Chapter 6 #2
We haven’t kissed yet. Well, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek last night, but other than that, nothing. And that’s what I want. A kiss from Drew. I’m not talking a long, drawn-out, tongue-twisting make-out session, though that sounds promising.
I just want to feel his lips press against mine once. I want to know how soft they are, what he tastes like, how warm his breath is. I want to enjoy that first, tentative, thrilling moment of kissing someone.
But am I gutsy enough to ask for it?
Drew
She’s hesitant and I don’t know why. Anticipation pours through my veins as I wait for her reply. I’m not sure what’s gotten into me, but it seems to have gotten into her, too, and we’re flirting with each other. For real and not because we have to, but because we want to.
It helps to ease the tension that’s emanating from the front seat.
I have no idea what those two are fighting about, but I’m not going to let them get me down.
I have a gorgeous girl sitting next to me in the dark, in the backseat of a car, wearing the sexiest dress I’ve ever seen.
It covers practically her entire front but molds to her curves, and the skirt is so damn short, it wouldn’t take much for me to sneak my hand under there and touch her.
But it’s the back of the dress that gets me, makes me want to peel her out of it and see Fable in all her naked glory.
That low-cut vee and how it dips to the middle of her back, the way it exposes all of that smooth, silky skin, the delicate lace laying against her flesh.
Shit, I’m a goner every time I look at her.
My fingers literally itch to touch her there.
Touch her everywhere.
“I want you to kiss me,” she finally says, her voice so soft, I almost can’t hear her. In fact, I’m wondering for the craziest moment if I’m hallucinating, because no way in hell did she just ask me to kiss her.
Shooting a glance toward the front seat, I notice they’re not paying us any mind. The satellite radio is going, playing some smooth jazz shit, and they’re talking to each other in low, dark murmurs. They both sound pissed with each other and I wonder if any of this involves me.
Right now, I don’t care. I should never care. What they fight about isn’t my problem.
“Drew.” Her soft voice draws me back and I look at Fable, find myself lost in her green eyes. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah,” I whisper, swallowing hard. Fuck, my parents are right there! Adele only has to turn her head about two inches and she’s looking right at us. She won’t like it if I kiss Fable in front of her. She might even flip out. I don’t know if I want to take that risk.
Don’t be a pussy, man. Kiss her, asshole. KISS HER!
Leaning over the center console, I reach out and drift my fingers across Fable’s cheek.
Her skin is so soft and she closes her eyes, her lips parting.
Her tongue sneaks out and she licks her upper lip.
Just like that, I’m sporting a hard-on, and without thought I settle my mouth on hers.
Once. Softly, as light as a butterfly’s wings, my lips lingering for a few, stolen seconds before I break the connection.
Her lids flutter open and she’s watching me with that attentive gaze. The one that makes me feel like she can see everything I hide inside me. The good and the bad. The beautiful and the ugly. “That’s all you got?”
She’s teasing me. I can see it in the light of her eyes, the slight quirk of her lips. Damn, I want to kiss her again, so I do.
This time, she slips her hand around the back of my head and keeps me there so I can’t escape.
And I don’t want to. Her fingers thread through my hair, stroking me as our lips connect again and again.
Her touch feels so good. A little moan escapes me and I swipe at her upper lip with my tongue, savoring her sticky-sweet taste.
She parts her lips, opening herself to me, and I take full advantage.
I search her mouth with my tongue slowly.
Thoroughly. She tastes fucking amazing and my skin is suddenly too tight; I’m burning up inside.
I’m so hard, I ache with it, and I can’t remember ever becoming as turned on as this and so fast, too.
Our fun little make-out session is getting out of control quick, and I’m worried my parents are going to lose it when they see us all over each other in the backseat like a couple of teenagers.
Within two seconds I don’t care if my parents see us or not. I’m lost in her touch, lost in the way her body molds to mine, how she tastes, the sound of her breathing.
My hand is resting on her waist, my fingers massaging the silky fabric of her dress.
The road that takes us to Pebble Beach is curvy and my dad is driving kind of fast, so we’re swaying against each other in the backseat.
