It’s also updated, with a small strip of cupboards, stainless steel appliances, and a tiny island. The table is off to the right, and beyond that, a big patio door displays a deck, chairs, barbeque, and a massive back yard overflowing with lush green grass and flowers.
Marnie waits about a millisecond after we sit down at the table before shoving all sorts of plates piled up with cookies, squares, and other desserts at us. She then dives right into the most important topic of conversation.
“So, tell me everything! How did you meet? How long have you been dating? Don’t skip a detail! I can’t wait to hear all about it! Oooh, this is so exciting!”
Thankfully, we’re saved by Susan, who must have been lingering outside, waiting to rescue her sister. She cracks the patio door and sticks her head in. “Screw the details. I want to see them kiss!”
“Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!” The chant is echoed from the backyard.
Marnie stares at us expectantly, and out of nowhere, Fred walks into the kitchen and freezes. He’s clearly not the I’ll cut your balls off if you even think about looking at my daughter type because he stops and has this starry-eyed look that echoes the chanting outside. I feel like I’m the one getting married, we’re already at the reception, and people are banging bottles with spoons, demanding us to lock lips. The pressure is no less intense.
What can I say? I give the people what they want.
I shove my chair back, grab Pearl gently around the waist as she’s getting to her feet—more out of surprise at my sudden looming over her than anything—tilt her back, and go for it. I mean, I really go for it. I’m going to completely convince and satisfy her parents and everyone else to the fact that we are totally and utterly absorbed in each other. I’m going to sell the shit out of this, and I’m going to give Pearl the kiss to end all kisses.
And shit, I already know I’m going to enjoy it because I actually thought about what it would be like to kiss Pearl, in some vivid detail, ever since she walked up to me at that club over the weekend, and also when I met her in the coffee shop on Sunday. All those long hours of sharing a confined space with her—her delicious scent and proximity wreaking havoc on my senses. I shouldn’t kiss her and enjoy it. Any of it. I know that. But reason is not winning out today. Today, my head is in the game.
CHAPTER 7
Pearl
One second I’m fine. Fine as in worrying about how this crazy plotline is going to go down and if my sister means to ruin my life with her pin on penises and by popping her head in the door, demanding we kiss. The next, I’m suddenly half hauled, half propelled by my own initiative because kissing Gabriel would sell this to my parents as long as we do it well, and erm, maybe there’s a small part of me that wants to kiss him. You know, the evil hormones and body parts that refuse to listen to my brain no matter how many times I tell them to back the hell down. Down, lady bits. Down.
For a split second, I’m worried Gabriel won’t do this right. I mean, he doesn’t find women attractive, and maybe the thought of kissing me is as repulsive as this whole idea is suddenly becoming. I shouldn’t have to pay someone to kiss me. I shouldn’t have demanded this of him. It’s not right. For just that split second, I’m undecided, and then Gabriel’s warm lips descend on mine.
There’s an explosion in my brain that I think is my last ounce of reason blowing out through my earholes, then my body is doing something gooey and melty against the bigger, stronger, taller, and manly one pressed up against mine. Gabriel’s hands are at my waist, and his lips are on mine, softer than I could have ever imagined, leading me. And holy wow cow, does he know how to kiss.
There’s no halfway for him. I forget what I’m doing and where I am as I lean into the incredible kiss. My one hand clutches the soft cotton of his t-shirt while the other twines through his oh-so-soft hair at the nape of his neck. He’s warm there. And all over. I’m not sure what surprises me more. The tip of his tongue sweeping through my parted lips and into my mouth, or the sudden hardness I feel poking me somewhere else. Somewhere lower. Like in my stomach area since it’s where his groin is, given that he’s taller.
What. The. Fuck?
I jerk back suddenly, and my eyes wrench open. Gabriel looks as mystified as I feel. Why? Because he enjoyed the kiss when he didn’t expect to? Because the strange undercurrent or chemistry or hormones or whatever is flowing hard for him too? Or because my parents are leaning in and staring at us with the hugest smiles on their faces? They look like a set of grinning jack-o’-lanterns.