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That little frown line appeared between his eyebrows again. There was a hunger in his gaze, just like in the dressing room earlier today. He placed his left hand on my hip and directed me three steps backwards with an urgency that had me scrambling to keep up. And when my spine met with the trunk of the oak tree and there was no place left to go, he reached up to softly finger the strands of blonde hair falling into my face.
“Mandy?” His voice was hoarse and his gaze flicked down to my mouth, where it stayed. “Can I...?”
Every bit of me wanted him. Wanted him touching me. Wanted to feel his lips on mine. I nodded to give him permission, the sound of my pounding heart filling my ears.
Whatever was holding Jayden back up until this moment snapped like a puny tree branch. He sunk his hands into the hair at the back of my neck, claiming my mouth with his. I blinked in shock, but as my body began to respond to his, my eyes fluttered shut.
Maybe I’d been wrong.
Maybe this was a dream.
Because the gentle and giving way Jayden was kissing me made my toes curl with pleasure. His lips moving against mine were incredibly soft, but insistent. He tasted slightly sweet and dark, like molasses waffles. The scent of his cologne filled my senses, reminding me of the first time he’d held me close on the bank of the Cascades.
I couldn’t believe this was real life.
Feeling a little braver, I slanted my mouth against his and Jayden groaned in approval, earning me a shot of warmth in my belly. My knees weakened as he loosened one of his hands from my hair and brushed his fingertips softly down my neck, making my skin flame. Somehow, my hands found their way to his shoulders. I loved running my palms over the hard muscles along his back and upper arms. I loved it even more when he shivered beneath my touch and wrapped one arm around my waist to pull me closer.
The sound of our heavy breathing nearly drowned out the pounding of my heart. Still, the fact that I was kissing Jayden Paul had not escaped me. The passionate dislike I thought I’d held for him all these years had all too quickly morphed into a heated desire to feel more of him. To taste more of him. The thought of pulling away now was pure torture.
I’d always complained that Jayden liked to torture me, but this was a torturous experience that I would be happy to relive day after day. And when he paused a moment for breath, I took advantage of the lull to deepen the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck. A low, guttural growl came from his throat as he fully gave into his hunger, pressing me up against the trunk of the tree hard enough that I could feel the ridges of the bark through the back of my sweatshirt.
This was nothing compared to that innocent kiss in a closet. This was fire and gasoline, molten lava, and the hottest day of the summer all combined. Between then and now, Jayden had become a master of kissing. He kissed me with a confidence that made me blush from head to toe. And when we finally pulled apart, neither of us could speak for several seconds.
“I should...” He pointed over his shoulder and then cleared his throat. “It’s getting late.”
I nodded, my chest heaving as I tried to regain my composure. “Yeah. You should get home. And I should get back to my sister.”
His eyes flashed as he stared at my face for a few seconds. Then bending down quickly, he captured my lips again in a brief and tender kiss that left me slightly dizzy.
“Goodnight, Amanda,” he said, pulling away to give me one of his half-smiles.
“Night.” I bit my lip, then tried and failed to hold back the grin I felt bubbling under the surface. Kissing Jayden Paul had nearly turned me into a puddle on the ground. I wanted to snort and giggle like a little girl. “Let me know when you get home.”
“I’ll text you,” he said, walking backwards to flash me one last gut-warming smile.
I waved at him as he slowly disappeared into the darkness, taking my heart with him.
As much as I hated to be wrong, I was going to have to hand this one to Audrey. She was totally spot on.
Turned out, I really did like that boy.
Chapter Seventeen
“You did what?”
I cringed in the passenger seat of Trina’s car as Audrey shrieked in the back. Trina had picked us both up for a Sunday afternoon impromptu junk food run. After the events of yesterday, a sleepless night, and avoiding the mess that was my sister, I needed a little greasy fast food and my best friends.
“We kissed.” I stuffed a fry in my mouth and followed it up with a gulp of Dr. Pepper so I wouldn’t have to go into detail.
That kiss had repeated so many times in my head since then that it was starting to feel like a scene I’d memorized from a movie. Every touch, every sensation, every sound was cemented into my brain. Jayden had texted me a few times since then. First, when he finally got home last night—a full forty minutes after he left. And then, with cute little notes throughout the day. Every time his name popped up on my phone, I’d get a flutter and another reminder of that kiss.
“I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.” Audrey bounced around in her seat, nearly dumping her milkshake. “You like him. You really do! You two are going to fall in love, get married, have babies, and die together sharing a bed in the nursing home. It’ll be so beautiful.”
I shot Trina a questioning look as she pulled to a stop at a red light.
“She just made Collin watch The Notebook last night,” she explained with an amused smile.
“Ah, okay.” Now it was beginning to make sense. “Yes, I like him. But let’s not start planning our wedding, yet. Or our funeral...”