I take advantage again, pulling her closer, loving how easily she comes to me.
She wraps her arms around my neck and devours my mouth, her little tongue twisting and tangling with mine.
Our kissing isn’t for show. This isn’t to make an impression on others. We’re kissing each other because we want to. And we’re not stopping ourselves, either.
We’re only two days into this fake relationship crap and this is where we’re at, wrapped around each other like pretzels and hoping like hell we don’t have to let go of each other anytime soon.
At least, that’s what I’m feeling.
The car swerves hard to the left, sending me toppling over Fable.
“Andy!” Adele chastises, and my dad grumbles a halfhearted sorry as he slows down.
I end the kiss first, opening my eyes to find Fable staring up at me. She looks dazed; her lips are damp and her cheeks are flushed. She’s even prettier than when I first saw her in the bathroom and was completely blown away by the way she looked in that sexy dress.
She’s prettier because I’m the one who put that glow in her eyes and the color in her cheeks.
“We—” She swallows hard, her breathing accelerated, and she licks her lips again.
I lean into her real quick, pressing my forehead against hers.
I close my eyes and count to five before opening them again, trying to gather my thoughts so I won’t end up sounding like a dumbass when I finally find my voice.
“We what?” I ask, pulling away from her the slightest bit. I don’t want to let her go. It feels too good, holding on to her, her curves filling my palms, her mouth fused with mine.
Holy shit, I never think like this! I usually run like crazy.
Kissing and sex and all the other crap that comes with it leads to…
I can’t explain it. Sex leads you to a bad place.
Where you’re doing things you don’t want to be doing.
Or doing things that feel so damn good but you know are wrong. Sex for me has always been…shameful.
I hate that. I hate feeling guilty for doing something that feels absolutely amazing. I hate being involved with people I shouldn’t have been; they ruin everything for you.
That’s what I despise the most. And resent. I’m full of such resentment, I’m tempted to tell Fable she doesn’t want to hang around with a guy like me, even if it’s fake.
Especially if it’s fake.
“We should do that again. Don’t you think?” She runs her fingers through my hair once more and I close my eyes, savoring her touch. I suddenly crave it. Human touch. Fable’s touch.
“You mean kiss?” I ask, because I’m confused. I don’t know what she’s talking about, too distracted by how she’s touching me, the sound of her voice.
“Yeah. We need to put on a good show tonight, right?”
Wait a minute, put on a good show? Was this some sort of practice session or something? “Uh, sure.”
“Give the neighbors and your parents’ friends and probably some of your friends, too, an extra-good show so they believe we’re really, truly involved?
” She’s pulling out of my embrace and my arms feel empty.
She settles into her seat, her breath still coming fast. At least I know I affected her somewhat.
“I guess.” I shrug. I feel like I’ve been used. And that’s completely ridiculous.
“Perfect.” The smile on her face blows my mind. I didn’t think she was this beautiful a week ago. But I didn’t know her, either. She’s growing on me. A lot. I want to get to know more about her. She’s still a mystery, but so am I. I can’t tell her my secrets, though.
They’ll send her running.
Fable
The man can kiss.
Drew has no idea how his kiss shatters me so completely, I feel all raw and exposed.
Vulnerable. I totally tried to play it off just now, like we’re only messing around back here for the sake of our phony boyfriend-and-girlfriend status, but that’s not true.
That kiss had nothing to do with us pretending we’re together.
And everything to do with me wanting more from him than he’s probably willing to give.
My entire body is shaking and I take a deep breath.
The car slows and turns onto a driveway, and I know we’re at our destination.
The country club awaits, most likely filled to the brim with a bunch of snooty snobs and holy crap, I’m still incredibly nervous.
Oh, and amped up by that kiss. Adrenaline runs through me, making me tremble, and I glance out the window, staring at the scenery spread out before us.
I need it to distract me so I’ll stop thinking about Drew’s magical lips and tongue.
So I focus on something mindless. Like how we really need to take a ride along 17 Mile Drive before we leave, so I can ogle all the houses and the ocean and soak up all that beauty and wealth.
