“No, I'm dating Katie. She'd kill me.”
“Come on, it's us. No one would even give it a second thought.” She argued.
“I'm not teaching you to kiss, Ry!” I argued.
There were so many reasons I refused to kiss Ryder. First off, I was dating Katie. Secondly, she was my best friend. Most importantly though, I didn't want her kissing anyone. Period.
“Come on, you're my best friend. I’d rather have my first awkward kiss with you. That way when I kiss someone I actually like; I won't be horrible at it.”
Her words bothered me, more then I wanted to admit. Yet, I was to distracted to dwell on it.
How was I supposed to protect her when she was going out tonight, without me? Plus, what if he did end up being her first real kiss, and then he ended up hurting her? I’d have to kill him and, up until now, I liked Joey.
“I was already your first kiss,” I reminded her. Partly to change the subject, but mostly to remind her that I’d already claimed that first kiss for myself. “You were fourteen, remember?”
She rolled her eyes. “That wasn't a real kiss, and you know it.”
I grinned when an idea swept over me, and I turned towards her. “Fine, I'll kiss you.”
She grinned back at me before gathering herself up on her knees and turning so she was sitting on her legs next to me.
I chuckled before I twisted to face her.
I slowly moved my hand to rest on her cheek, brushing my thumb over it gently as I nestled it into place behind her ear. I saw her take a nervous breath and for the first time in three years, I actually wanted to kiss her again.
The feeling scared me.
I quickly inched towards her until she shut her eyes. Then, I pressed my cheek up against hers and gave her a familiar kiss, a butterfly kiss.
She instantly moved her hands to my chest and shoved me backwards. “Why are you such an asshole?” she asked, and I laughed.
“I don't know.” I shrugged, “why are you so annoying?” I shot back with a grin, and she just glared at me. “You once told me that was a real kiss.” I argued.
“Whatever, I'll just kiss Joey and make a fool of myself.”
The second she said it, the image of the two of them instantly planted itself in my brain.
“Gross,” I said out loud.
“Not everyone thinks I'm gross, Ty!” She grumbled, defensively.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” I sighed when I saw a hurt expression wash over her. “You aren't gross, it’s just, you're Ryder.”
“Yeah, I get it. Kissing me is gross, like kissing one of the guys.”
I watched her slump in defeat and I hated seeing her feel so self conscious. Especially, when she was wrong. I didn't see her like one of the guys, and she was far from gross.
Hell, I wished I could just see her as one of the guys. Maybe then I wouldn't have to feel so damn protective all the time.
However, I did see her as Ryder and Ryder would forever be off limits. For everyone.
“I hope I don't make a fool of myself tonight.” She mumbled as she sat perched next to me still.
I realized, in that moment, I was willingly sending her off to share her first kiss with our friend Joey. I was already pissed he’d agreed to go out with her. Now, the thought of him kissing her infuriated me.
It wasn't that Joey was a terrible guy, he was just a guy. He often swapped stories, with the rest of us, in the locker room about our hook ups and I'd be damned if tomorrow he was going to tell us one about Ryder.
I didn’t give myself a chance to change my mind, instead, I moved my hand to the back of her neck and pulled her mouth to mine.
I caught her off guard, her mouth still partly open. My lips brushed hers lightly and my tongue instantly took advantage of her parted lips and found hers. I wasn’t expecting her to taste so good. Sweet, and pure. Like biting into a strawberry. Fuck, she tasted good.
Her lips were soft, and she wasn’t wearing that annoying lip gloss most girls our age always wore. Instead, I could actually feel the softness of her lips brushing against mine as we kissed.
She responded to me timidly at first, her inexperience only adding to the sweetness of the way she tasted. At first her lips just rested against mine and she let me take control, but then something shifted. I felt her hand grip my shirt and pull me closer, as she pressed her lips more firmly against mine.
I felt her tongue swirl back against mine and I swore I felt her whimper into my mouth. What started as an innocent first kiss between friends, suddenly felt fueled by emotions. Emotions that I hadn't even acknowledged to exist between us.
I thought back to all the times I’d threatened the life of any guy that showed interest in being in the exact position I’d found myself in now. I always told myself it was to protect her, but now I wondered if it was to selfishly keep her to myself.
The second I heard her whimper against my mouth again, I groaned and pulled her into my lap. I refused to acknowledge the barriers that we were crossing. All I could focus on was the way it felt to kiss my best friend, to kiss Ryder.
My free hand slipped around her back and I pulled her up against me as I deepened our kiss. For the
