I grinned down at her because…man, she was so freakin’ pretty. Especially when she looked like this. All excited and passionate and perfect. Her eyes glimmered with that warmth that made me feel ten feet tall even when lounging on her couch. One hand rested on my chest as she leaned over me, waiting for an answer.
“I hated it,” I said honestly. Her eyes widened in surprise but before she could argue or get mad, I tugged on the hand that was holding her away from me and she collapsed against my chest. “But I loved watching it with you.”
That was the truth, and how much I meant it was slightly terrifying. I loved being here with her. I loved holding her and watching her over-the-top reactions to every one of her favorite scenes.
The more I got to know her, the more I realized that everything with Rose was over-the-top. She was bigger than life, on stage and off. She had more energy than anyone I’d ever met and being around her made me feel…alive. Like her energy was contagious and it gave me a crazy rush.
Like right now. Her heart pounded against mine. Her face was inches away. So close I could taste the Diet Dr. Pepper she’d had as a snack and feel her breath on my face.
So beautiful.
So unbelievably amazing. So perfect.
Her lips parted on an inhale as her eyes met mine in the flickering light. I’d kissed girls before. This wasn’t my first time.
But it felt like it.
I’d never been so nervous…or so excited. I reached one hand up and cupped the back of her neck, pulling her in closer until that distance disappeared and her lips were on mine, soft and sweet.
The connection was instant and jarring. Like the world shifted ever so slightly and rearranged itself all in the heartbeat it took for our lips to meet, and cling, and learn each other.
She met my kisses softly at first, our breath mingling as the sound of the movie faded away and the room darkened even more as the credits rolled. The world might as well have stopped turning because this was a moment out of time.
I had no idea how much time passed, because I was lost. This was heaven on earth. The feel of her in my arms, the taste of her on my lips, the sound of her when she made a soft needy sound when the kiss picked up in intensity and urgency.
And then, just like that, the kiss burst into flames. Sweetness was replaced by hunger and we were both panting for air as the embrace took on a life of its own. When she pulled back her eyes were dark, her lids heavy, and she looked as dazed as I felt.
“Whoa,” she whispered.
Whoa, indeed.
She moved back even farther, licking her lips as she struggled to catch her breath. “Are all kisses like that?”
“No,” I started. And then I stared at her in shock as her words registered. “Was that your…I mean… Have you never…?”
She bit her lip, and it wasn’t coy, but nervous. Her gaze wasn’t flirty but insecure.
Vulnerable.
This was a side of Rose I hadn’t seen and it made my heart thump wildly. Painfully.
“That was my first kiss,” she said.
Her first kiss. Suddenly my insides seemed to give way, my stomach was falling as I realized that I was in over my head. The way she was looking at me right now it was…
Perfect.
Terrifying.
Sweet.
Horrifying.
I shifted quickly. “I should probably get going.”
Rose frowned. “You sure?”
I was already on my feet, heading toward the door, my pulse pounding so hard I could barely hear her voice through the roaring in my ears.
She was looking at me like…like this was serious.
I wasn’t ready for serious. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready for whatever this was…
And yet, when I turned back, my heart lurched forward at the sight of her with her hair mussed and her lips still wet from that epic kiss. “I’ll call you later?” I said.
She grinned, and the confident, over-the-top Rose was back as she struck a pose and wiggled her fingers in a teasing goodbye. “You better…stud.”
She was quoting the movie and I let out a short laugh that seemed to release all the tension that had just filled the room.
“Goodnight, Rose.”
“Bye, Jax.”
8
Jax
I tapped the steering wheel in time to the music that was blaring from my stereo. I couldn’t stop smiling as I drove us home. Even Simone’s stubborn silence and heavy glare couldn’t interfere with my happiness.
When I couldn’t keep it in any longer, I let out a triumphant laugh. “Did you see the way she looked at me?”
Simone glared back at me.
I ignored it, shaking my head at the memory. “Man, that had almost been too easy. I mean, the girl got flustered just because I talked to her? And when I got close and gave her the whole ‘I want to help a beautiful girl’ line…?” I grinned over at Simone. “Come on, you got to admit it—I was good.”
She turned her glare to the road. So stubborn, that Simone.
But whatever. Not even Simone could ruin my good mood. I couldn’t shake the image of a flustered Rose.
It was disarmingly…cute.
I was so used to seeing her on her game that catching her off guard felt like Christmas morning as a kid. That first sight of presents under the tree, like you’d just stumbled onto something magic.
Not that Rose was magic—but she was just so phony all the time. Always acting. The diva who was always on. To see a glimpse of anything real was a win.
And she’d been into me. I could tell. I’d seen the way her eyes had darkened when I’d grown close. I’d seen the way her lips had parted when I’d given her the smile that always got me the girl at parties.
Aw yeah.
She’d felt it.
I picked up my drumming tempo as
