“I’m not good at pretending.”
“Neither am I.” Her gaze flickers between desire and denial. “I just don’t want to disappoint you.”
“Disappoint me, how?”
“By being bad at this. So maybe it’s better that we don’t.”
Some jackass must have fed her a bunch of bullshit. “Do you want to kiss me, Lex?”
“Yes, but?—”
“No qualifiers. Do you want to kiss me?” I rub my thumb over her bottom lip, and she shivers. “
“Yes.”
“I want to kiss you too, and I promise you I won’t be disappointed.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“I can. I’ve wanted to do this since the moment I saw you.”
“I seriously doubt that—oh?—”
I cradle her cheeks between my hands, feeling nervous myself. I’ve kissed my share of women over the years, but Lexie isn’t just any woman, and this just isn’t a kiss. It’s our first, and I want it to be right for her—perfect. She’s too important to give anything less.
I’m almost certain my heart is going to pump out of my chest. I gaze up at him through the low sweep of my lashes, and with the way he’s looking at me, the noise and worries rattling in my mind quiet a little. He leans in, and I close my eyes, feeling his lips meet mine.
It’s like slipping into a sun-warmed ocean. His kiss, soft and silken, turns my insides to liquid. For a moment, I let myself sink—not too deep, just enough to feel immersed while still keeping the shore beneath my feet.
His fingers gently tighten on my cheeks, his tongue teasing mine with slow, seductive strokes. I exhale, my breath catching on a moan. I didn’t know a kiss could be this tender, this sublime, yet with a steady thrum of fire beneath it. I’m shocked by just how much I crave the lick of flames, that hot demand to drown out my fears, my doubts, my insecurities.
His hands move from my cheeks to my waist and lower to the dip in my back, drawing me closer. My mouth responds to his, letting him take the lead. My tongue joins in to engage in an arousing game of touch and retreat. My head swims. He feels so good against me, strong and solid with a soft, thick middle and a definite bulge. A hushed sound of pleasure throbs at the base of my throat. I curl my arms around his neck, desire pooling deep in my belly.
He explores the shape of me, his hands tracing the curves of my hips through the denim, his fingers skimming upward, climbing the ladder of my ribs. I tremble with each pass of his fingertips, losing myself in the sensations. The hardened tips of my nipples graze his shirt, aching to be touched—with his hands, his mouth. Clinging to him, my urgency and desperation are too much, too fast.
I draw away and lick my lips, still feeling him there, like a tenacious temptation. I open my eyes to find him staring back, his gaze dark and fringed by thick black lashes. A random fact floats through my mind, grounding me: the average person has two hundred lashes per eye. Chaz seems to have more.
“Damn, Lex,” he murmurs, his voice husky and breathless. “What part of that was bad?”
“It was okay?”
“It was incredible.” His lips brush mine once more.
I might have doubted him—chalked up his reassurances to charm or kindness—if not for the hard evidence pressing into me. Still, I’m hyperaware of how much more skilled and practiced he feels. “I was nervous,” I admit, inching back.
“So was I.”
His confession makes me pause. “You were?”
He nods slowly, his gaze dipping to my lips, lingering as if memorizing them, before meeting my eyes again. “Yeah. First kisses matter. I wanted to leave a good impression.”
Warmth spreads under my skin at the sweet touch of vulnerability, giving me a boost of confidence. “Mission accomplished.”
He grins, his hands tightening on my waist just enough to make me swoon. “Good. Because I’m planning to make the second one even better.”
SISTAHS4EVER Group Chat
Jordyn: Happy Saturday! I’m watching Euro soccer and eating cold pizza for breakfast. Straight from the box. I’m in heaven. Whatcha doing?
