Chapter 17 Easton
Easton
“It’s not your imagination,” I mutter, doing the very thing I did not plan to do: lean forward, close the distance between us—and press my lips to hers.
For a moment, everything freezes—including Harper.
She hesitates but doesn’t pull back.
Her lips are warm.
Soft.
And before I can think twice, I kiss her again and then she’s kissing me back, in the driveway of my house.
The garage coach lights flicker on. If my parents noticed an unfamiliar car parked outside, they haven’t come to investigate—probably because they’re in the living room watching TV.
The kiss is awkward at first—when our noses bump, Harper lets out a nervous little laugh against my open mouth. And when she leans farther toward me, she accidentally hits the gear shift with her knee.
But goddamn, her mouth tastes good…
Really good. Like chocolate candy and salty popcorn.
I try not to knock over the popcorn bucket in my enthusiasm, but it’s collateral damage when I twist to move my other hand to the back of her neck. Thread my fingers through her hair; it feels like silk and I can’t remember a single time I’ve had my hands in a girl’s hair…
If this is what it feels like, I want more.
I pull her closer.
Harper tilts her head, angling to get closer—but the seat belt tightens, yanking her back.
My hands move to unbuckle it: hers.
Then mine.
Unbound, we crush our mouths together, my tongue seeking hers—requesting permission—and she parts her lips in response.
The kiss goes from tentative to something deeper.
Urgent.
Our tongues glide together and I feel a shiver run down my spine. The sensation…The warmth of her lips…
My head spins. Vision blurs.
Jeans get uncomfortably tight at the zipper.
A spark igniting. Fireworks.
The kiss grows bolder, more confident; I slide my hand down her rib cage until it’s resting on her hip. She moves her palm to my chest, sliding it slowly up the front of my torso—torturing me.
Can she feel the beat of my heart?
It’s erratic.
Fast.
The opposite of steady, as if I’ve run laps around the gym.
This kiss is everything—not that I have anything to compare it to. Once, I kissed Dora Feldmann, but that was in seventh grade and lasted three seconds.
This kiss is messy and awkward and yeah—a little bit sloppy. Our teeth clash and Harper giggles against my lips when I use my tongue to pop the retainer back to the roof of my mouth like the giant nerd that I am.
“You’re wearing a retainer?” she mutters.
“Uh.” Yes. “I didn’t think I’d be kissing anyone tonight.”
“Welp. It’s a good thing we both don’t have braces…”
I smirk. “Why? You worried we’d get stuck together?”
“Wouldn’t be the worst thing,” she blurts out, her fingers tracing a slow path toward my collar.
Heat spreads low in my stomach, making my entire body burn.
“Yeah?” My voice comes out rougher than I expect.
She hooks a finger into the neckline of my shirt, tugging me closer toward her, lips brushing mine—teasing. “Mm-hmm.”
Her mouth presses fully against mine, firmer now, hotter.
Who the hell are we, teasing and flirting like this? Neither of us has a clue what we’re fucking doing, and listen to us! When Harper sucks lightly on my bottom lip, my knees damn near begin to shake.
My groan rumbles deep in my chest, half in pleasure, half in sheer disbelief.
My lips tingle.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathless, our foreheads resting against each other, our breathing heavy in the small, enclosed space of her car.
Harper’s eyes are half lidded, her pupils dilated. A small smile plays at the corner of her mouth when she gingerly touches it…
“Holy shit,” I breathe, my voice low, rough around the edges. “That was…”
Awesome. Amazing.
“Yeah,” she whispers, tugging at the hemline of her skirt, drawing my eyes there. Her legs look smooth, and suddenly, I want to touch them.
I drag my eyes back to her face. “I totally wasn’t planning that, I swear.” My voice is a little unsteady.
“Me neither. But I’m not mad about it.”
There’s another beat of silence before I find myself leaning forward again to press a softer kiss to her lips. Like, I literally can’t help myself.
“I should probably go inside before my dad comes out to see what’s taking me so long.” No doubt the location app has announced my arrival.
“Good idea,” she agrees as I open the door and step out, my movements slow. Once I’m around the hood of the car and out of her line of vision, I pause to adjust myself so what I’ve been doing isn’t obvious when I walk through the door.
I walk to the driver’s side and rest my arms on the edge of her rolled-down window, giving her one last kiss.
“G’night, Harper.”
“Night.” She pauses. “Easton.”
I limp to the garage door keypad and poke in the code, turning to watch Harper as she watches me, coach lights illuminating her cute face. The big door gradually opens and I give her one last wave before ducking beneath it and disappearing inside.