“Jay,” she breathes against my mouth, and the sound of my name like that—wrecked, wanting—makes me lose whatever thread of self-control I had left.
I kiss her harder, deeper, my thumb tracing circles on her inner thigh.She hooks her fingers into my belt loops, pulling my hips flush against hers, and—
She tears her mouth away, pressing a hand flat against my chest.
We're both breathing hard.Her cheeks are flushed, lips swollen, eyes a little dazed.She looks thoroughly kissed, and I want nothing more than to do it again.
“Okay,” she says, voice unsteady.“Okay, just—give me a second.”
I don't move back.Can't, really.“Take your time.”
She laughs, a breathless sound, her forehead dropping against my chest.I feel her shoulders rise and fall as she tries to get her breathing under control.
“As much as I like this idea,” she finally says, lifting her head to meet my eyes, “I'm starving.”
I stare at her.“You're thinking about food right now?”
“I'm thinking about how I haven't eaten since noon and if I don't get something in my stomach soon, I'm going to pass out.”She grins, then points over my shoulder.“Can we go get some fried chicken?”
I turn to look.Sure enough, there's a little fried chicken place across the parking lot, its neon sign flickering in the night.
A laugh escapes me, surprised and genuine.“You want fried chicken.”
“I really, really do.”
I look back at her—flushed cheeks, swollen lips, hair a little mussed from my hands, still swimming in my jacket—and I've never wanted anyone more in my life.
“Sure,” I say, still laughing.“Let's go get you some fried chicken.”
The car is quiet on the drive back to campus.
It's just me and Jay, the heat on low and some indie playlist humming through the speakers.My stomach is full of fried chicken, my lips are still tingling from that kiss in the parking lot, and I can't stop stealing glances at the man beside me.
This is a side of Jay Cross I never expected to see.Not the cocky hockey captain.Not the guy with the terrible pickup lines.Just...a brother.A person who loves his family and shows up for the people who matter.
It's devastating.
“So,” Jay says, breaking the comfortable silence.“That was...”
“Perfect.”The word comes out before I can stop it.“That was perfect, Jay.”
His expression softens in the glow of the dashboard lights.“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”I reach over and take his hand where it rests on the center console, threading my fingers through his.“Thank you.For tonight.For introducing me to Owen.For letting me into this part of your life.”
“Thank you for not running away when he told you I was bad at talking to girls.”
“Please.That just made me like you more.”
We pull into the parking lot outside my dorm, and Jay kills the engine.Neither of us moves to get out.The night stretches around us, quiet and full of possibility, and I don't want it to end.
“Do you want to come up?”
The words are out before I can overthink them.Jay's head turns toward me, eyebrows raised.
“What about Kinsey?”
“She texted me during dinner.Said she's staying at her friend's place tonight.”I roll my eyes at the memory.“She included approximately seventeen winky faces and a message that said 'the room is yours, don't do anything I wouldn't do, which is basically nothing so go wild.'“
