Kiss the Quarterback Next Door: A Sweet YA Romance (The Boyfriend Plot Book 3)

1. Jamie

So,I liked kissing. Sue me. What was there not to like about it? Sure, some kisses were better than others. But most of the time, kissing was an exceptional pastime. I was a hot-blooded male—a teenager. I was supposed to love kissing. It was an unwritten rule. Hormones and all that. I never regretted a warm summer night engaged in some non-committal make-out.

NCMO.

It’s what high school parties were made for—hooking up. Mindless distraction. Soft curves. Lush lips. That pleasurable little sound girls made when I kissed them just right. I couldn’t get enough.

“Jamie, I reallylike kissing you.”

I smiled as my lips continued their assault—music to my ears.

“Mmmm,” Jessica hummed, her hands straying from around my neck, down my chest to my stomach.

Whoa, there. Hold your horses. Kissing was fine. Where Jessica was going? Not so much.

Lifting my hands from Jessica’s hips, I snatched hers from where they wandered just a little too far. She pulled back just enough for me to see into her glazed eyes.

We’d gone too far. Sighing, I stepped back a fraction. Expectations usually escalate at this point. Kissing for fun becomes kissing for...something more. The stars in Jessica’s eyes told me if I wanted to push things further than the front seat of my car, like maybe into the backseat of my car, metaphorically speaking, she’d be down with that.

If my internal clock was on point, and it usually was in these situations, the alarm on my phone was about to go off. It would mimic the sound of a phone call vibrating in my pocket, giving me the out I needed, a pre-arranged excuse to extract myself from the clutches of female expectations. My mom needed help. My best friend, Dallin, was drunk off his buttand needed me to rescue him. That one required Dallin’s cooperation, however. Tonight, it would have to be an emergency at home.

The hope in Jessica’s eyes shined just a little too brightly. However, as far as I was concerned, kissing would not turn into something more. Not just for tonight, although I wasn’t a saint and had forgotten my rules a time or two (or three). But things would notgo anywhere tomorrow. Or the next day. I wasn’t calling anyone for a date. This would not lead to a relationship.

Lifting my hand, I cupped her cheek. She closed her eyes and relaxed her face into my hand.

“You are so beautiful.” It wasn’t a lie. She was pretty. Jessica would be an appealing candidate if I were in the market for a relationship. But since I wasn’t looking for anything requiring regular dates, phone calls, or holding hands at school, I needed my alarm as a backup.

Before figuring out the phone thing, I relied on Dallin to get me out of sticky situations, but he enjoyed messing with me too much. After getting my face slapped once or twice, I turned to technology. It was much more reliable and didn’t get amused watching me squirm.

Jessica sighed, tempting me to kiss her one last time. But I knew better. We’d had our fun. Anything more would give her mixed signals. I was only interested in a little distraction. And kissing was my favorite kind.

Like clockwork, my phone buzzed against my leg. I leaned in tokiss her, then paused, pretending to listen.

“I think it’s my phone. I better see who it is.” Dropping my shoulders with feigned regret, I dug out my phone, careful to shield the screen from her. The last thing I needed was to get called out for faking a phone call in the middle of our make-out session.

I tapped the button on the screen to stop the vibrating. “It’s my mom. I better get this.” I held the phone to my ear. “Hello?” After a few seconds of pretending to listen, I pressed the screen against my chest and whispered, “You should go back to the party. I have to go. I had a great time.”

Jessica’s face fell with genuine disappointment. I gave her a kiss that was just a little more than a peck, still tempted to forget my own rules and indulge in her full lips, but that was a bad idea.

“Are you sure? I could go with you or—”

Yeah, that wasn’t happening. “You’re sweet, but it’s kind of personal.” I lifted my phone away from my body and put it back up to my ear. “Yeah, Mom. I’m here. I’m leaving right now.”

Jessica lingered. I held back an eye roll. I hated when girls did that. It was sweet and all, but the exact opposite of what I wanted. I pretended to listen to my phone while smiling and giving Jessica a reassuring wink. She still hadn’t moved.

With an annoyed sigh I hoped she assumed was for my mom, who was probably dead asleep in her bed at home, I took a step toward the party still raging in the empty hay field belonging to Seth Martin. Finally, Jessica followed. Thank goodness.

“Bye, Mom. See you soon.” I pretended to disconnect the fake call and stuffed the phone into my back pocket.

