Hazel
I started swimming toward the big oak tree with a rope swing, hoping Cruz was following me. This might be our chance. The guys had been over here earlier, but now they were toweling off, and I heard them talking about exploring the trails. Checking out the property. This place was amazing. I couldn’t believe Cruz had his regular home in Defiance Falls plus this place. It was a little oasis, and for this afternoon at least, it was all ours. When I hit the shore, I knew he was at my back without looking. The little hairs on my skin stood at attention.
As I glanced to where I’d seen the guys earlier, nervous energy coursed through me when I saw they were gone. We were alone. Or alone enough for what I wanted.
He grabbed my hand and took the lead. Water dripped from his hair down his back and I followed the droplets as they disappeared into his athletic shorts. This boy was going to kiss me.
“Uh, Cruz?”
He looked over his shoulder but didn’t break stride. “Yeah Hazel?”
“Have you ever kissed anyone before?”
There it was, barely noticeable, but I was looking for it. “You have the cutest blush,” I blurted. Damned nerves were turning me into an idiot.
He bit his lower lip and started walking backwards, facing me full-on. It was difficult not to let my gaze wander down his bare chest, so I didn’t even bother trying.
“No, Hazel,” he said. “This will be my first kiss too.”
My eyes snapped up to meet his but he was already turning around. So we were kissing. I knew it!
Cruz went around the tree and stopped, his back leaning against it. Then he took my other hand in his. “Well, I have kissed a couple of girls,” he said and I couldn’t hide the disappointment I felt at the admission.
“But not with tongue.”
My hands squeezed his. “We’ll do tongue then.”
He laughed softly. “Yeah, we’ll do tongue.”
And then he lowered his head, tilting it to one side. He didn’t hesitate, letting his lips brush mine. Cruz’s tongue swiped out, gently running along my lips until I opened my mouth. As he dipped inside, his hands let mine go to wrap around my waist, and I pressed closer. My hands splayed on the firm planes of his chest and I felt the warmth of his mouth inside of me. He was only kissing me in one spot but it spread down through me, settling hottest right in my core.
I had the urge to suck on his tongue, see how it felt, and when I did just that, he groaned. At the same time his hips thrust forward, and I felt the same hardness from the hot tub. So, he liked it when I sucked his tongue. I did it again, my hands running up his neck and circling around him at the same time.
We went on like this, tasting each other, responding with little noises that let the other know what felt best. I didn’t know how long it lasted, but my skin grew hot, itchy, and I had urges I’d never had before. My leg kept twitching like it wanted to lift itself onto Cruz, wrap around him like an octopus. My center was needy, wanting to rub against him. I was breathing like I’d just done suicide sprints, but I was the opposite of tired. Cruz’s kisses were like an electric jolt to my body, bringing it alive in ways that were foreign to me. I wanted to know what else my body could do, what other pleasures Cruz could give me.
But we heard splashing and voices, and he pulled away. His dark eyes were dilated as he rested his forehead on mine. “We have to stop, Hazel.”
“Yeah,” I said, even though I totally disagreed. “But we should do this again,” I said quickly, suddenly panicking this might have been a one-time thing for him.
He licked his bottom lip, and I wondered if he tasted me. “We should definitely do this again.”
A knot in my chest released at his words. And with it, apparently, the floodgates. “Cruz, I really like you,” I confessed.
“Not like a brother or a cousin, right?” he asked, trying to keep it light, but I heard the uncertainty there, the need for reassurance. I was happy to give it. If we’d be doing that again, and it made me as wild each time, I wanted to make some things clear up front.
“No, the guys were right. I’ve been crushing on you for a long time, Cruz. I like kissing you. And I like you. So that means if we keep kissing, I want you to be my boyfriend.”
He pulled me so close our bodies were flush against each other, and I could feel every inch of him. “I want that so badly, Hazel. You, yeah, I like you too. A lot. It sounds dumb but, I just thinking you’re the coolest fucking girl. You’re such a badass. And you’re so confident. And sexy.” He stopped himself, closing his eyes, and blushed. I fought a smile.
“It’s okay, Cruz. You are too.”
A little laugh escaped his lips and just the heat from his mouth on my lips gave me tingles everywhere.
“So are we doing this? Telling the guys?”
“Hell yeah. But first I want to hit up that rope swing.”
When we came around the oak tree, we were greeted by cheers from four guys. This was going to be one hell of a summer.