I gasp at the friction, hands clamped around his shoulders. “Oh god.” It feels so good and solid against me that I legitimately worry there might be a wet spot on his pants when he pulls away.
He mutters a sharp, “Fuck, V,” and takes my mouth again, his movements hungry and almost as desperate as my own.
My hips move of their own accord, chasing the friction and heat, and this could be enough. I could ride Reyn’s leg and probably have the best orgasm of my life, and from the way he’s pushing into me, I think it wouldn’t be so bad for him, either.
Then the bell tower chimes.
His lips pause and he looks down at me, chest rising and falling. Next class begins in ten minutes. We both freeze with the awareness that Ms. Cowen will do a sweep to get all the students hiding out during lunch back to class.
“We should…” I start and he nods, fingers still making lazy circles down on my outer thigh. I straighten his tie and he smoothes down my skirt. I have no doubt his heart is hammering as hard as mine.
He looks at me and smiles with those abused, red lips, like I’m some kind of prize he’s just swiped off the headmaster’s desk.
“Will I see you at the game tonight?” he asks, glancing down to the end of the stacks where a student passes by, oblivious to us being there. Regardless, he adjusts his body so I’m blocked from view.
I shake my head, trying to calm myself down. “The paper’s double booked. Mr. Lee assigned Dustin Brown to cover the game tonight. I have to go with the softball team over to Eastside. It’s a region game.”
“Oh,” he says, eyes dropping. “We’ll figure something out.”
He kisses me one last time, then releases me, walking one way down the aisle while I go the other. At the end of the row, I turn the corner and rest my back against the endcap, taking the first deep breath since I saw him standing there.
Reyn loves a shiny object, something new and off-limits, but wanting to make plans? That’s not a quick grope in the stacks.
That’s not delusional.
Sydney: Heard Reyn was kissing someone in the stacks at the library. Guess he’s back in the game.
I stare at the text for a long moment. We hadn’t spoken since our fight earlier in the day, but Syd obviously can’t resist what she thinks is a harsh blow.
“Who’s that?” Dad asks, glancing away from the window. He came to pick me up from school after the softball game was over.
“Just Sydney.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Oh, you know,” I say stiffly, “drama never stops
chasing her.”
He smiles. “She does seem to have a penchant for that, doesn’t she?”
There’s a weird prickle of pride that runs through me when I look down at the message. I was the one kissing Reyn. I’m the one that got a tattoo and was asked to join a secret society. I know that Sydney thinks I’m still the same boring girl she’s always stuck by, but I’m not. Not anymore.
The message stares at me, and although the last thing I want to do is encourage a discussion about who Reyn was kissing in the library, ignoring it seems like a defeat.
Vandy: Reyn in the library? Sounds like mistaken identity if you ask me.
Dad passes Jerry, who waves us through the gate. It makes me think of Reyn and his ongoing feud.
Honestly, everything tonight has made me think of Reyn.
He pulls into the driveway and I notice that Emory’s big truck isn’t there. Dad said they won their game, 76 to 12. I’m sure he’s out celebrating. After he parks the car in the garage, I get out and see Firefly’s tail in the hydrangea bush. I look over my shoulder and say, “Just a minute. Let me go catch the night stalker.”
The garage door shuts behind him and I drop my bag on the driveway. Poking my head into the bush, I see Firefly, then a set of hands pulling him out the other side.
“Looking for this guy?” Reyn asks, holding the cat against his chest while stroking down his back.
“I was.” I tilt my head. “What are you doing out here?”