Chapter 4 #2
JJ shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced out at the storm. “I suppose if you ignore that it’s freeze-your-balls-off cold, it’s kind of peaceful.”
“You’re the genius who’s wearing a tank top in the middle of winter,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll give you that.” JJ unfastened the thick green flannel tied around his waist, stuffed both arms in the sleeves, and dragged another patio chair over to me. “So did you have fun tonight?”
“Yeah, I did.” In fact, I’d had so much fun, I was hopeful that completing the rest of my bucket list would be just as enjoyable. Two down, fourteen more to go. “Thanks for helping me.”
“It was my pleasure.” Leaning to the side, he removed a nearly empty pack of orange-flavored Tic Tacs from his back pocket.
At the start of our quest, the plastic box had been full, but JJ frequently took it out during the party, sometimes to pop a handful of mints into his mouth but mainly to fiddle with the box’s lid; it seemed involuntary, the way he flicked it open and clicked it into place multiple times before realizing what he was doing and shoving the container back into his jeans.
At first, I wondered if it was a nervous habit, but his confidence quickly disproved that theory.
Eventually, I settled on the conclusion that JJ had more energy than he knew what to do with.
“Do you get a lot of snow in Portland?” I asked as he threw back the remaining Tic Tacs like a shot. Although the Heartbreakers were based in LA, which was where Alec was from, JJ, Oliver, and Xander grew up in Oregon.
“Not really. An inch or two at most. It doesn’t get cold enough. Mainly it just rains a lot.”
A sudden, reckless thought popped into my head at his response.
Snow was just frozen rain, right? Could I call JJ a stranger if we’d met once before?
It was only briefly and not nearly long enough to considered us acquaintances.
We were more like strangquaintances. As I turned the idea over in my head, my pulse picked up speed.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t dare be so forward, but I’d drunk enough to feel warm and light and reckless.
Besides, warrior princesses were courageous, not cowardly.
I peeked over at JJ. “Hey, do you think you could help me with one more thing?”
“Sure.” He clicked the lid closed and tucked the empty container away. “What exactly am I helping you with?”
“You’ll see.” I grabbed his hand and dragged him off the porch into the falling snow.
“What on earth are we—” he started to ask, but before I lost my nerve, I rose onto my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his.
JJ’s body went rigid for a split second, but then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me.
Without thinking, I reached up and ran a hand over his buzz cut.
The soft strands were too short for me to sink my fingers into, so I gently dragged my nails down the nape of his neck.
He must have liked this, because JJ shivered and tugged me closer, pressing his body flush against mine.
His mouth was hot and firm, his stubble like sandpaper on my cheeks.
When he gently nipped at my bottom lip, my mouth parted of its own volition, and he slipped his tongue inside.
JJ tasted like Jose Cuervo and the orange mints he’d been munching on, a flavor combination that reminded me of the tequila sunrise Trixy once made for us at a sleepover.
“Ow ow!” someone called from across the street.
An explosion of drunken laughter followed the catcall, and a jolt of awareness shot through me. What the heck was I doing, making out with JJ Morris on Zeta Gamma Theta’s front lawn for anyone to see?
Horrified, I tore myself away from him.
“Wow,” he said, blinking down at me through heavy-lidded eyes.
Oh my God.
Oh my effing God.
What did I just do?
The plan had been to give JJ an innocent peck on the lips, but somehow, I ended up mauling him instead. My entire face burst into flames. Even though I proudly considered myself a Heartbreakers fangirl, I’d never wanted to be one of those groupies who threw themselves at the band.
“What was that for?”
“Number eight,” I said, taking a step back to put some distance between us. “Thanks again for your help. We should probably head inside before anyone notices we’re gone.”
“Oh no, you don’t.” JJ’s hand encircled my wrist, and he tugged me back against his chest to prevent me from fleeing. “That was not an explanation. What’s number eight?”
All I wanted to do was barricade myself in Drew’s room and erase tonight from my memory forever, but I didn’t bother trying to break free from JJ’s grasp; there was no point when he had tree trunks for arms.
I forced myself to meet his gaze. “It’s part of my list.” This earned me a scowl, so I sighed and fished out my phone. After opening the reference picture I took yesterday, I handed it over for him to read. “I wrote this bucket list a few years back, and now I’m trying to complete it.”
