Chapter Four
“And you haven’t put any money on this at all?” Kirsty asked.
This was not the first time Ward had to tell her the same thing. “No, this is the first I’ve heard of it. Trust me, I’m surprised. It’s not like we give off those vibes.” Ward saw Kirsty’s face go red. “What?”
“It’s … well, according to Bethany, you and I give off a lot of sexual tension.” She wrinkled her nose. “I mean, I don’t see what she sees. We’ve never been nice to one another. Unless you count, you know, prom night. That was it.”
“Exactly. You and I are not compatible. We never have been. It’s why we argue all the time. We’re not even friends.”
She smiled at him and it looked like a genuine smile. The kind that stole his breath, and stopped him from thinking. Crap.
“Ugh, just so you know, to be clear, Christopher, he, ugh, says the same thing. The whole sexual tension.”
“You know, I think we should get them to have an eye test or something. Maybe stop watching all those television shows they seem to love bingeing.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Christopher didn’t binge-watch anything. He rarely watched television, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. From what he knew, Bethany didn’t have time to watch television. According to Randall, any spare moment they had was spent together.
Having a large family didn’t exactly bode well for free time, or at least that was what he heard. He would love to have a large family, and not that he admitted it to anyone, but he wanted to be a father as well.
“So, we ignore the bet,” Kirsty said. “It hasn’t done us any harm, and we didn’t even know about it. Who cares?”
“I agree.”
“Which brings us to the kiss,” he said.
“Right, the kiss. Do we really need to talk about that? It was a kiss. It means nothing, right? Everyone kisses from time to time, and I think we must have tripped or something,” Kirsty said.
“Yeah, you tripped, I caught you, and in the process our lips ended up together.”
“See, this is so easily explained.” She smiled at him and he smiled back.
Ward knew he could walk away. That was the sensible thing to do, because they didn’t like each other. There was no sexual tension between them, and it was the right thing to do.
Only, he couldn’t stop thinking about that damn kiss. Pushing aside his crazy reasons and excuses, nothing made sense to him, other than the truth. He wanted Kirsty. It was crazy, completely and totally insane, but maybe the kiss had started something. Now he wanted to finish it.
“It’s not easily explained, Kirsty. You and I both know that. I have nothing to do with the bet, but that kiss I was part of. I liked kissing you. I’ve been thinking about that kiss so much it has distracted me from work. I’d like to kiss you again.”
“Ward, what are you doing?”
“I have no idea, but I can’t stop it.”
“Is this because of the bet?” she asked.
“I don’t give a flying fuck about that bet. I didn’t even know about it, and now, all I want to do is kiss you. I know you’re in an old t-shirt with stains on it, and ugly-looking shorts, but right now, I want to kiss you, Kirsty.”
She was standing, leaning against the kitchen counter.
He took a step toward her, then another step. He stopped just in front of her and stared into her brown eyes.
In that moment, Ward knew he’d been coming to the bar, seeking her out, all for those eyes. They were beautiful, dark brown.
Kirsty didn’t know this, no one knew this, but he had several art books at home locked away, with pictures he’d drawn over the years, all of them of Kirsty. He’d never admitted it to anyone, nor had he shown any of them.
Fuck, was he a weird kind of stalker? Is that what this was?
He put his hand on her hip and she didn’t pull away from him, nor did she push him away. She didn’t tell him to stop.
All she needed to do was tell him to stop and he would.
He cupped her face, and she tilted her head back, staring back at him. Those lips were a temptation—so plump, so ripe, and so ready to be kissed.
Ward didn’t hesitate. Slamming his lips onto hers, this time he wasn’t gentle, and he took the kiss he craved. Part of him expected everything to stay flat. Like he’d imagined this epic kiss in his mind, and it wasn’t even close. Only, nothing stayed flat.
The moment his lips touched hers, it was like a fire was lit, and there was no turning back. He felt the heat hit him instantly. His heart began to pound, and as she kissed him back, his cock began to harden.
The instant hit of arousal shocked him. His need for Kirsty hit him hard and fast.
She put a hand on his chest, and he for a second thought she was going to push him away, only she didn’t. Kirsty ran her hands up his body, circling his neck, and pulling him in close.
The feel of her curves next to his body set him on fire. Her full tits pressed against his chest. He let go of her waist, pulling her thigh up, and then he pressed his pelvis against hers. Even though their clothes were in the way, he knew what he wanted. This is what he’d been wanting for so fucking long. He couldn’t believe he’d been denying himself this.
Kirsty broke the kiss, and then he heard something he never thought he’d hear.