My friends, Dallin Ralston and Bailey Campbell, still sat on a fallen log in front of the bonfire, exactly where I’d left them before Jessica and I headed into the woods. Jessica still hung back,hopeful I’d change my mind. I gave her a small smile before purposefully walking toward my friends.

“Wassup, playa?” Dallin teased. Bailey smirked beside him.

“Stop talking like that. You sound like an idiot.” I flicked the back of his head. “Come on. We gotta go. Emergency at home.”

Dallin elbowed Bailey’s side. They both snickered. I spied Jessica watching the exchange carefully. I gave her a tight smileandkicked Dallin’s foot. “Let’s go.”

“You are such a Neanderthal sometimes.” Bailey stood and punched my arm.

“Dude is the NCMO King,” Dallin defended me as we walked toward my car. “They know what they’re getting into. They might hope they can tame Jamie Barnes, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know what he’s like.”

Bailey shook her head, her long, auburn ponytail swishing against my sleeve. “You both are idiots. Girls don’t work like that.”

I refrained from correcting her. I had a long string of examples from this summer to contradict that statement. All I wanted was some kissing. It wasn’t like I asked for more.

Besides, Bailey wasn’t a normal girl. I didn’t think she’d even had her first kiss yet.

We were all best friends. I knew more than I ever wanted about Dallin’s romantic, and I used the term loosely, exploits, but it was different with Bailey. She might know everything there was to know about us, but when it came to boys and relationships, I had no idea how she felt or what she’d done, or who she even liked.

It didn’t matter. I didn’t have time to engage in an argument with them. The longer I stayed, the more suspicious Jessica would get. Leaving for a family emergency was the best way to keep from getting labeled a jerk and therefore ensure future NCMO opportunities.

“You guys wanna play Fortnite at my house?” I asked, herding them to my car.

Dallin groaned. “Why not? Rylee’s hanging all over Seth, anyway.”

I bit back a grin as Bailey rolled her eyes heavenward so only I could see. Dallin had been moping around all summer over Rylee Jacks. But apparently, Rylee was more interested in Seth, the new starting quarterback now that Connor Sanders had graduated. They’d been joined at the hip all night.

Bailey slung one arm over Dallin’s shoulder and pinched his cheek with her other hand. “Aww, wittle Dallin Wallin, you’ll feel much better when I kick your butt at video games.”

Dallin shrugged her arm off and wrapped her in a headlock. “Yeah, right, Bales. We both know that ain’t gonna happen.”

Shaking my head, I clicked the button on my key fob to unlock my car, happy to be getting out of there un-entangled and with my reputation as a nice guy still intact. It had been a successful night.

Dallin slid into the backseat, leaving the front for Bailey. She was our best friend, and even though we had to remind ourselves she was a girl sometimes, we could still begentlemen.

“My house?” I asked. They both agreed like I knew they would. We spent most of our time at my house. I was an only child of a single parent, so no one would be around to bother us. Bailey had younger siblings, and Dallin’s parents weren’t keen on late-night company.

I drove slowly through the empty field. Last summer, I’d learned my lesson about racing across an open field when I ran over a rock hidden in the tall grass and busted a hole in my BMW’s oil pan. That mistake cost several hundred dollars and required a tow.

Once we hit the main road, I hit the accelerator. The crisp fall air blew through the open windows. Bailey’s hair whipped in the breeze, and she rubbed her bare arms with her hands.

“Here.” Reaching into the backseat, I pulled a sweatshirt over the center console and dropped it into her lap.

BAILEY

I gaveJamie a shy smile before lifting his hoodie over my head and slipping my hands through the armholes. I’d been warm enough beside the bonfire in shorts and a t-shirt, but the air had cooled significantly in the last hour, and with the windows down, the breeze was chilly. I was glad for Jamie’s shirt.

It smelled like him. Ilifted the collar over my nose and inhaled. I’d made no secret that I loved the smell of Jamie’s cologne, so it didn’t bother me when he caught me sniffing and smirked.

Just for that, I was adding this one to the stash I’d been collecting over the last few years. None of the others still smelled like him. I should probably start giving them back. Nah, I liked them too much. I liked him too much.

“I should just give you a bottle of my cologne for Christmas, Bales.” He shifted so his body took up the space between us and partially blocked the breeze coming through his window.

“That’s a great idea.” It wouldn’t keep me from holding onto his sweatshirts, though, because it wasn’t just Jamie’s cologne I liked. It was the mix of cologne and him. And knowing he’d worn the sweatshirts before I got them.

