“I won’t let her treat you this way,” I seethe.

“They don’t exist.”

My jaw clenches, tightening to the point of pain, but I can’t look away from her.

“Do you want to go set them straight, or do you want to kiss me again?”

All I can do is lean in and press my lips to hers again. From the outside, the kiss is rated PG, but with the way my blood is pumping to every area of my body but my actual brain, it feels erotic and intoxicating. I feel ashamed for having my mouth on her like this in public. Not because I’m embarrassed about standing here with her like this, but because others have opinions about things that shouldn’t concern them.

“You’re hard,” Piper whispers against my lips, and it makes me realize I’m crushing my hips against hers.

The pressure is phenomenal, but clearly, she’s uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry.” I try to take a step back, but she’s still tangled in my shirt. Fire and need for her are burning through my veins.

“Don’t apologize. I think it’s sweet.”

“Sweet?” I choke on a laugh. “I would’ve guessed you’d be disgusted.”

Her brows draw in as she looks up at me. “Why would I be disgusted? It just means that you are attracted to me, so much that you can’t control your body’s reactions. It’s sweet.”

“I don’t want to embarrass you,” I confess, “but if we walk to the snow cone stand to order right now, the entire world is going to know exactly how you make me feel.”

She bites the corner of her lip, and it’s easy to tell she’s actually working through the possible scenarios of this.

“You’ve got that devious look in your eyes, baby, and believe me, I love it. I’ll do it if you want me to.”

“Are you implying that I want you to strut around the snow cone stand with a boner just to make your ex-girlfriend aware of what I do to you?”

Man, how in the hell did I resist this girl for so long?

I pull away from her, adjusting my dick, so it’s more pronounced and turn to walk toward the ordering window.

She squeals and pulls me back.

“Please don’t,” she pants against my lips. “Put that thing away.”

She kisses me this time. This time it’s her tongue demanding entrance to my mouth, and right here in the parking lot of Mr. Cones, Piper Schofield steals my entire heart.

I cup her neck, running my thumb along her cheek as she takes everything I’m offering her, and when she pulls back, we’re both breathless and smiling like idiots.

“Better?”

“Baby,” I swipe her swollen lower lip with the very tip of my thumb, “if you think that’s what makes an erection go away, you have a lot to learn about a man’s body.”

“All of that is true,” she whispers against my lips. “I don’t know anything. Think you can teach me a thing or two?”

Where did this little vixen come from?

“I’ll tutor you day and night until you’ve learned it all,” I promise, but I pull my hips away from hers. “But this isn’t the place for your first lesson. I’ll need you alone and away from prying eyes for that.”

She grins, and the fear and trepidation twisting her face up when we arrived are no longer visible.

“Tell me what happens after we get our snow cones.”

I grip her hip with my hand but do my best to keep my body from touching hers. I wasn’t joking about being turned on when she’s within eyesight.

“We’re going to go sit on that picnic table under the tree and enjoy them,” I tell her.

She frowns. “I figured we were going to get them and leave. My parents aren’t at home. We could start my first lesson today.”

“Jesus, Piper.” I rest my forehead against hers, totally in love with the suggestion, but knowing it can’t happen.

Jumping into bed with her isn’t the way to her heart. I don’t doubt that a couple of minutes of kissing her would make it easy enough to slide between her trim thighs, but sex isn’t all I want from her. That comes as a reward after she gives me her heart, and I won’t take the bonus until I have the main prize.Chapter 28Piper“Don’t give me that look,” I tell Dalton as we settle on the picnic table under the tree just like he suggested. “It’s good!”

“Pickle juice?” His nose scrunches even more. “It’s disgusting. I figured you’d go for something like blue coconut or banana.”

I scoop another heaping spoonful of my snow cone in my mouth and smile. “I can’t risk a flavor that may have strawberries in it.”

He looks down at his cherry-flavored snow cone. “Well, crap. I didn’t even think of that.”

He places it to the side, making it obvious he doesn’t plan on eating any more of it, then he jumps down from the tabletop and starts to walk away.


Tags: Marie James Westover Prep Romance