I pulled away; I didn't want him feeling sorry for me.
"I'm cool with it," I said. "I was so young that I wasn't used to having a mom around anyway, so I don't really miss it." That wasn't entirely true. I hadn’t missed a mother's presence until I'd met Sarah. I pushed the hair out of my eyes and said, "It must have been nice growing up in your house, siblings and two parents and all."
"We have our moments." He smiled. "Brenna is a bit of a bitch at times. She's very dramatic and plays the role of the middle child to perfection."
"I don't really know her that well. She's usually at Ryan's house or hanging out with Julia."
"Yeah, they're all so inseparable."
"Ryan's your age," I said. "Are you close?"
"We went to high school together," he said. "Brenna and Julia were always best friends, so we all hung out a lot, especially when Brenna and Ryan started dating."
"So, you're friends with Julia too?"
"Not great friends," he said. "How close are you to my brother?"
Hmm . . .. He changed the Julia subject pretty fast, and I had a feeling there was more to that story than he was willing to tell.
"Evan and I were lab partners first, and then we became friends," I said. "We had a lot of common interests."
"You had no interest in one another?"
"Not really," I said. "He was getting back with Cali, and to tell you the truth, I love Evan, but he's high maintenance."
Alex laughed.
"You know he is," I said. "He spends more time on his hair than I do."
"I'm glad my brother didn't go after you."
"How come?"
"Because then I would never have gotten the chance to do this." He pulled me closer to him and gently placed his lips against mine. "I've been thinking about you all day."
"Mmm," was the only response I could manage.
He moved his lips against mine, and then he tangled his fingers in my hair as he held me against his mouth. His kiss was soft and gentle at first, but then it became more urgent as his hands tightened in my hair. He wasn't hurting me, and I actually liked the force. Our teeth collided as our tongues found their place inside each other's mouth.
Alex lay back on the cool dock, pulling me on top of him as he ran his hands up and down my back. We continued to kiss for a few minutes more and then, like the night before, he abruptly stopped.
He sat us up.
"Sorry." He smiled as he brushed my hair from my face.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I got carried away."
"I'm not complaining," I whispered.
"I want to get to know you," he said, and for the first time since we met, he wasn't all confidence and swagger. He looked vulnerable and shy.
Could he really be interested in me? "Do you get to know all the girls you kiss?"
"No," he said. "But I had the advantage of hearing about you through Evan, and I like what he tells me."
"You talk about me with Evan?"