No way am I going to miss seeing it, especially since we’re so close.
Gorgeous houses and serene yards, everything so beautiful it’s almost painful to look at for too long.
Yes, I should definitely focus on scenic drives and ocean views.
Not beautiful men who kiss every thought out of my head and leave me a trembling, aroused mess.
“Do I look all right?” I smooth my hand over my hair, hoping I’m not all mussed up.
“You look amazing.” The sincerity in his voice touches me deeply. I am a sucker for this man and he doesn’t even know it.
I glance over at him. His mouth is swollen, his eyes are glittering, and his hair is sticking up all over the place from me tugging on it. Other than that, he looks perfectly fine.
Really fine. But what else is new?
Reaching out, I smooth his hair down, combing it back into place with my fingers.
I do it a few times more than necessary, but his hair so silky soft and I love how it clings to my fingers.
He doesn’t say a word, he hardly moves, though those intense blue eyes are locked on me the entire time.
When I finish, I pull away from him, settling in my seat with a breath of relief.
“There,” I say, clearing my throat when I realize my voice is still shaking. Damn it! “Now you look presentable.”
The car pulls to a stop in front of a giant, beautiful old building and my door swings open, a man in a dark-green and white uniform with a kind smile peering inside. “Need help out, miss?”
“Yes, thank you.” I settle my hand in his white-gloved one and he pulls me out of the backseat. Drew opens his own car door, as does his dad while another attendant takes care of Adele.
I hardly noticed what she was wearing back at the house, so I take my time to check her out now.
Her dress is a dark navy blue, a long, slender column that skims her every willowy curve, covering her from her neck to her feet.
It doesn’t reveal much skin, but it showcases the length of her body, the fact that there isn’t an ounce of fat on her anywhere.
Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, black as a midnight sky, with the ends swinging across her perfect butt as she turns to greet someone.
The place is bustling with excitement, lots of people are pouring inside, and I know it’s going to be packed.
I really hope we have a table already reserved or something, though it might be kind of exciting if Drew and I were together but separated from his parents.
In fact, I would prefer it.
“Like what you see?”
Adele’s contemptuous voice startles me and I lift my gaze to hers, to discover she’s watching me with an undisguised sneer curving her lips.
“Your dress is beautiful,” I say, and she smiles icily in response but otherwise doesn’t say a word.
God! I want to stomp my foot and tell her to screw off.
But I hold it all in, offering her a faint smile when she looks back my way.
Though she’s not really looking at me, she’s looking at Drew, who’s come up behind me.
I know this because I can sense him, smell his delicious scent, feel the alluring warmth that radiates off his big body.
I have it so incredibly bad for this guy. I’m in deep trouble. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? What then? There’s nothing I can do about it. I signed up for this and now I have to deal with the consequences, no matter what happens.
“Ready to go in?” He settles his hand on my bare shoulder and his touch is such a shock to my system, I feel like I can’t breathe, that my lungs are frozen solid.
Turning my head to the side, I realize he’s standing close.
Really close. His mouth is at my temple, as if he’s kissing me there, and I can feel his warm breath stir the little tendrils of hair that rest at my forehead.
We make an intimate picture to everyone, I’m sure.
I wonder if it’s all for Adele’s benefit.
I don’t understand the control she has over him. He puts up a front for her with me, yet doesn’t want to be around her. None of it makes any sense.
For the majority of my life, I’ve allowed myself to be used.
Repeatedly and by everyone who surrounds me.
I should be numb to this. But I’m not, not with Drew.
I don’t want him to use me to make his parents freak out.
I don’t want him to use me as some sort of weird protection so the people in his life quit asking probing questions and leave him alone.
I want him to actually like me. I want to spend more time with him. Real time. Not phony “oh, let’s hang all over each other” time either.
“Yes,” I finally say in answer to his question because I don’t know what else to do. We need to face reality and that crowd waiting for us inside.
He squeezes my shoulder and we walk in together, trailing behind his parents, earning a hard glare from Adele as we pass through the open double doors.
This night is going to feel like an eternity. It already does.