He took a moment to study the screen. “So you used me?”
My heart almost stopped at his accusation. Thankfully, JJ’s lips twitched before I could slip into cardiac arrest, and when he looked up at me, his eyes were sparkling.
“That’s not funny!” I exclaimed, whacking him on the arm.
His shoulders shook with mirth. “Yes, it was, and before you start to argue, I’ve got another question.”
“Okay?”
“Why me?” he asked.
It took me a second to figure out what he meant. “You mean, why’d I kiss you?”
He nodded, which left me stumped.
The better question was why not him? He was JJ Morris, for crying out loud.
Surely he knew most of the girls at the party—plus a few of the guys—would jump at a chance to make out with a celebrity like him.
He’d also been the only person around when I came up with the harebrained idea to check another item off my list. It wasn’t like I had a line of suitors waiting to sweep me off my feet.
My first and only kiss had been with Liam Marshall back in eighth grade, but that was before my diagnosis.
That was when it hit me all over again—I had kissed JJ Morris.
My first kiss in over six years, and it was with a member of my favorite band! Maybe I’d fallen asleep on Drew’s futon, and this entire night was a bizarre, highly realistic dream? I stealthily pinched myself to be sure, but JJ was still standing in front of me when the pain faded.
“Cara?”
Oh, right. He wanted to know why I’d done something so impulsive and out of character for me.
When I thought about it, there was so much more to my decision than JJ’s fame, my love for the Heartbreakers, or the convenience.
Would I really have felt comfortable or brave enough to kiss him if he hadn’t spent the entire night making sure I had fun?
The alcohol I consumed played a small part, but his enthusiasm was infectious.
“What can I say?” I replied, deciding to keep my answer light and witty instead of explaining all the swirling thoughts inside my head. “You’re that irresistible.”
JJ threw back his head and laughed. “Cara Samuel, you are not what I expected.”
“Good. I always aim to keep devilish rogues on their toes.”
“You know, as much fun as I’ve had helping you, I don’t think you can legitimately cross number eight off your list,” he teased. “This seems like a quest, and quests require precision. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s snowing, not raining.”
“Same difference,” I grumbled and reached for my phone, but he dodged out of the way.
“Don’t worry. I have a solution.” JJ typed something out, then said, “When this glacier of a state finally warms up enough to rain, give me a call.”
I froze for a moment, then swallowed. “Since it’s my bucket list, I think I’m allowed to take a few liberties,” I replied in what I hoped was a casual tone.
On the inside, however, I shifted into full-on freak-out mode.
Did that mean what I thought it did? Had JJ really given me his number?
There was no way. Clearly, I hadn’t pinched myself hard enough.
He laughed again, but this time it was punctuated by a shrug. “Okay, your loss.”
“Can I have my phone back now?”
“Only if you answer another question.”
I huffed. “Do I have a choice?”
“Nope. What does I2D2 stand for?”
“If I don’t die,” I admitted.
“No, really.” When I didn’t respond, the smile on his face morphed into a frown. “Shit, for real? That’s morbid as hell.”
“Oh, you know.” I dropped my gaze to the ground, trying to hide my sudden discomfort. “Just keeping it real.”
“Huh.”
There was so much scrutiny in that one syllable, I couldn’t help but look up. “What?”
“I don’t know,” he said, scratching his temple. “It’s just—Stella’s always described you as the most positive person she knows.”
Of course she had. Stella loved living in the land of delusion. “Yeah, well, I guess I’m a great actress.”
JJ didn’t say anything to that. He just searched my face for a few more seconds, then continued questioning me about my list. “What does ‘Sinister and Sweet’ mean?” he asked, then waggled his eyebrows at me. “It sounds naughty.”
“Aaaand that’s enough sharing for tonight,” I said, snatching my phone back from him.
“Oh, come on!” he complained. “We were just getting to the good stuff.”
I shook my head. “Besides you, I’ve shown this list to one other person, and the only reason she saw it is because she wrote her own at the same time as me. Not even Stella has seen this.”
JJ seemed to get it then, how private this was. He cleared his throat. “Right, of course. Thanks for sharing your list with me, Cara. It seems like a worthy quest. If you ever need help again, let me know. You’re welcome to use me whenever you like.”