I furrow my brow as I regard her again, and her eyes finally meet mine. I think back to our interactions over the past few years, the way she’s always seemed flattered by my attention but disliked the recognition from the others. Tenley’s too innocent to use me for that, and she’s been Loren’s friend for too long to risk hurting her now.
I turn back to my sister. “Think you can stay out of trouble for five minutes?”
“What do you mean?” Loren asks.
“Your friend needs rescuing,” I say, offering a hand to Tenley.
Her shoulders rise, and her eyes flutter again, but she immediately turns to survey Loren’s reaction. “Oh, thanks, but I’m fine?—”
Loren groans in disgust again, reaching out to shove Tenley forward. “Goodgrief, Ten. Please, dance with my idiotic brother. Just try not to get too gross.”
I glare at her as Tenley takes my hand, but Loren just smirks and crosses her arms as if she’s satisfied with her work as a matchmaker. Then I pull Tenley onto the makeshift dance floor just as another slow song begins.
“So, how many guys have you actually turned down so far tonight?” I ask, tentatively slipping my hands around Tenley’s waist while she carefully places hers on my shoulders. It’s not that I’m nervous, since I’ve dated a couple of girls by now, but I’m suddenly aware of all the ways I could screw this up.
“A few,” Tenley replies coyly, inching closer. “But I’m only interested in one guy.”
I raise my brow, her forwardness catching me off guard for a second. “And who might that be?” I ask, lowering my hand.
A smile creeps across her face before she answers, “I think you know.”
I feel the corners of my mouth curling up to match hers, and I almost blurt out some cocky offer to take her out back to the pool house. Instead, I remind myself that, despite the way she’s totally coming on to me and the fact that I am totally into it, I need Tenley to be Loren’s friend more than I need her to be my girlfriend.
But it’s hard to keep those thoughts in the forefront of my mind while Tenley’s biting her lip and staring at me longingly like this, like she wants me to kiss her. And all it takes is for her to press her ample chest to mine and fist the back of my shirt in her right hand for me to lose the ability to think at all and begin running purely on instinct.
I’m not the kind of guy who would pressure a girl into something she wasn’t ready for. But I’ve unfortunately never been very good at that impulse-control thing, as my school counselor and my doctor consistently remind me. And since the effects of my ADHD medication have worn off by now, my mind goes straight toI need to know what that feels like.
I lean down to press my lips to hers, immediately urging her mouth open and pushing my tongue inside. She seems a little more hesitant to reciprocate the kiss than I expected after all that flirting, but I’m too far gone to pull back now.
Consequences? What consequences?
She loosens up after a minute, stepping forward and allowing her body to melt into mine, and I figure she was just feeling awkward or nervous before. After all, this is probably her first kiss. But when she sighs and tilts her head to the side as she drags her hands over my shoulders to my chest, I forget she’s supposed to be the inexperienced one. Her fingertips dig in gently, and I wonder if she’s not hinting around about what move she wants me to make next.
Aaand, there’s that irrepressible urge again.
It’s not like I’mthathard up to cop a feel in the middle of this party. Seriously, I’ve gotten to second base before, and it’s great and all, but that’s not even what this is about anymore.
The idea has been planted in my brain, and I have no choice but to follow through this time.
Must. Touch. Boob.
It’s like a compulsive need now. And there I go, just as the song ends, sliding my palm up her side and cupping it around her chest. I get a full second of satisfaction before Tenley pushes away from me roughly.
“Seriously, dude? What the hell is wrong with you?” she cries out incredulously.
My heart begins racing, and I feel my face heat up in embarrassment. Because she’s right—there is something very,verywrong with me.
I should apologize.
But when I open my mouth, an overly defensive “Gah, Tenley, I thought it’s what you wanted” tumbles out instead.
“Well, it wasn’t,” she continues, glaring at me with disgust before she turns and locks eyes with one of the other kids observing our interaction. Her expression softens as they continue staring at one another, and I scoff aloud, but it doesn’t seem to faze either of them.
And now I’m even more confused, because I thought I was the jerk in this scenario. But Tenley’s already making eyes at another guy—JD Bourgeois, the younger brother of her and Loren’s classmate, Blake. I know the kid plays up in sports because he’s huge for his age, but come on.
“Look, I need to go and check on my sister,” I blurt out, hoping to break the spell between them, but the girl JD was dancing with before has already pulled him away.
“Yeah, same,” Tenley says, cringing and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Apparently, I reallyamthat disgusting. I can feel the self-pity coursing through me as I turn and scan the crowd for Loren’s tiny form.
