Page 22 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 2

As soon as his teeth released his lower lip, I surrendered to the current that carried me there. I leaned in and tossed the dice. Whatever came next, it would be alright. He wouldn’t be just another bored player in search of a quick release. Grayson Reed was so much more than that.

And knowing this made it so much sweeter when my lips touched his. The warmth of his flesh and the sweetness of wine on his lips left a print on my mind, on my soul. I embraced him, one hand on the back of his head and the other on the side of his ribcage. He kissed me back gently, almost carefully, but I felt the smile stretching his lips a few moments later.

I didn’t want it to stop. Everything in me hummed happily. Everything told me this was right. It was nothing like the rough making out with a stranger I didn’t care about. It was softer, more careful, more meaningful. His kisses were like cuddles and shows of actual affection.

It elated me with its blinding shine. It was like being lost in the dark and seeing the golden rays of the dawn sunlight.

His scent tickled my nostrils and brought the images of an immense city skyline to my mind. His grip on my bicep was strong, but the way he cupped my cheek with his other hand was soft and caring. He kissed me for a moment longer, then pulled back. “Now, that was very nice.”

I couldn’t believe how giddy it made me to hear those words. “It was.”

He took my hand in his and looked at my palm. With the tip of his index finger, he traced the longest line. “I grew up in a conservative home,” he said carefully and eyed me as if he expected me not to be interested. When he saw my gaze locked onto his face, he nodded. “Well, I grew up and watched all the boys and girls in school exchanging notes, holding hands, and kissing. The whole nine yards. I never had it. My parents…ah, it doesn’t matter. I grew up. I started fooling around with guys. But I never had that. You know? The excitement of sharing a kiss just for the sake of kissing.”

My ears perked. I wanted to say something comforting, but that was a social field I was the least experienced in. Instead, I turned our hands around and held his instead of letting it be held by him.

He repaid me with a pearly smile. “This was very special to me, Avery.”

I liked how he matched my forwardness. It was the only way I knew how to speak. And it was the surest way for me to understand. “It was special to me, too.”

He wore that smile for a few heartbeats longer, then leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. I welcomed him completely. I didn’t worry he would go too far or ask for too much. It was like we had made a promise to each other. And every moment of our lips pressing together made the fire in me burn brighter.

I found myself hoping for a second date. And a third. I wanted us to cross these bridges one by one, hand in hand. I wanted him to be the person with whom I tried something I had never tried before. Something more than just a cheap one-off. Something big and scary and complicated.

Our paths had been tangled for an entire year. We had faced each other with anger, even fury, countless times. But this was something else completely.

I kissed him not because he was the captain of the enemy team who’d badgered me for a date. I kissed him because he had earned it. He wanted it, and he was willing to go to such lengths for it. And I felt it in my core, this burning desire to be close to him.

So I kissed him more. I kissed him softer and slower and for a long time. I kissed him like we were two teenagers who had never had this crazy chance before. I kissed him the way we both needed to be kissed tonight.

Chapter Seven

GRAYSON

I walked across the sprawling front lawn in front of the dormitories much later than I had planned. The night had been magical. We had been making out until our faces had gotten sore and then I invited him up to the loft.

Avery’s moment of hesitation had been priceless. I could imagine how afraid he must have been that I had turned on everything I had said earlier. “A. Trust me.” And he had. He’d given me his hand and followed me upstairs. The bed was laid out in the middle of the loft, but the true purpose was the huge window that gave us the view of the night sky and the canopy of stars. That was why I had brought him up.

“There he is,” Spencer said. He was having breakfast in the kitchen on our floor at the beginning of the hallway. “You look like shit.”

I snorted. It was true. I hadn’t slept much last night. Now, I wore my shirt untucked and my bowtie was hanging from my fist. I had dropped Avery off at Northwood before directing the chauffeur to bring me back here. Truthfully, I hadn’t wanted to leave the houseboat. It was too good to leave behind.

“So?” Cole asked as I entered the kitchen and dropped into an empty chair. There were only the three of us in here. “How did it go?”

I stretched my lips before I could stop myself. The smile spilled out of me and I shook my head to diminish it at least a little. “It went great.”

Spencer drummed his fingers against the table. “Got proof?”

“I, uh…” Traitor, I snapped at myself. I’d asked him to trust me. And for what? To win a silly bet.

“What happened?” Cole asked. “I thought he agreed.”

“No, he did,” I said.

“Well?” Spencer was growing slightly impatient. “You changed the terms, Cap. We need to see the proof. Unless it’s explicit. Then I’d rather pass.”

That set my ass on fire. “It’s not explicit.”

“Didn’t you sleep with him? You look like you did,” Cole said, snickering.