“Wait.” She puts a hand at my chest. “I don’t understand. You don’t date. You told me that you weren’t interested in dating anyone, especially me.”
“I never said ‘especially you’.”
“It was implied.”
“Fuck no, it wasn’t. We already hang out more than I ever have with any other chick, so let’s do that and make out. That’s basically dating, right?”
She gives her head a little shake. “I’m confused. Is this some trick to keep me from dating Liam?”
“Hell no. I don’t care who Liam dates as long as it isn’t you.”
My mouth tingles. Fucking tingles. This girl… fuuuck.
“I said we shouldn’t date because you had just gotten out of a relationship and in the past, dating hadn’t really been my thing. Enjoying college has been my top priority. I only have a few years before I’m going to be married to hockey. I didn’t want us to hook up and then never talk again, and I wasn’t sure I was capable of more. I like hanging with you and I don’t want to mess that up.”
“Oh.”
“But I was overthinking it. If what you’re looking for is the same thing I am—to have fun, hang out, hook up.” I pull her against me so she can feel how hard I am. “Then of course I want to date you.”
“Really?” Her eyes light up.
I swipe a hand over my mouth. It’s on fire and sticky from her lipstick.
“Really, but I should talk to your brother first.”
She groans. “You don’t need his permission.”
“I know.” I give in and press my lips to hers again. It’s almost painful with how much my mouth aches to be on hers. I kiss her harder and the burn intensifies. “Fuck, baby, your lips are on fire.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes. Don’t move. I’m going to talk to your brother.”
“Right now?”
“I promised him I’d look out for you. I don’t want him to feel like I took advantage or… I don’t know, maybe it’s stupid, but I respect your brother and you, and I can’t kiss you like I want to until I talk to him.”
“Kiss me like you want to?” she asks with a laugh.
I walk to the door and pause with my hand on the doorknob. “Naked.”
Adam’s in the living room. I call his name and motion for him, going to the kitchen where I can pour a couple shots just in case one, or both of us, needs it.
“Dude, what’s going on with your face?”
I rub absently at my face, which still stings. Since I can’t very well tell him my body is having some sort of physical reaction to kissing his sister, I avoid his question altogether.
“I need to talk to you about Ginny.”
I slide one of the shot glasses in front of him. He looks but doesn’t touch it. “What about her? Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine.”
Reagan picks this inopportune time to join us. “Hey, have either of you seen Ginny?”
I glance at her. “She’s—”
“Oh my god, Heath, what happened to your face.” Dakota appears next to Reagan and steps forward and inspects my face. “I think your body is rejecting whichever random bunny you were making out with.”
I swipe a hand over my mouth.
“Pink’s not really your color.” Adam laughs.
I grab a paper towel and wet it so I can wipe his sister’s lipstick off my face. It can’t be helping the situation. “I think I’m allergic to this shit. It stings.”
Reagan starts giggling, and within a few seconds, it’s full-blown hysterical laughter that has tears coming from her eyes.
“The lip plumper,” she manages to get out and that sets Dakota off.
“What the hell is going on?” Adam asks.
“I was kissing—”
My body is yanked to the right by Ginny as she pulls me away. “Sorry, I need to borrow him for flip cup.”
I hear Reagan say, “I must have given it to her again by accident.” And then Adam’s gruff voice asks, “What the fuck is lip plumper?”
18
Ginny
I don’t stop until we’re in the corner of the deck outside, far away from my brother. “We can’t tell him.”
Heath’s rubbing at his lips. “Why not?”
“Because he’ll freak out and make a big deal out of it. And any chance of low-key and fun will go right out the window with it.”
“I don’t know. He was pretty cool about Liam asking to date you.”
“Liam asked to date me?” Ugh. I hate that they all feel like they need to ask permission. He’s not the boss of me.
Heath puts his hands in his pockets and nods.
“Just trust me on this. He might have said he was cool with it, but he’ll interfere somehow. We don’t need his okay.”
“I don’t relish the idea of going behind his back. We may not see eye to eye on everything, but we’re teammates.”
“I know and it isn’t forever, only until we decide if there’s anything even worth telling him.”
Heath raises a dark brow.
“You know what I mean.”
“All right. If that’s what you want.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“What the hell did you do to my lips?” He rubs at them again and I bite back a laugh and run a thumb over the tender skin. It’s red and irritated, but his lips look nice and full, so I guess the stuff works.
I press my lips to his. A chaste kiss, but I linger, enjoying the feel of him being so close and his mouth against mine. Thirty seconds into this, and I’m already having a hard time keeping my hands off him around other people. He makes a little humming noise when I pull back.
“You expect me to keep this a secret?” He shakes his head. At least I’m not alone in wanting to jump him.
I take a step back as Maverick approaches.
“Hey, you two.” He looks from Heath to me with a big smile and then sniffs the air. “Is that… romance I smell?”
Heath smirks at me. Busted.
“Well, so much for keeping
