We do a slightly better job of staying apart after we make Mav swear to secrecy. With a butt squeeze and a whispered promise to find me later, Heath goes with Maverick to play Xbox and I find Reagan.
She’s sitting in a folding chair in a circle of people, but she’s quiet, playing with the label on the beer bottle in her hand. I grab a chair and pull it up beside her.
“Hey, are you okay? You look a little bummed.”
“Sam, the guy I went out with last week, was supposed to meet up with me tonight, but he flaked.”
“Oh, babe, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. He was kind of boring, but it still hurts to be blown off.” Her shoulders rise and fall with a big sigh. “And the worst part is I’m still not over…” She pauses and fidgets with her beer again.
“Are you ever going to tell me who it is?”
“No, probably not.”
“Well, at least tell me what it is about him that has you so spun up?”
“He’s smart and caring.” She bites her lip. “And so hot. Have you ever been totally into a guy and no matter how hard you try to move on, you can’t stop hoping he notices you?” She groans. “I just realized how pathetic I am. God, I hate being the girl who can’t even enjoy the party because of a boy.”
“No, I totally get it. Been there.”
“I think you’re there now.” She smiles, dimples popping out. “At least with you and Heath, it’s mutual. You kissed again, right? He had gloss all over his face.”
“Listen, can we keep that between us for now? I don’t want my brother all up in my business with this.”
“I won’t tell him, but good luck hiding it—you’ve got a ridiculous grin on your face just talking about him.”
“I do?”
She nods.
“You know what? You helped me earlier by introducing me to guys, let’s do the same for you now.”
“I already know all of these guys.”
“Humor me? Maybe you were too caught up in this other guy to notice how great some of these other boys are.”
“You think?” She looks so hopeful.
I stand and hold my hand out. She takes it and gets out of her chair. “Okay, but you’re sleeping over tonight. I need a safety net, so I don’t do something crazy and end up having sad, forget-you sex.”
“You never know,” I say as we head inside. I make eye contact with Heath and my stomach flips.
Later after everyone else leaves and it’s just a handful of us left, Adam convinces us to play sardines.
Heath and I walk just ahead of the group toward campus. I’m holding his arm in a friendly way that we’ve done a hundred times before, but this time is completely about touching him any way I can.
“Which pair was the first to find Maverick and Dakota last time?” Adam asks when we arrive.
“Me and Heath,” I speak up, briefly catching my brother’s eye. I hold my breath to see if there’s any indication from his expression that he knows. Maybe it really is written all over my face.
“All right, one of you gets to make the rule.”
Heath looks to me. “You pick.”
I think for a minute. “Partners have to swap shirts.”
Heath eyes my white tank top and nods his approval.
“That’s kind of easy, Ginny,” Adam says, but then Rhett groans loudly and we all look to him and Reagan, who’s wearing a dress.
Heath and I start our search for the perfect hiding spot, but only make it as far as the first corner away from the group before he backs me up against the building.
His lips take mine, and his body presses into me. I’m stuck in between a rock and a hard place quite literally. The brick building bites into my back and the rigid swell in Heath’s jeans presses into my hipbone.
My body hums with excitement. I drop my hands to his waist and slip my fingers under the hem of his shirt. He keeps kissing me as I glide my palms over his abs and chest. His muscles tighten under my touch, and he grinds into me harder.
Who knew secret relationships were so hot?
Removing my hands from his body, which is exceedingly difficult, I take off my shirt, letting the breeze and his gaze pebble my skin.
“Fuck, Ginny,” he rasps.
“We’re supposed to swap shirts,” I say, voice a little too breathy.
“Oh, right.” Without taking his eyes off me, he pulls his shirt off and we trade. He tucks my shirt into the front pocket of his jeans and runs his fingers up the curve of my waist, stopping when his thumbs brush against the sides of my bra.
I don’t make any move to put on his shirt because he’s looking at me with so much admiration and hunger, I don’t want it to end.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I lift up on my toes to kiss him. The skin to skin contact feels better than anything I’ve ever experienced. Kissing down his jaw, which flexes under my lips, I move to his neck and chest.
He holds my hair back with one hand as I learn the contours of his body with my hands and mouth. I’m circling his nipple with my tongue, which he seems to like very much, when he curses and flattens me against the wall.
Footsteps approach and Adam and Taryn come into view holding hands. Adam’s wearing Taryn’s strapless top around his neck and she’s in his oversized T-shirt.
Our only saving grace seems to be that we’re so close they aren’t looking for us yet. My chest rises and falls, and I fight to slow down my breathing as the others go off in search of us.
“Shit, that was close,” Heath says when they’re out of sight. He steps back and looks me over again, hunger flashing in his gaze and a smile on his lips. “We should hide.” He takes his shirt from
