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“Tenleigh. Stop. I didn’t mean that. Will you just listen for a minute? Jesus, moonshine makes you angry.” He swore softly, sitting up and running his hand through his hair. “Do you see why this is a mistake? God, woman.”

“Now I’m a mistake?” I seethed, filled with hurt. I reached for the nearest object and hurled it at him. Unfortunately it was a pillow and he barely flinched. I looked around, but the only other thing that was within arm’s reach was another pillow. So I chucked that at him too.

Kyland stood up and wrapped his arms around my waist, tackling me on the bed where he held me down and then sat on top of me. I struggled and beat at him, but he didn’t budge. He wasn’t putting his whole weight on me, but he was as strong as a bull, and he wasn’t going anywhere unless he was the one who decided to.

“Are you done?” he asked softly as I glared up at him.

“Will you listen to me for a second? What I said…it didn’t come out exactly right.” He looked away as if searching his own mind. “What I meant is, sex between us would change things in a way we couldn’t change back. I feel it, and I think you feel it too.”

I stopped struggling. “I can handle it.”

“I don’t want you to have to.”

“It’s just sex, Kyland.”

“That’s not how it’d be with us. Hell, just kissing isn’t just kissing with us.” He looked pained as if that was very bad news.

“You’ve had sex with other girls.”

He shook his head. “You’re not like them. And I’ve never been anyone’s first. I’ve…been with girls, yes, but never in a way I thought was unfair to them. If you and I had sex, it’d be unfair to both of us.”

Maybe I should have been happy he apparently held me in such high regard. But the only thing I could manage to feel was hurt and jealous that he wouldn’t do the things with me he’d done with plenty of other girls. “Fine. Let me up,” I huffed.

“Tenleigh,” he groaned, looking up at the ceiling as if he was completely frustrated. “Stubborn spitfire,” he muttered, but there was a smile in his voice.

I made a scoffing sound and started struggling again, but Kyland leaned down and planted his mouth on mine. I made a sound of resistance, but it might have been overruled by me pressing my body up into his and the fact that I wove my fingers through his hair to pull him more firmly into my mouth. He kissed me hard and with intensity and I ground my body into his to get the relief I needed.

Suddenly Kyland was off me and the quilt was ripped from my body as he hurriedly removed my clothes and then his own. He was quickly back over me, and when I saw his erection jutting out stiffly in front of him, I thought maybe he’d changed his mind. He came down on top of me and I opened my legs to him.

He groaned as if in pain and slid down my body. My eyes sprung open wide when I felt his warm, wet tongue make contact with my most sensitive area. I reached my arms out and gripped the bedding in my fists as I threw my head back and moaned deeply. “Good God, Kyland,” I gasped as he lapped at me, circling my swollen tissue. I felt like I might scream with the pleasure.

I gripped his head in my hands and pressed shamelessly into his face until I couldn’t hold back the ecstasy that tore through me, causing me to arch my back and gasp out Kyland’s name again and again.

When I opened my bleary eyes, he was over me. “Are we friends again?” he asked, grinning.

I put my hand on his cheek and said very seriously. “We were never just friends.”

His smile faded. “I know.”

“But you are good at that.”

He nuzzled his head into my neck. “I know.” I pushed at him and he chuckled. “I’m just kidding.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Okay, I’m not.”

I went serious. I didn’t like to think about how he’d gotten so good at that. A ball of red-hot jealousy was burning in my chest and I felt like throwing things again, or flipping tables the way I’d done to make Marlo put that note in the Monopoly box.

“Come here,” he said, pulling the blankets over himself and holding them open for me to slide inside next to him. I did. He spooned into me as he pulled the blankets up over us. I could feel his arousal pressing against my ass. I wiggled into him and he hissed. I reached behind me to stroke him, but he held my hand against my hip. “Let me just hold you,” he said into my ear.