Chapter 6 - Lincoln #2
“Hey! I was eating that.”
“It’s not healthy.”
She rolled her eyes and grumbled, “Health nut.”
“Ready to tell me what’s wrong?”
She sighed. “No.”
“Come on, Ava. Something happened. I can tell.”
“I’m not telling you.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re… you’re…” Pink seeped into her cheeks, and her eyes darted away from mine.
I stared at her, wanting to know what I was—to her. Was I right to assume she was attracted to me, too?
“It’s embarrassing.”
“You can tell me.”
“My date was a bust, okay.” The way her voice quavered had me on alert.
“What happened?”
More color flooded her cheeks, turning them from light pink to crimson. She could barely meet my gaze. “I went to dinner with Jason Wint. You remember him, right?”
“Yeah.” I went to the same high school Ava did. I was familiar with plenty of folks.
“He got a little aggressive, so I ended the night early.”
A monster that I didn’t even know was buried inside me lifted its head and snarled. “He did what? Tell me where he is. I’ll break his scrawny neck with my bare hands,” I growled like an animal hungry for blood.
“Lincoln,” she gasped, looking up at me through wide eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I’ll kill him.”
“You can’t. You’ll go to jail, you fool!”
That cut through my furious haze, and I grunted in amusement. “Yeah, I suppose I would.”
“Since when are you such a hothead?”
“I’m not.” But the thought of Jason or anyone else putting their hands on her in a way she didn’t want made me feel fucking homicidal. I gazed at her, a little concerned about the things I was feeling for her. Those emotions came out of left field tonight.
She sniffed, her lower lip quivering. That shaky lower lip made me want to wreak havoc on Springfield in the name of vengeance. What was happening to me?
“It’s my fault. I haven’t um…” Her eyelashes fluttered down. “I haven’t had my first kiss yet.”
I quirked an eyebrow, my gaze dipping to her mouth.
“I haven’t really been that interested in dating until recently. So, I’ve never kissed a guy. I was hoping to get my first tonight. But I chickened out and sort of swerved Jason’s advance.”
She dropped her face into her hands. “I was just so nervous, and I have no idea how to kiss. I didn’t want to embarrass myself. He got upset, thinking I didn’t want to kiss him, and then got… pushy. I shoved him away and left. I bet he’s going to tell the whole school I’m a tease or something.”
I gently pried her hands away from her face. Tears hung on her eyelashes, and the sight of them wrenched my heartstrings. “Hey.”
She didn’t look at me, so I tipped her chin up with a finger. “Nothing ever gives a guy the right to get aggressive with you. Do you hear me? You never have to do anything you aren’t ready for.”
She sniffed and nodded. “The thing is, I was ready for my first kiss. At this rate, I’ll never kiss a guy.”
My heart skipped a beat when her eyes zeroed in on my mouth. She wasn’t thinking about kissing me, was she…?
Our eyes locked, and I got my answer. Her molten amber pools practically swirled with invitation.
I shouldn’t…
I didn’t even register moving closer until my face was centimeters away from hers. She pulled in a sharp breath, but she didn’t push me away. Instead, her lips parted, and she tilted her head up, just slightly, but enough to make her intention clear.
That was all the permission I needed. I pressed my lips to hers.
They were softer than I imagined, warm and plush against mine.
The kiss was soft and tentative as I gave her time to get comfortable.
Her movements were hesitant, but I gently led until she found the rhythm.
Heat spread from my lips to my entire body, and my heart jolted with feelings I’d never felt for any girl before.
I backed off, not wanting to overwhelm her with the potent desire I had developed.
She was breathless, her chest heaving, lips parted, and eyes half-lidded. She looked as dazed as I felt.
“That was… Was that a practice kiss?” she whispered.
I’d kissed many experienced lips, yet this one was the best I’d ever had. I couldn’t understand it. “If that’s what you want to call it.”
Wide eyes, brimming with innocence and curiosity, collided with mine. “Well, now I want the real thing,” she said.
I didn’t get the chance to respond. She clutched my shirt and pulled me back to her.
Our mouths met in a fierier dance this time.
As she rose on her toes to wind her arms around my shoulders, I palmed her hips and pressed her against the counter.
I deepened the kiss, my tongue tracing the seam of her lips, seeking entrance.
She parted them for me, allowing me to explore her sweet mouth.
She tasted heavenly—innocent and forbidden.
That should have stopped me, but I was ashamed to admit I’d lost control of my logical self.
Ava made a little noise, a cross between a gasp and a moan. It sent a bolt of desire straight to my core. I pulled her closer. If I could somehow get into her skin, I would. Her soft curves just felt so good against me. I could even feel her nipples hardening against my chest.
Fuck.
I had to stop. We were in her parents’ kitchen. The Montgomerys trusted me in their home, and here I was pawing at their innocent daughter. But she was so sinfully delicious. By sheer force of will, I pulled myself away. She clutched the counter behind her as if she needed help to stay standing.
We both breathed heavily as we stared at each other in amazement. That confirmed that she felt it too. The spark that had flickered to life the moment she descended those stairs earlier. Screw the spark. It was a full-blown wildfire.
"Wow," she breathed, her voice husky. “That was one hell of a first kiss.”
“Ava…”
“Please don’t say it was a mistake.”
I scoffed softly. Mistake? Far from it. I was going to say, I shouldn’t have done that because she was Ethan’s sister. I knew from that moment one taste of her wouldn't be enough.
Ethan was going to kill me.