“I’m a virgin,” Kirsty said.
****
She expected Ward to go running for her front door. Actually, Kirsty wasn’t sure what to expect, but Ward was staring at her, his cock so close to her, and neither of them kissing.
This was where reality was meant to kick back in. Only, it hadn’t yet.
She felt so wet, so ready, and she’d never felt like this before. None of the guys she’d kissed before even came close to feeling like Ward. Her lips felt swollen, like she’d spent hours kissing him, and it had only been a few minutes.
“How?” Ward asked.
“What?”
“How are you a virgin?”
“You do know biology, right? When a woman or man doesn’t have sex, that gives them the title of virgin.”
He chuckled. “I should have known you’d still be a smart mouth at a time like this.”
“You don’t have to worry about it,” Kirsty said.
She didn’t even know why she had said anything. They were kissing, and this was no guarantee of having sex. They were not taking things to the next level.
The words just spilled out of her mouth, and they had no reason to. She tried to force a smile to her lips. It would be so much easier to push him away and attempt to forget this had happened, but she didn’t want to do that either.
Stupid body.
Stupid hormones.
Why couldn’t they be controlled and responsible?
“I don’t have to worry about it? Kirsty, you’re … fucking hot. Okay. There, I’ve said it. I’ve watched you in jeans, dresses, even fucking skirts, and don’t get me started on those jumpsuits you love wearing as well. I’ve watched you, a lot. I’m not some mad stalker, but there is no way you should be a virgin.”
She raised her brows. “But I am.”
“Why?”
“There hasn’t been any other guy, I mean, dating hasn’t exactly gone well. Look, I don’t know why I told you. It doesn’t matter. Can we just forget what happened here?” Kirsty asked.
“No,” Ward said.
“Ward, come on, you and I both know it will be easier—”
“No.” He cut her off. “We’ve done this all the time. Arguing, pretending … I’m not doing it anymore.”
“Ward, we’ve never done anything but argue. We don’t even know if there is sexual tension. For all we know, our friends could be lying to us.”
She stopped as he thrust his pelvis against hers, his cock still hard as rock.
“Does this feel like they’re lying?” he asked.
Kirsty wasn’t able to think, so she shook her head.
“I think it is time that you and I stop this. I want you, Kirsty. I know this seems messed up the way we’ve talked to each other, but I’d like to give this a try. You and me.”
“But, what about that bet?”
“Fuck the bet. We do this between us. No one else. Only we know. You don’t tell Bethany, and I don’t tell Christopher, and we see what happens.”
“But, you hate me,” she said.
“I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you.”
And then he kissed her.
This kiss didn’t feel like someone filled with hate.
“So, let me get this straight. No one in town is going to know we’re dating, and we’re going to have pretend we’re arguing with each other?”
“Yes, that is exactly what we’re going to do,” Ward said.
She had her doubts about this. “And we can’t tell anyone.”
“Not a single soul.”
“Right.”
“You’re not convinced.”
“I don’t know how we’re going to do this in a town that has watched us argue for years.”
He smiled. “You’ll see.”
Kirsty’s questions faded away as he kissed her.
He held onto her knee, which was still hiked up over his hip, and then he traced down toward her ass, gripping her butt. He released a moan, and she felt him move closer toward her.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” he asked.
“I’ve got a rough idea.” The hard press of his cock was against her core.
All too soon, Ward pulled away. He let her go, but put his hands on her waist.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Being the gentleman.” He kissed her lips. “I think it’s only fair that you and I have a few dates.”
Kirsty smiled at him and then she pressed her lips together. “How exactly are you and I going to have these dates?”
“You leave that to me. I’ll figure it out.”
Before she could say anything else, he pressed a kiss to her lips.
“I’ll see you soon,” Ward said.
She followed him to her front door, and he left. Before he climbed into his truck, he spun back around to face her, lifting his hand in the air and giving her a wave.
Her heart raced as she waved back, and then she closed her door.
“What the hell are you doing? There is no way this is going to work.” She shook her head, and made her way back upstairs into her home.
The scent of Ward lingered in the air. She felt like a giddy schoolgirl. Her body was on fire.
She had no idea how they were going to do this, and she didn’t for a second believe it was going to work, but she couldn’t help feeling a little excited at what could happen.
The only thing she didn’t like about her plan was keeping it secret. At the same time, the townspeople were such gossips, they would all want to know what was going on. If this ended in disaster, she didn’t want the town taking pity on either of them.
“This is insane,” she said, then made her way to bed.
Sleep would make everything okay.