“Mm-hmm.” He nods.
“You bite your lip, like you’re already imagining what she might taste like. And then you go for it. Well, make sure she’s okay with that first, obviously,” I add. “Andthengo for it. In an ideal world, you’d knock something over in the process—like you’re in such a hurry to kiss her, you’re losing control.”
I scour the counter for the right prop and spot an open milk carton next to a half-full glass. I lay them out on the table in front of us.
“Here.” I point. “Now when you get here tonight, you can spill milk on her.”
He looks confused. “Really? Feels kind of sketchy…”
“Trust me! It shows her just how desperate you are to touch her—how much you want it,” I counter. “It’s a way of telling her that you’ve been waiting for this moment since the first day you met, and now you can finally get some relief.”
He tilts his head.
“Is the milk a metaphor for me ejaculating?”
My mouth falls open. I think this might be the first time he has actually left me speechless. If there is a god up there, I’d love to grab a coffee with her sometime—ask her what she was thinking when she made Donovan Wolinski.
“You know, there’s a part of me that feels incredibly irresponsible for enabling you to go on that date.” I sigh. “Poor, sweet Cheyenne. I hope you’re a good kisser, Donovan.” I look him square in the eye. “That way maybe she can overlook the personality.”
“Shame you never found out for yourself.”
“I’m good,” I say, waving him off.
“Isn’t there a practical component to this unit?”
“There’s no way I’m kissing you, Donovan.”
“Why not? Scared you might like it?” He smirks.
“More like scared I might drown—Sarina Samson said you’re like Niagara Falls.”
“Sarina?” He frowns, his eyes lightening as it dawns on him. “Oh, comeon! I was fourteen!”
“Details.”
“Notdetails at all. I’ve had a lot of practice since then.” He beckons me over. “You come right here—I’ll prove it!”
“I am not kissing you,” I repeat.
“What’s your issue with kissing?” he snaps. “We’ve slept together a bunch of times, and you dodged my mouth every single time.”
“It’s not that deep. It just makes sex messy. It would be like if we fucked in your actual bed. And we were naked, and like making love slowly—all tender and shit.”
Scenes go rushing through my mind, and I wince. There’s a heat pooling in the pit of my stomach.
When I look at Donovan, he’s frozen—like he just pictured the exact same thing.
“Anyway,” I start, desperate to break the tension. “Never underestimate a first kiss. It’s the ultimate foreplay—the thing that makes you want to learn more about your partner. It’s—”
“So, you don’t want to learn more about me, huh?”
I rub my eyes and pinch my nose shut for a second.
“Interrupt me one more time, Donovan Wolinski, and I’m going to whoop your ass. I mean that,” I add. “And for the record, don’t forget the plan was never for you to becomemyboyfriend. That’s why no kissing. And that’s why you really need to focus on the point here—which is having a shot at Cheyenne!”
He stares at me in silence. Something about the way he’s lookingat me is unsettling—a glimmer in his eye, something unfamiliar. Probably him imagining his damn date.
“So, once you—”
