“Oh yeah,” I said. I forced my face down and stared at the capital D I’d just traced out with my pencil.
“You guys have paints back here, don’t you?” Jett asked. “That’ssomething I could get into.”
“Yeah,” Connor agreed. “Paints are way better than markers.”
Bailey tipped her head to one side and leaned far over the poster, her red marker poised over a Pearl Jam CD case she’d drawn in the corner. The theme for the year was 90’s grunge. “We’ve got a ton of paints in back.”
Jett thumped the bottom of my shoe with his. “Let’s go get them.”
I stared at the sign some more as Jett’s suggestion sank in. What he’d said might have been innocent enough, but the insinuative tone he’d used was far from it. I glanced up at him in time to catch a sideways grin tugging at his lips. Warmth stirred in my chest. My breath hitched.
“Okay.” It came out in a whisper.
Jett eased into a fuller grin, the look of triumph evident on his face, and offered his hand. My heart did one of those melty things because I was starting to really love how chivalrous he was.
I placed my hand in his and secretly delighted in the feel of his touch. “This way,” I said under my breath. I didn’t exactly want to announce where we were heading because a very big part of me knew we were going backstage for more than a set of paints. That idea came to life as I pushed back the heavy black curtain and stepped into the narrow space.
I held the fabric and spun in place to let Jett in as well. He stepped through, bringing that heavenly, spicy scent with him, and a rush of magnetic energy picked up. It felt like a living force, restlessly prodding for us to act on the attraction between us. One video we’d watched just last night suggested that kissing told couples whether or not they were well matched. Not just the whole theory of healthy babies and immune systems, but actual compatibility.
I slowed my pace, somehow knowing that Jett wanted me to turn around. I wouldn’t do it on my own though. If he felt what I was feeling, he’d stop me somehow. And I very much hoped that he would. I slowed my pace even more.
“Harper, wait.”
The melty things exploded into little sparklers inside my chest. “Huh?” I stopped walking, spun in place, and set my eyes on Jett in the bluish gray light.
“I waited for you by my locker this morning.”
I gulped.
“How come you didn’t come?”
Wow. This was a forward, new Jett, wasn’t it?
I shrugged.
He leaned a shoulder against the wall. “I heard you broke things off with TJ.”
That surprised me. “You did?”
“Tasha texted me,” he said with a nod.
The sound of her name made my shoulders tense.
“Listen …” Jett glanced at the floor for a blink. “I’m sorry that happened with TJ and Tasha last night. And I don’t want to rush you or anything, but…”
Why did I like the sound of thatbutso much? Maybe it was because I’d been the one perceivably chasing him all along. First on the playground when we were six years old. Then at the party when the spinning bottle had stopped on him. Heck, if I’d been the one to walk in through those east doors and step up to Jett’s locker this morning, that would have beenmegoing to him once again. But if we ended up kissing right here, right now, it would be Jett initiating all of it. The idea to go get the paints was his. Stopping on the way to the stockroom where they were blocked from onlookers—that was his idea too.
“But what?” I urged, lifting my chin.
Jett held my gaze. “But before TJ tries getting you back…” He pulled away from the wall, stepped closer, and slid both hands onto my hips.
Holy smokes!They felt nice there. Warm and strong. A million parts of my body responded, like the entire system was going haywire.
Jett’s gaze dropped to my lips. It was one of the telltale signs that a person wanted to kiss, and we both knew it. I could feel all the physical symptoms erupting inside me. Face warming. Heart pounding. I glanced at his lips in return. I couldn’t help it. I wanted his kiss more than anything, and something about that fact scared and thrilled me all at once.
Jett lowered his head slowly, pausing once his mouth was a breath’s space from mine. So close I could feel the warmth of his breath on my lips. I pulled in a heavenly breath and sighed. He must’ve just eaten a mint or something because the fresh scent was undeniable.
My eyes drifted shut just in time, and I tuned into the soft, testing touch of Jett’s mouth on mine. Euphoria—a word used in one of the articles—poured over me.
