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I turned my face away, embarrassed because that’s exactly what had happened. “He seemed nice, and I knew if I had asked my family, they would have said no.”

Ignoring me completely, he pulled my face back to his. “He seemed nice?” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “Is that all it takes to get you to…”

“Stop it, Matteo. I’m sorry, okay? I know I messed up, but I just wanted to be a normal girl for one night. I wanted to dance and let loose and…”

His eyes narrowed into slits. “And what? Get railed by some horny frat guy who wanted to share you with his friends?”

My cheeks flamed scarlet. “I wasn’t going to sleep with him. I mean, I haven’t even had a boy kiss me. I don’t expect you to understand.” Miserably, I shook my head. Matteo wouldn’t understand because he was a man in a man’s world, and I was a girl.

“Your first kiss,” Matteo whispered. Something in his eyes shifted. Again, they drifted down to my lips, and this time, they looked desperate.

“Sad, right? Poor innocent Sophia. The only girl her age who hasn’t even been kissed. Maybe there’s something wrong…”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Sophia.” Gripping my chin, Matteo smiled. “You’re sweet and beautiful. You are perfect. Close your eyes.”

“What, why?”

His thumb brushed over my lips. “Close your eyes.”

He didn’t have to answer a third time. My eyelids fluttered closed.

Matteo’s breath grew closer, warming my skin, and then his lips were on mine, and it was like the entire universe burst to life behind my eyelids.

One small kiss, a simple brushing of his lips on mine, and it felt like I was going to explode.

“So perfect.” Sighing, he pulled away, leaning his forehead on mine.

“You kissed me.” Giggling nervously, I pressed my fingers to my lips.

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I did. Your first kiss.”

“Why did you kiss me?”

“Because I wanted to, Sophia. I’ve wanted to since your parents’ summer party.”

Heat blossomed in my chest. “You did?”

“Yeah.”

“But you didn’t?”

“I couldn’t. You’re my best friend’s little sister. I’ve know you your entire life. It would cross a line that…”

Reaching up, I touched his cheek, my fingers shaking. “And now you’ve kissed me, is it out of your system or?”

Closing his eyes, he leaned into my hand. “Hell, no. Now that I’ve kissed you, I just want to kiss you again,” he admitted with a rumbling sigh.

“I wouldn’t mind you kissing me again.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.” Was it really me saying this? Matteo was my brother’s best friend. He had been in my life forever.

And I’d always loved him.

“Then you had best get over here.” Unclipping my seatbelt, he pulled me over onto his lap. His hands came to rest high on my thighs as he kissed me over and over again.

When he parted my lips with his and touched the tip of his tongue to mine, I felt like I was floating on a cloud,