I don’t even know how I’m sitting upright.
The brush of his lips fills me with butterflies. A fluttering mess of them. Gulping down the beer, I give myself a moment to steady. Jackson. Possessive of me in the bar just because a guy offered me a drink?
This might be my only shot to play along with him. I turn my face to his and kiss his cheek before I can overthink this. If he’s going to cross this line for a joke or whatever Jackson’s thinking … I’m going to cross it too.
My blond would-be hero throws his hands up with a smile when I glance back at him. “Didn’t realize.”
“Sorry, I should have said—” I’m not able to finish before Jackson cuts me off.
“No problem.” His tone is familiar, yet harder, more dominating. He leaves no room for further conversation. And the other guys get the hint.
They back off, looking toward the hall leading to the restroom, leaving me staring up at him, his arm still wrapped around me. His hold is looser now, but it’s still there.
“You drunk?” he questions, glancing down at me for only a moment.
Maybe more than a little tipsy. “Not so drunk that I don’t know what I want.” The words slip out before I can stop them and his brow raises in surprise.
I rip my gaze away and take another sip of beer, but it doesn’t do anything to change the way I feel right now.
I’ve never been hornier in my life. I didn’t come here with sex on my mind. I’m in leggings and a sweater. That should be enough of a clue that I didn’t plan on doing anything but cuddling up with a hangover cure after this.
Jackson says something and I’m not quite sure what, but his hand leaves the bar and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him leave me like this.
“What was that?” I question, my voice sultry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.
“Just cockblocking you,” Jackson jokes. He picks up his drink from the bar behind me. That hammering in my chest intensifies. Is he … is he toying with me? ’Cause that kiss is still burning my neck.
“Oh yeah? What would you call this?” I say, then lean forward, hook my arm around his neck, and kiss him full on the mouth. My lips press against his and at first they’re hard, but they mold to mine instantly.
He kisses me back with an intensity I didn’t expect. He tastes like beer and hunger. He tastes better than I ever imagined he would. I kiss him deeper, wanting to remember it after tonight.
That’s when it hits me. We’re in the freaking bar still. Everyone is here. His sister. Our friends. I pull away with a slight panic.
Jackson smirks down at me. A gorgeous, handsome, and somewhat cocky smirk. It’s a look that keeps me calm while everything else blurs around us.
I almost ask him if he wants to get out of here, but the words fall short. My heart stops with the fear that he’ll reject me. Tell me it was all in fun, and it’s not like that. I’m just a friend of his sister. I just wanted those guys to back off. That’s what he’ll say.
In my short moment of fear, Jackson pushes a stray lock of my hair back and leans in again for a gentle, yet demanding kiss.
This time, he flicks his tongue against my lips until I part them for him. Inwardly I sigh with relief. It’s been three years of waiting, and honestly, I thought it would be a lifetime. I never thought Jackson would kiss me at all and especially not like this. He’s tasting me like I tasted him. I swear, he wants me too.
He lets out a groan against my mouth. “You want to get out of here?”
JACKSON
There’s no going back.
That’s all I can think as my hands roam down her soft curves in the back of the car. Her lips haven’t left mine and if I thought that this may not be the only chance I have with Aubree, I’d contain myself. I’d show a semblance of control, but as it stands, I have none.
There is nothing but desperation for her not to stop. To just let me kiss her.
Soft moans pour from her lips, subtle and just as desperate as my touch. The Uber slows to a stop and I barely look up, checking for a red light or a stop sign. Instead I see my front lawn.
I pull my lips from hers, but intertwine our fingers and keep her close. “Let’s go,” I tell her. Tomorrow is vaguely on my mind. The questions and concerns. Every time a thought pierces through the haze of lust, I shut it down by kissing her again.