Those gorgeous eyes flit to mine. Her chest rises and falls with her rapid breaths.
The tightness in mine is back, constricting my heart. Shit. She kissed me back. Does she regret it?
I’m about to ask if she’s alright when she surprises me with one of her radiant smiles that steals my breath faster than the hardest hit I’ve ever taken in a game. She slips her hand in mine.
“If we don’t get back out there, everyone will wonder where we went,” she says brightly. “The birthday girl can’t go missing from her own party.”
I shift back a step, because if I don’t I might do another stupid thing, like keep her caged against the wall for another kiss. A real one.
When she turns, my gaze rakes over her exposed back to her ass. I’m still drunk on her sweet scent of strawberries blended with vanilla and the taste of her lips.
“Happy New Year, by the way,” she throws over her shoulder. “Thanks for making sure I got a midnight kiss.”
“Right,” I respond woodenly.
I let her lead me back out to the main area of the club. We find the others not far into the dance floor. The girls are hyping Benson up while he dances with zero rhythm.
The moment Eve’s hand leaves mine, I curl my fingers into my palm.
“There you are!” Julia exclaims.
“That bathroom line was insane. Thankfully the men’s was empty. Cole stood guard for me.” Eve pats my chest.
“You missed the ball drop,” Caroline says.
Eve waves her off, cheeks flushed. “It’s fine. Let’s get a few more songs in before last call.”
Benson sidles up to me while I stand there watching her. I tense, then force myself to relax. Hopefully he can’t read me as well as he could when we were teammates because I don’t want to end the night with his fist in my face for kissing his sister.
“Thanks for always watching out for her,” he says.
My mind blanks. I grunt out some form of agreement. It’s all I manage, otherwise I might give myself away.
I forget all about him when Eve swings around, laughing with her friends while they dance. Her gaze finds mine, the corners of her eyes crinkled.
Christ, the way she looks at me does me in. How can one glance from her make me so crazy? I don’t care if she’s Benson’s sister, or any other reason we shouldn’t cross the line. I’ve fought my need for her all night until I couldn’t any longer. And now that I’ve had a taste?
It’s official. I’m fucked.
THIRTEEN
EVE
The kiss won’t leavemy head. It’s still on my mind from the moment I pulled Cole out of the hallway, on the ride home when we stopped for post-drinking chicken nuggets at the drive-thru, as I peeled my dress off and found an old oversized t-shirt from my days at Heston U.
Downing a glass of water—thinking of the kiss. Helping myself to a slice of bread—reliving every moment of his lips on mine.
I try to direct my thoughts in any other direction. Easier said than done, especially when it comes to Cole Kincaid.
And kissing.
Cole kissed me.
Even though it could hardly be classed as one. More of an obligatory, friendly peck because it’s midnight and it’s what’s done on New Year’s Eve. Right?
It probably didn’t mean anything to him.
Still, every millisecond plays on repeat. The way he put one hand against the wall by my head and grasped my chin. The way he smelled—the memory alone of his heady aftershave ignites a fresh wave of desire in my core.
