gave me some sort of misguided hope. Then . . .”

Tears clog my throat, and I swallow around the lump. “You saw the list.”

Casting his eyes downward, Jordan nods.

“You know I didn’t write those things—and if I’d known about your parents . . .”

“I know that now. But . . .” He gazes up at me. “You’re still going through with it. Still spinning a bottle and kissing guys you’re not remotely interested in.”

“Jordan.” I like the way his name feels on my lips.

He shifts his weight, bringing our bodies so close his thighs press against mine in the tight space. “So, if the bottle had landed on me?”

“I would’ve kissed you.” The words come out in a rush. He’s the only reason I played as long as I did, and it ended up being all for nothing.

“Good to know.” His head bobs a few times, and he palms his neck. “So I was wondering . . . ?”

I tilt my head, curious.

“Can I kiss you now?”

My insides swoop, my smile widening. “Yes.”

Before I get the word all the way out, Jordan’s large hands capture my face and his mouth closes over mine, stealing my next breath. My hands fall limp at my sides while his slide from my cheeks to my hair, anchoring me in place while his skillful mouth proves what I already suspected—Jordan Keller kisses like a freaking god. His piercings glance over my lips time and time again, lighting fires in places I didn’t know existed.

A groan works its way out of me as fireworks go off in my head that have nothing to do with thunderstorms or security alarms. If kissing him feels this amazing, I can only imagine what it would be like to go further. The mere thought of getting naked with Jordan Keller starts a fire low in my belly, and heat spreads through my entire body like butter over hot toast. The rubber band holding my insides together snaps, and an army of butterflies bursts free, suffocating me from the inside out. Kissing Elijah was nice. But nice is the absolute last word I’d ever use to describe kissing Jordan. I’m flying outside my body, and I never want to come back to earth.

“We should stop,” he whispers against my lips, but does nothing to act on his words.

Shaking my head, I wrap my arms around his neck like steel bands. I don’t want to stop. Not ever.