“Okay.”
My heart stutters in my chest. My hand grips my knee tightly. Did I just hear him say that or did my mind make it up because I so desperately wanted him to agree?
“Say that again? Please?”
Leo’s pink tongue comes out, swiping across his bottom lip. My eyes track the motion. He clears his throat and looks up at me, looking more sure of himself.
“I said okay. You can kiss me.”
I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. I reach for him, my hand coming up to his face, holding his cheek softly. Gods, I hope my technique isn’t shit.
I lean forward until our lips are barely not touching. I stop there, waiting. I only have to wait a second before Leo is moving, pushing forward, and connecting our lips.
Chapter Six
Leo
My heart is hammeringinside my chest so violently I’m worried it might explode. My hands are shaking, my pits are sweating, my head is spinning. It takes everything inside of me to stay here, stay in the moment instead of blasting off into outer space.
Jin is staring at me, waiting for me to answer. He’s never been kissed. I can be that experience for him. I can help him have this.
He also said he liked me but I can’t focus on that right now or I will actually shift into my phoenix skin and burst into flames.
“Okay.”
“Say that again? Please?”
Jin’s voice is so soft. His eyes are so vulnerable, so accepting. He sees me and he wants me. Or at the very least, he wants mylips against his. If that’s all he ever wants, I’ll take it because it’s better than nothing.
I open my mouth to speak but the words dry up in my throat. I lick my lips and his eyes stare at my tongue, tracking the movement. I clear my throat, doing my best to sound as sure as I feel. I want him to kiss me. I want it so badly that my stomachaches.
“I said okay. You can kiss me.”
Jin grins so wide his eyes get all squinty and his nose scrunches up. Gods, he’s adorable and handsome and my heart can’t take this! I feel like I’m soaring through the air.
He leans in, so close that I can feel his breath against my lips. I wait, bracing for impact but it never comes. I realize, fondness surging through my chest, that Jin is waiting for me to close the distance between us. I don’t make him wait.
I kiss Jin.
I’m immediately overwhelmed. Jin is holding my face, cupping my cheeks so softly. He makes me feel like I’m something fragile, something worth being careful over. I’ve never felt like that before.
Jin’s lips are soft as they press against my own. I suck in a sharp breath through my nose, his scent invading my senses. He smells like a candle that’s just been blown out, smoke and warmth and home. The pressure is perfect, the angle is just right. Kissing Jin feels like breathing, like something I should be doing all the time without even thinking about it.
My hands finally move away from my lap. One of them comes up to Jin’s shoulder, squeezing tight. The other goes to his waist. We’re turned towards each other on the couch. It’s working fine but there’s a greedy part of my mind that wishes I was in Jin’s lap. I want to feel him all over. I want to feel my body pressed against his.
Jin makes a small noise against my lips and we pull back, just enough for our eyes to meet. Brown meets molten red. Without saying a single word, we know we’re okay, we know we’re on the same page.
We dive back into the kiss. I’m hungry. No, I feel like I’mstarvingand the only thing that will sate me is Jin. His lips fit so perfectly against me and when they open, ever so slightly, my head swims with need.
I just barely keep a whimper at bay as Jin’s tongue slides across my bottom lip. For someone who’s never kissed before, Jin is a fast learner. I never would have guessed if he hadn’t told me.
I copy the motion, swiping my tongue out so it connects with his between us. We both make a noise at the back of our throats. My head is floating, my body is alight with pleasure, my stomach is a mess of butterflies. If I died right now, I would die a happy man.
Jin has other ideas. His hands move away from my face, grabbing me around the waist. He angles his body so he’s sitting with his back against the back of the couch, hauling me into his lap.
Jin might be a little taller than me but he’s thin and willowy while I’m broad and strong. Despite that, I somehow fit perfectly in his lap, his hands cupping my hips just right.
We’re both breathing heavy, our chests heaving. His cheeks are bright red and his eyes are wide, staring up at me. My hands find his shoulders, squeezing tight.
