All of these things I might have missed if I wasn’t paying attention like I am now.
Hell, maybe this pull toward her has been there since I caught the glimpse of her in the kitchen and it’s been dormant until she reawakened it. I can’t pinpoint it.
All I know is I want this with her now. I’ve never allowed myself to get close enough to someone to have a relationship. This isn’t the distraction I worried it could be. Not with her.
I like being around her. She’s been here all along and I regret that it’s taken me so long to become aware of her again.
I’m not willing to let this go. I love hockey, but the way I feel when I’m with her is something special I know I have to chase. To keep.
My gaze slides to study her profile. She remains quiet, maybe as lost in her own thoughts as I am. The cold’s turned her nose red. Looking at her makes my heart race and my stomach feel weird in a good way. It’s a buzzing energy, like when I score a goal or get a killer assist on the ice.
“Lainey,” I rasp.
Her steps falter at my urgent tone. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I will be.” I snake an arm around her waist. “Come here.”
“What are you?—?”
The end of her question is muffled by my lips sealing over hers at last. Not her cheek. Not the corner of her mouth.
This isn’t an almost-kiss, it’s a real one. The kiss I secretly wanted four years ago in her kitchen.
There’s nothing fake about the way I claim her mouth, the kiss demanding and hungry. She gives herself over to me so sweetly, fumbling movements following my lead to kiss me back, mouth opening for me when I sweep my tongue against it.
Fuck. Heat sears through me. I’ve been with a lot of girls. How does a single kiss undo me?
Lainey remains still when we part. Her eyes are shut, her breath coming in sharp little pants that I want to swallow. My hold on her tightens.
One taste isn’t enough. I need more of her.
ELEVEN
LAINEY
The walkfrom the library to my dorm is a fevered blur. Alex stops me twice to kiss me again until my knees are weak and my core aches with desire. This frenzied passion only seemed like it existed in my books, but I’m swept up by the inferno building between us. We’re both short of breath when we stumble through the lobby of my dorm building.
Alex’s fingers slip beneath my sweater on the elevator, seeking skin. Each gasp I draw is thick, my body a live wire that reacts to every touch. I clamp my thighs together when his hot breath ghosts over my throat.
“Do you have a roommate we need to kick out?”
The raw, gritty tone sends a shiver down my spine. I shake my head, concentrating hard to form the words.
“I was supposed to, but she transferred to a different school. Haven’t had a replacement.”
“Good.” His fingers thread through my hair and I arch my body into his when he brings his lips to my neck like he did in the library. The curve of his mouth is like a brand on my skin. “You like that?”
All I’m capable of is a tight whimper that catches in my throat.
The elevator stops on the fourth floor. He takes his time scraping his teeth on my skin even after the doors open.
Peeling away, he snags my hand. “Lead the way.”
Thankfully I’m only a few doors from the elevator. I’m too dizzy with want to think straight, let alone walk steadily.
After fumbling for my key at my door, he bats my hand away and unlocks it for me. He captures my waist and herds me inside, lips connecting with the spot beneath my ear before the door swings shut. I gasp at the hard ridge he grinds against my back.
He spins me around to capture my mouth in a sensual kiss that causes another wave of heat in my core. Within moments he plucks my tote bag off my arm, discards his backpack, and kicks off his shoes before nudging me to the bed—all without breaking the kiss.
