Page 15

“So what should I…” she said, trailing off.

“What would you do if I were Shane?” I asked.

She huffed out a breath that brushed against my cheeks.

“Shane is taller than me,” she said, her tone frustrated.

“So? Come on, Tenley, this was your idea,” I said. “Suck it up and touch me.” She was being way too dramatic about this.

She rolled her eyes, which seemed to be a perpetual habit, and finally lifted her arms to my shoulders, sliding them around me as if we were slow dancing. It was a start.

Tenley inhaled through her nose and I put my other hand on her waist, exerting just a little force to pull her closer until our bodies were almost completely pressed up against each other.

“There,” I said. “This isn’t the worst thing in the world to happen to you, is it?”

She looked down into my eyes and I tried again not to be jealous of her lash extensions.

“Are you okay?” I asked. She trembled ever so slightly against me.

“Yeah,” she said, blinking dazedly.

“Okay,” I said. “The holding is fine, but we should probably try something else.” Not that I was complaining. Holding onto Tenley wasn’t completely horrible. I’d kept my hands on her jeans so I wasn’t touching that little strip of skin between her pants and her crop top. That seemed a little too much for this first little experiment.

“What else should we try?” she said. Why was I having to take the lead here?

“I don’t know, probably a kiss,” I said. “It would be weird if we’re completely obsessed with each other if we didn’t kiss at least once.” My argument was pure logic.

Tenley licked her lips. “I’ve never kissed a woman before.”

“Not even when you were drunk or on a dare?” I asked. Kissing a woman for her boyfriend’s amusement and arousal seemed like something she would have done before.

“No,” she said, and her fingers fluttered on my back. She was nervous and twitchy.

“It’s not that big a deal,” I said. “People kiss other people they’re not attracted to all the time. Come on, suck it up.”

She made a face. “I will not be doing any sucking.”

“Fucking hell, Tenley, just kiss me.”

When she didn’t, I took matters into my own hands, sliding one hand from her waist to the back of her neck and angling her head down before pressing my lips to hers. A simple, casual kiss. A moment. A second. A breath.

“There,” I said, my eyes opening. “No big deal, right?”

I waited for her to say something, but then her mouth pressed against mine and suddenly, I was no longer in control. I’d kept my lips closed and the contact light on purpose, but that wasn’t what was happening with this second kiss. This wasn’t light or soft.

Tenley’s kiss was strong and relentless. Tongues were involved. I couldn’t breathe and it wasn’t important.

Tenley must really love her boyfriend if this was the way she kissed him.

I kept hearing strange sounds and realized they were moans and they weren’t only coming from me. She was gasping and gripping at me as if she wanted more of me.

All at once, I ripped myself away from her, stumbling against a table with a pile of books on it.

“Yeah, I’d say you’ve got the hang of it,” I said, putting my hand to my chest to make sure my heart wasn’t trying to bust through my ribs. I’d knocked over some of her books, but I couldn’t figure out how to pick them up. I was too busy staring at Tenley. She had her hand to her lips, as if making sure they were still attached to her face. She hadn’t said anything in a long time.

“Tenley?” I asked. She blinked once and gave herself a little shake.

“I think that’s enough practice,” she said, her voice sharp.