“We need to stop before I do something stupid.” He swallowed hard. “And I’m really close to doing something stupid.”
She wanted him to do something stupid, but she didn’t argue.
“This is going to lead to complications and that’s something we can both do without.” With a heavy sigh, he stood up and walked to the bathroom.
He was right. They had a somewhat rocky relationship and if they took this further, it would amplify every disagreement, possibly even lead to more. She didn’t know anything about sex or boys or relationships, but she knew a bit about Kevin. He was closed off, moody, and grumpy. Anything with him would be complicated and the last time she checked, that wasn’t one of her objectives for this trip.
She had her laptop set up before he came out of the bathroom. They resumed the position they’d been in for almosttwo full days, with her head resting on his shoulder, and watched movies for the rest of the night. They laughed and joked, but mostly, they argued. Kissing him was incredible, physically enticing, but this satisfied something in her soul. Maybe they weren’t friends yet, but it felt like they were getting there.
This trip was turning out better than she’d planned. She’d been trapped in a bubble for nineteen years and now she’d seen breathtaking landscapes and visited beautiful places. She’d met wacky people and witnessed a helicopter dick. She’d tasted alcohol and got a tattoo. She’d laughed and cried for the first time in years. She’d fought with and kissed the hottest guy she would probably ever meet. Well, that wasn’t just a kiss; that was second base! Boo yah!
And now she was lying beside the same guy watching a movie as rain patted against the window—just enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
Not bad for eleven days.
November, 17
Grand Canyon, Arizona
“So we can finally go up today?” Kevin asked, looking at the tour guide.
Lance was a tall guy, probably in his late twenties, and his solid frame and tanned complexion were telling signs that he loved the outdoors. “Yeah,” he replied. “It’s still overcast, but it will clear up. Best weather for the hike, if you ask me.”
Lance went on to tell him how it was less strenuous on the body when it was cooler and that they’d chosen to come at the right time of year. Less crowds meant they would have a more intimate experience with the Canyon and apparently the views were just phenomenal.
All Kevin wanted was a yes or no answer. “What time do we leave?”
“After breakfast. Around nine.”
“Cool. See you then.” Kevin walked out of the reception area of the resort and headed back to their room. Jazz would probably only get back from her workout in about half an hour so he still had time to shower before breakfast.
The fact that he had that thought was a little jarring. They had a routine already. Being with the same person day in and day out should have made him want to pull his hair out with boredom, but somehow there was never a boring moment with Jasmin. There were other reasons why he still felt like pulling his hair out. She was driving him crazy in different ways.
What the hell happened last night?
First kisses don’t go down like that. His first kiss had been an epic disaster. First kisses were supposed to be awkward,hindered with nervousness, and it had been that at the beginning. That’s why he’d agreed to it. He’d thought it would be weird and uncomfortable. All he wanted was to satisfy his curiosity, see what it was like, and move on. If it had been like anormalfirst kiss with anormalgirl, he probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought. It was clear now that it was stupid to ever expect anything normal from Jasmin.
Her mouth and tongue were untrained, and even though her technique got better the longer they kissed, that wasn’t the reason why he’d enjoyed it so much. It was her responsiveness to him. She offered herself openly, so willing to explore. Every kiss. Every touch. Every moan. Inexperience mixed with eagerness was an intoxicating cocktail, and he wanted to get so drunk. Add to that the general feel of her, the alluring softness of her skin, her hair, her lips, and what he got was curiosity that could not be satisfied with just one kiss. That was the reason why it went much further than he’d wanted it to go. The memory of her firm breast filling his palm was fucking with his head in the worst way.
He just had to keep reminding himself that he wasn’t attracted to her. He hadn’t lied when he said she wasn’t his type. She wasn’t. If he compared her to Claire, Hope or any of his exes for that matter, Jazz didn’t have that kind of sex appeal.
Though, she did have other qualities that were appealing. Her confidence had grown by the minute, so much so that she’d initiated the second kiss. And not that he’d needed any convincing, but her methods to“seduce”him were just downright cute. She wasn’t like other girls and what she’d said last night was true: apart from Perry, no one got him to laugh the way she did.
But that didn’t mean he was attracted to her, right?
Why was this so confusing? A simple black and white question like that should be easy for him to answer, but he seemed to be trapped in Jasmin zone, an infinite world of gray.
She’s not my type, he told himself. All he needed was a few days to let this whole thing blow over. It was just a kiss (and some groping) with a girl that irritated the crap out of him. He really shouldn’t be getting this worked up over it.
He opened the door to their room and the scent of strawberries was a clue that she was already back. He walked in further and froze. Never,neverdid he expect to see what he saw.
It wasn’t right.
It couldn’t possibly be right.
His brain was having trouble functioning because of hownotright it was.
There she was, rummaging through her bag wearing nothing but a black, cotton bra and black, cotton panties. Her hair—still wet from her shower—clung to her skin. His eyes only caught a side profile but the mirror in the corner of the room gave him a view from every other angle.
