“Come here.” I take her hand and lead her down the hallway, pushing open the door to my old bedroom. It’s been left practically untouched since I moved out, like a time capsule of my childhood years. My old film posters are still on the wall, and my bookshelves are full of sci-fi paperbacks. There’s a row of collectible model cars lined up on my windowsill.
Beth looks around and laughs tearily. “Holy shit,” she whispers. “You’re a nerd, too.”
I push her gently onto the mattress and sit down next to her, thumbing away the tear tracks on her cheeks. “Why are you upset?”
“I’m more embarrassed, I guess. That was really inappropriate.” She looks down at her hands. “This whole visit was supposed to be about Cami, and I ruined it for her. I’ve hurt her relationship with her grandparents.” I don’t say anything. My heart is beating painfully hard in my chest. “I just got somad,”she murmurs. “Sebastian, they treated you likeshit.And even now you’re grown up, they’re still trying to get into your head. It’s notfair.I—”
I can’t hold back anymore. All of the energy simmering in my body finally releases, and I lean forward, cupping her cheeks in both hands and crushing our mouths together.
It’s not a long kiss—just one hot, hard press of lips—but when I pull away, Beth gasps for air like she’s been underwater.
“What?” she asks breathlessly. Her eyes are fuzzy and out of focus as she looks at me.
“Thank you,” I tell her quietly, sliding my cheek against hers. “Thank you.”
“What… I… you’re not mad?” Her breath hitches as I nuzzle the side of her jaw. She sways into me, leaning against my chest.
“Not at all.” I trail my lips across the side of her pink mouth. Now that I’ve started kissing her, apparently I can’t stop. “Beth. My whole childhood, I thought there was somethingwrongwith me.”
“There wasn’t,” she whispers. “You weren’t the problem, Seb.”
I kiss her again, and this time, she kisses me back with abandon, fisting a hand in the front of my shirt and meeting my lips stroke for stroke. Our mouths go from tentative to desperate, and the kiss gets hot and heavy fast. She falls across my front, and I kiss her and kiss her and kiss her, our tongues sliding together, pouring out weeks’ work of want and lust and frustration.
Christ. I knew Beth was interested in me—the girl couldn’t hide her emotions to save her life—but I never dared to dream that she wanted me just as much as I want her.
“You’re okay leaving Cami downstairs?” She breathes between kisses.
I nod against her mouth. “She’s asleep. I’m hoping some alone time together will help bring Mum around.” I press a little sucking kiss at the crook of her neck, and her eyelashes flutter.
“Cami does have that effect,” she agrees, tipping her head back to give me better access. Taking the hint, I trail my mouth down the soft curve of her neck, sucking at the pulse beating under the thin skin. She shivers deliciously, and my heart catches in my chest. I can’t believe that I’ve been missing out onthis.
My hand is still locked on her thigh. I slide it up an inch, playing with the hem of her dress. She looks down at my fingers, her breath freezing.
“Is this okay?” I murmur, slipping my hand back down again.
She laughs breathlessly. “Yeah.It would be more okay if you had a condom.”
Wordlessly, I pull my wallet out of my jeans and flip it open, shaking out a little foil packet.
Beth goes still. “Now, why onEarthwould you bring that to your parents’ house?”
“Would you believe me if I told you that Cyrus brings them back from the club and stuffs them into everybody’s pockets in case we ever get lucky?”
“Probably.”
“He doesn’t.”
She sucks in a breath, then shuffles around to face me, meeting my eyes. “How long?” She whispers.
“Since I first saw you,” I admit. There’s no point lying, anymore.
Her pupils bloom. She tips her mouth up for another kiss, and this time it’s hotter, deeper. Needier. I slide my hand up to her chest. She’s not wearing a bra, and I can feel the softness and warmth of her breasts under the light cotton of her dress. I squeeze slightly, and her head falls back. Red curls cascade over her face.
“Seb,” she murmurs.
I pull her closer to me as she trails her palms up the plane of my chest. She undoes my top button and nibbles at my throat. A shudder rolls through my body. I pull her mouth back to mine. We make out like teenagers, running our hands over each other, losing ourselves in the kiss. I don’t remember the last time I had a kiss like this. A kiss that makes my lungs ache, because I can’t bear the thought of pulling away. Soon, she’s shivering and moaning against me, rocking her hips slightly against my bedspread. My erection is so hard it physically hurts; I palm myself through my trousers, wincing at the thudding throb of blood. I feel like I’m about to split my damn skin.
And who can blame me? This, right here, is what I’ve been dreaming of for weeks. Ever since Jack and Cyrus invited Beth over for dinner, and I first heard her soft moans filtering through the walls. The past few weeks have been torture. Every night, I lie in bed alone, imagining what’s happening on the other side of my bedroom wall.