This isn’t a practice kiss.
This isn’t some test.
This isn’t compatibility.
This is a fucking wildfire.
When I finally drag myself back for air, our breaths gasp against each other, hot and uneven.
Our foreheads touch as our eyes lock.
Her hands remain wrapped in my cut, like she’s afraid letting go might undo gravity.
Her lips are kiss-swollen. Her eyes are glassy. Her pulse is racing visibly at her throat.
And she looks at me like I just set her whole world on fire.
“That…” I whisper, my voice completely wrecked. “That was definitely… compatible.”
When I finally step back, trying not to bring attention to my raging hard-on, she’s staring at me with wide eyes, her lips parted, her breathing ragged.
And the look on her face…
… it’s not what I expected.
She looks shocked. Stunned. As if I just rearranged her entire understanding of the universe.
But not in a good way.
My stomach drops as I furrow my brows in concern, taking another small step away from her.
“I…” She touches her fingers to her lips. “I…”
“Shit, sorry.” I step back again, putting more space between us because clearly I just fucked this up beyond repair. “That was just for practice. You know. Making sure we can sell it at the gala.”
Her expression shifts, just for a second, and I think I see disappointment flash across her features. But then she nods,agreeing excessively, and I can’t be sure what I saw was real or just wishful thinking.
“Right. Practice.” She forces a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “We should probably head back. It’s getting late.”
Clearing my throat, I subtly rearrange my aching cock in my jeans, then move to my bike. “Yeah, let’s get you home.”
She shifts on the bike so I can hop on, and pulls the helmet over her head. Then I start the engine as she wraps herself around me, holding on tight. I inhale sharply, loving the feel of her around me. But I quickly push that feeling to the side as I hammer down and take off back to her home.
The ride to Sage’s place is torture. Marley holds onto me, but it feels different now—less like she doesn’t want to let go and more like she’s just doing what’s necessary to stay on the bike.
When we pull up, she’s off the bike before I can even help her down.
“Thanks for the ride,” she says, handing me the helmet. “It was… educational.”
Educational?Jesus Christ.
Sage appears in the doorway, taking one look at us and grinning. “How was the practice date, Uber Man?”
“Enlightening,” I mutter.
Marley shoots me a look I can’t decipher, then rushes past Sage into the house with some excuse about being tired.
Sage’s grin fades as she watches her friend disappear, then turns back to me. “That was weird. What happened?”