But that was a secret. No one knew about the massive crush I had on my best friend. I’d be crazy not to. He was everything I ever wanted in a boyfriend. Tall. Athletic. Handsome.

Handsome?

Who was I kidding?

Jamie was hot, hot, HOT!

Beyond the significant physical attributes, Jamie was a great person—sweet, kind, attentive. I could go on and on.

He was also completelyoblivious to my feelings, which was fine. I’d resigned myself to the best friend zone long ago. But that meant working hard to hide my feelings. I managed it by being completelyopen about this one truth. I couldn’t tell him how I felt about him, but in some small way, it seemed a victory to admit how much I loved the way he smelled.

When it became more than I could stand to watch Jamie work his make-out magic on some other girl, I consoled myself with our friendship and rubbed my nose in his delicious scent while reminding myself that those girls meant nothing to him, but Jamie loved me. Maybe not the way I wanted him to, but he cared, and there was always the hope that someday things would change.

I didn’t really believe that.

We’d been friends for years, and I wasn’t entirely sure he realized I was a girl. He knew I was a girl. But I was convinced he still thought of me the way he had when we were eight, jumping through the creek in our underwear with Dallin. They both still looked at me like that...for the most part.

The drive to Jamie’s didn’t take long. Dallin and I didn’t hesitate to make ourselves at homein the basement, which was basically Jamie’s apartment. His mom was a famous author. I knew they had a lot of money, but they still lived in our middle-class neighborhood.We likedhanging out here because Jamie always had the latest toys and games.

“Help yourselves. I’m gonna go change,” Jamie called over his shoulder after kicking off his shoes at the door and making his way down a short hall to his room.

“Here, let me help you with that.” Dallin reached over and wiped the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

I smacked his hand, dragging my eyes from Jamie’s broad shoulders and tight backside. “Stop it.”

Yeah, so Dallin knew. It wasn’t easy hiding my feelings all the time, and Dallin had caught me more than once checking out Jamie when our other friend wasn’t paying attention.

Dallin never said anything outright or asked me to clarify my feelings, but it was there between us, and he got some sick pleasure out of tormenting me. To be honest, he probably just thought I appreciated Jamie’s hotness on a strictly hormonal level since that was more in line with his own emotional abilities.

Ignoring Dallin, I headed straight for the beanbag chair. I loved Jamie’s apartment. Besides the beanbag, he had an overstuffed sectional couch angled in front of an enormous flat-screen tv, a pool table, ping pong, and a kitchenette fully stocked with sodas and water bottles.

This was the life. Snuggling into the beanbag, I tucked my knees up to my chest inside Jamie’s hoodie. I could live right here for the rest of my life. My eyes drifted closed.

I must have fallen asleep. Jamie’s cry reached me just seconds before he ran at the beanbag and jumped, landing on his knees beside me. “Oh, no, you don’t!”

“Ugh, stop.” I swatted in his general direction with my eyes still closed, steadfastly ignoring my increased heart rate when my hand connected with his washboard abs.

Think platonic thoughts, Bailey.

Easier said than done, especially when Jamie settled into the center of the beanbag, smelling fresh from a shower and curling his arms and legs all around me. He didn’t mean anything by it. We used to sit like this all the time when we were kids, and even now, it was nothing for us to sit close during a movie. I’d woken more times than I could count with my head nestled on Jamie’s chest while we slept.

“I thought we were going to play a video game.” His body relaxed with each breath.

I glanced over my shoulder to find his face tucked into the back of my neck, his eyes closed.

“I think Dallin’s already asleep.” The room was dim, the only light coming from the little lights mounted to the underside of the cabinets in the kitchenette.

Jamie snorted, lifting my hair with the force of it. “He’s such a lightweight.”

It was true. Dallin was always the first to fall asleep when we had sleepovers as kids. “He had a couple of beers.”

“Hmmm.” Jamie was falling asleep, too. The one arm and leg he had draped over me were heavy and comforting. “You guys can stay.”

I should get up. I should leave. Staying here was stupid on so many levels. Jamie didn’t think of me the way I wanted him to, the way I dreamed he would. Falling asleep wrapped in his arms and his sweatshirt was torture. Sweet torture. The kind I wanted to suffer daily. The kind I did suffer daily.

And it hurt.

It wasn’t Jamie’s fault. I knew it wasn’t, so I couldn’t get angry with him about it. I also couldn’t leave.

I didn’t know how long we slept that way. At some point, Jamie got up from the beanbag and went to his bed, but not before covering me with a blanket and tucking it around me.

Sweet.

Torture.