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Laughing, Brielle crossed one foot in front of her other one. “With me. I don’t exactly have permission to grant on behalf of anyone else.”
Archer tried to look up at her, but his gaze kept flicking to whatever he found so intriguing behind her. “When? How?”
She shrugged. “Right now.” She tentatively took a step forward and put her hands on either side of him at the edge of his armrests. They were shaking a little, but she could feel that warmth surging inside her from that place below her stomach. Sheneededthis right now. She needed to have a small taste of him. “Like this.”
There was no pulling away from her eyes when she was this close. He looked as surprised at what she was doing as anything.
“Would you like to?” she asked, breathless.
“Yes,” he said softly.
She leaned forward, tilting her head slightly as he turned his to let her that close. When she was sure she’d make a skilled landing, she closed her eyes and tapped her lips to his. They were a little chapped, a little rough, but they gave way to the slight pressure she put into the kiss as she deepened it. Her back and neck strained just slightly from holding the position leaning over him, but she dug her nails deeper into the sides of his armrests and pushed harder, parting his lips to let just the tip of her tongue inside him.
More, her idiotic mind commanded her.More. More.
But the screeching laugh of a child across the park reminded her of where she was, of her relationship—or lack thereof—with this man, and she pulled back, laughing. “Sorry,” she said as she let his chair go and took a step back.
He swallowed again and ran his fingers over his lips, almost like he was trying to catch the ghost of her kiss. It drove Brielle wild. She wanted to do it again. Wanted to lean in once more… Instead, she started walking backward, pointing over her shoulder. “So, yeah… Um. Yeah,” she said, her sex drive apparently shutting down the communication center in her brain. “I should get back. I left my purse at the bench.” She laughed at how obtuse that was of her, and what a dumb excuse it really was to walk away from a hot guy she’d just kissed. “See you. See you soon.” She pantomimed vacuuming. “When I come clean,” she added, in case he got the wrong idea.
She didn’t even wait to hear any response at all he might offer, just turned around and took off for the bench.
* * *
Fortunately, no thief had made off with her purse while she’d been gone. She didn’t have much cash in there, but it would have sucked to have to cancel her cards and replace her phone. Her phone buzzed almost as soon as she confirmed it was still in there—a video chat invite with Lilac and Gavin. She would have thought they’d be too busy with their hectic, really-grown-up lives to bother with it. But they were all freshly graduated—only the test of time would tell if they’d really stay in touch.
“Hey,” said Brielle, breathless, as she accepted the invite and their faces popped up on her phone screen. She had a sudden pang of how her mom would be mad if they went over family data plan limits, but it wouldn’t be long before she’d make her pay for her own plan regardless. Plus, her mom kind of deserved it right now.
“Bri!” Lilac reached out toward her phone camera and made smoochy noises. From the background, it looked like she was in her room at her aunt’s. “Help me!”
Her tone was whiny and not exactly panicked, so Brielle wasn’t concerned for her safety.
Gavin rolled his eyes. He was sitting on a couch. Brielle had to wonder if he actually had the place to himself for once. “Miss Big Bazongas is being harassed by Earl. Like that’s such a big surprise.”
“Earl?” asked Brielle, totally out of the loop, her mind still lingering on that kiss.
“The guy I work for at the resort.” Lilac pressed closer to the camera with a haggard face. She pinched her fingers together. “He’sthisclose to like dropping a pencil in front of me and touching my butt when I’m bent over to pick it up, I’m telling you.”
“Gross,” said Brielle and Gavin at the same time.
“But he’s like… He’s walking that line perfectly. Making me feel uncomfortable without ever giving me anything I can actually complain to anyone about.” Lilac sighed. “And actually, I don’t even knowwhoto complain to since, like, he’s my boss and I don’t know whohisboss is.”
“Tildy Tapir,” said Gavin, entirely unhelpfully.
Lilac scoffed. “I’ll be sure to file my complaint to Ms. Tapir—right before I hop over to Disney World like a traitor and tell Gaston how my best friend back home first thought he might be gay when he fell madly in love with his two-dimensional six-pack.”
“You were in love with the villain?” asked Brielle. Okay, he was hot for a cartoon, but she’d pictured Gavin as the more innocent type.
“He was fine as hell and he could sing like a badass. So sue me.” Gavin shrugged. “I wore out that DVD so much, it got to be I could only watchBeauty and the Beastwith my sister or at Grandma’s if I didn’t want to risk raising my parents’ suspicions.”
Because only a gay guy could like Disney, princesses, or musicals? Not for the first time, Brielle felt so sorry that Gavin had grown up with people like that.
Lilac massaged her temple. “Gav always has the worst taste in men.”
Gavin gestured to the screen with both hands. “Says Earl’s new girlfriend.”
“Don’t even,” said Lilac, shaking her head. “Besides, if I’m going to be anyone’s new girlfriend, it’s going to be the guy in a Silly Sandgrouse suit.”
“You’re joking, right?” asked Brielle.
