Page 29 of Hot and Bothered

My eyes popped open. I landed flat on my heels.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I don’t want you to think—” He paused, then let out a breath and put his hands on my shoulders. “I don’t want you to think I expect anything, okay?”

I frowned.

“Expect?” I repeated.

He lowered his head to meet my eyes.

“You don’t owe me anything, remember?” he said.

My cheeks burned. I stepped back until his hands dropped from my shoulders.

“Is that what you think this is?” I asked. “That I’m doing this because…”

He ran a hand through the hair at the back of his head, looking uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to insult you or make you feel bad. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

“And what page would that be, exactly?” I didn’t want to snap, but I was now crushed and more than a little ticked off.

Evan looked me straight in the eye.

“I like you, Alice,” he said.

My heart fluttered. Now my cheeks burned for an entirely different reason.

“But I don’t want you to think I let you stay with me because I want something from you,” he continued.

“I know that,” I said. “I would never think that of you. I know that’s not the kind of guy you are. I’m doing this because—” I lowered my head shyly. “Because I like you, too.”

Evan did the same thing he’d done earlier when I’d ruined breakfast and said I wanted to make it up to him. He lifted my chin so I was looking at him.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked.

The fluttering in my chest became a storm of flapping butterflies.

“Yes,” I whispered.

Evan pressed the softest of kisses to my lips, sending a shock of desire through my system.

I’d shared a few tentative kisses with boys before, but I’d never had someone kiss me with such care, with such affection — and I’d never felt a wave of arousal as strong as this one before.

He moved his mouth against mine, soft and full. I gasped and pressed closer to him, wanting more of the delicious friction. His tongue swiped a line between my lips, seeking entrance. I opened to him with a moan. His tongue flicked against mine, the taste of him filling all my senses. He ran his hands down my back, gripping my hips and pulling me down to grind against him. I felt his hardening length against my thigh.

I froze, my mouth going slack.

“What is it?” he asked, pulling back immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said, my cheeks flaming. “It’s just— I—”

My mouth flapped uselessly. Tears of frustration and embarrassment stung the backs of my eyes.

Evan stroked my cheek with a tender caress.

“You can tell me anything,” he said.