"No, I didn’t. I just thought you were too focused on football to even notice me. I had a major crush on you, but Austin acknowledged me in ways that you didn’t, and I just went with it," she says with a shrug and soft laugh to mask her cry.
"I told you I had a crush on you the night of Matty Maxwell’s party. And then you puked on my jeans afterward," I say, and we both burst out laughing.
"I’m so sorry about that, too. And your pants in California. What size are you? I’ll buy you a new pair." She nibbles on her lower lip.
"I have plenty of pants." I smirk. "But you were right. I had absolutely no clue how to do anything but play football, so that’s what I focused on," I reply, edging my way closer to her.
"I wish I’d remembered that you told me," she whispers.
"Why? It wouldn’t have changed anything."
She’s quiet for a moment, deep in thought, eyes roaming my face, lingering on my lips. I would do anything to know what’s on her mind right now.
"I have something else to apologize for."
"What?"
"When I said,'thank God' about us not having sex, I didn’t mean it in the way you think."
"Whatdidyou mean, Herring? Because I’ll be honest, I have whiplash. One minute you’re almost riding my cock in the creek, nearly kissing me in my office, and inviting me to join you in the shower, and the next, you’re avoiding in me like the plague, saying you’re glad we didn’t have sex," I say. "I’m sorry about the creek and my office, though. I was way out of line. You said you wanted to be friends, and I didn’t respect your boundaries."
"I don’t want to be…I want you to kiss me."
twenty-five
Cassandra
Turning his body toface mine, we both slowly gravitate to our knees. I stare at my favorite green eyes as they hood over, looking at me in a way he never has before.
Like I’m the only person he’s ever seen.
Is he going to kiss me or will I have to beg?
"Are you sure?" His voice is soft and husky, like he hasn’t spoken in days. "I need you to be sure, Herring. Because once I do this, there’s no going back," he whispers, and suddenly, I feel it too. It’s like everything finally makes sense.
I feel everything he feels, and Ijust. Want.Him.
"I didn’t mean it when I said, 'thank God.'I meant that it would have been a mistake if we had sex while we were drunk, because I wanted to be able to remember everything about it. I want you, Harley. I want you to kiss me. I want you to touch me. I want everything with you, if everything is what you’re willing to give me," I tell him, and the moment the words leave my lips,his arm hooks around my waist without a second thought, our bodies collide, and his lips come crashing down on mine.
The kiss starts slowly, with me following his lead, happy to just be in the moment. His hand cups my cheek as his thumb grazes the side of my face and I loop my arms around his neck, giving in to the temptation that is, and always has been, Harley Wingrove.
Pulling away from the kiss, he stares into my eyes, his own deep green ones sparkling with mischief and desire. Our mouths collide again, only this time, there’s a sense of urgency behind it.
It’s explosive.
Passionate.
Almost as if he’s afraid I’ll change my mind, and he’s taking everything I have to offer.
But I don’t think I ever will.
His tongue swipes across my bottom lip, teasing, drawing me closer, and I give him full access to my mouth and full access to me. My fingers intertwine with each other, my arms remain firmly around his neck. His grip around my waist tightening and I pull his body on top of mine, laying us both down on the blanket beneath us.
Pulling away from our kiss, he rests on his knees in between my legs, chest rising and falling heavily as he stares at me, eyes trailing slowly from my legs back to my eyes.
"What’s wrong?" I ask, steadying my breathing, propping myself up onto my elbows, appreciating every inch of his face as it glows beneath the natural light of the moon.
"I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t imagining this," Harley replies, hiking my dress up slightly, resting his palm on my thigh to give it a soft squeeze. I feel it all over my body and I shudder beneath his touch.
