When I remained where I was, he let his head tip forward and our foreheads rested against one another. I didn’t want to move. I wanted to stay here forever. We had people to save, but not even a tornado warning would have made me pull away from him.
He was warm.
He smelled good.
I liked him.
What had made me pull back again?
Confused, I tried to make sense of the nonsensical.
Then, it hit me.
With his eyes closed, it made it easier to answer the question he hadn’t asked: “I haven’t kissed anyone in a long time. Sorry if it sucked,” I whispered. Did that sound apologetic? Sure, I’d said the word, but I wasn’t even certain if I meant it.
Why had I said it again?
Oh, embarrassment.
I probablydidsuck, but he soothed my ridiculous nerves by rocking his forehead to the side, inadvertently massaging mine as he did so. “I’ve wanted to do that for over a year now.”
Relief struck.
“Me too,” I whispered.
And I had.
So why was I nervous again?
Or was I nervous?
What the fuck was even going on with me?
This was Conor.
He’d heard me come over the phone.
We’d talked about anything and everything.
He knew I likedHalowhen that was more top secret than Area 51’s real purpose. I knew he had a weird obsession with rom-coms that he let me tease him about.
No, nerves had no place here. Ghosts of the past didn’t either.
“Can I?” I whispered.
“Always.”
So, I angled my chin up and let my mouth press against his this time.
For a moment, neither of us did anything. We just stayed like that. Then I laved my tongue over his bottom lip, tasting remnants of the sour sweetness from the candy I’d rested there, and he groaned again.
That sound was hardwired into my senses.
It was a catalyst—one my body responded to. One that had my hands reaching for his shoulders and gripping them. Not to push away but to pull closer.
His lips parted and I thrust my tongue in deep. No hesitation. No thinking. Just feeling. And it felt better than good, and he tasted better than good too.
I sighed as he let me play, let me take charge this time. His tongue slid against mine, going slow where I was starting to speed up. The sensations began to build. Cravings stirring to life that I didn’t think I’d ever experienced before.