“Good thing it’s the middle of the night. All I have is time.”
I tell Momma everything from learning about how Bradley treated Al, to her kissing Nate during fucking truth or dare, and how it made me want to punch one of my best friends in the face. I explain everything about last night at Twin City, and how I kissed her, but then she ran. It feels really good to talk to her about it.
And that’s how I find myself knocking on Al’s bedroom door before I can second guess myself.
She answers it, rubbing her eyes as I’m blinded by the contrast of the light cast by the lamp on Al’s nightstand. Alondra’s wearing the tiniest pair of sleep shorts I think I’ve ever seen, and my dick stiffens while my head is momentarily distracted by trying to figure out where she’s been hiding them before now.
Great. Just what I need—a semi, while I try to get over one of my biggest fears.
“Jack? What’s going on?” she asks, blinking at me in surprise.
“I need to talk to you, and you were ignoring me earlier.” Somehow, I manage to say it without my nerves getting the better of me.
Her dark, long curls are falling over her shoulders, tempting me to tangle my fingers in them while I kiss her. I couldn’t earlier because she ran, but maybe if I can be honest with her, Al will know she can be honest with me.
She blinks at me in shock and opens the door to let me in. “I didn’t ignore you earlier,” Alondra says, trying to defend herself, but she moves to lie back in her bed again, patting the spot next to her.
I realize this probably could have waited till morning, but I’m not going to be an idiot anymore.
“If this is about the kiss, it really didn’t matter. It was for a number in whatever game we’re playing with the whole rating system, or we can pretend it was like Halloween and never happened. Regardless, it really isn’t worth waking me up at this time for. Seriously, I’m not going to let things become weird between us.”
Okay, not off to a great start so far.
I didn’t kiss her to play games, nor do I want to keep pretending Halloween didn’t happen.
“It is about that, and itdoesmatter,darlin’. It was a great kiss, even if you only rated it a five. I . . .”Like kissing you, like being around you, falling asleep and waking up next to you.My words fail me, and Al stares at me in shock while I sit in the spot next to her.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I lean forward, pressing my lips roughly against hers. Al is slow to react, and I tangle my hand in her hair, coaxing more from her. Then she responds, matching my intensity by meeting my every move without hesitation.
I wasn’t imagining it earlier—the connection between us only seems to burn brighter with every kiss.
And then Al turns her head away, breaking our mouths apart.
I drop my forehead to rest it on the crook of her neck, breathing in the dizzying smell of strawberries clinging to her.
“Jack, what is going on with you?” she asks, but now I can’t think about anything but strawberries.
“Did you know you always smell like strawberries?”
“Um, my shampoo is strawberry scented?”
I smile, craving another kiss from her. “I want . . .”
“You want what?”
I try to get the words out of my mouth.I want to try and be in a relationship with you.
Except it’s not what comes out of my mouth as fear gets the better of me again. “I want to try to be . . . friends with benefits with you.”
Alondra stills underneath me, and I close my eyes, wishing I could take it back and tell her what I really want.
I’m just . . .
Afraid.
I’m terrified of this, actually.
