Page 34 of Kiss Collector

“Go talk to Mateo.” I bump her hip with mine and she sidles away without hesitation.

My slight smile disappears when I look over and see Kyle cornered by both Kenzie and Lin. He looks to be enjoying their attention, but I can tell they’re trying to one-up each other. Lin bats her almond eyes and cocks her hip. Kenzie lets out a loud burst of laughter at something Kyle said.

Oh, brother. I hope they’re at least giving him crap about the mall cop thing.

I scan the room, eyes landing on the incredibly handsome but often overlooked Vincent Romas, third basemen for the team. His painfully quiet personality makes him disappear into the crowd, which is a shame. He has the face and body and baseball talent to make any girl swoon. But it’s a bit of aproblem when he won’t converse...

I march right up to where he’s sitting in a recliner, my friendly smile in place.

“Hey, Vincent!”

He jolts and looks up at me. “Oh, h-hey.”

I put a hand under his beer to feel the weight of it. He simply watches me.

“Drink up,” I say, giving it a lift. He lets out an amused huff and shakes his head but complies, drinking the whole thing. Pretty sure he’s blushing under all that tan skin.

“So...” I begin. Yes, I’m totally scheming. You see, Kenzie had it bad for Vincent this time last year. She tried and tried to get him out of his shell, and ended up feeling stupid when he wouldn’t make a move. I’d always believed Vincent was the kind of guy who needed the girl to make the first move, but Kenz had been too nervous—too afraid of rejection. “Kenzie looks good tonight, huh?”

He glances over at her before dropping his gaze to the floor.

“Don’t worry about Kyle,” I tell him. “They’re just friends.”

He grabs another beer from the coffee table and pops it open. I continue talking, unperturbed by his lack of response. I know I have his attention.

“She wassointo you,” I said. Yeah, she’ll murder me if she knows I’m saying this. “She’s still sad that y’all didn’t even kiss.”

Vincent drinks half his beer in one go and gives a nervous laugh. “I don’t think so.”

“It’s true.” I lean closer to him and whisper, “I dare you to kiss her.”

Again with the nervous laugh and a shake of his head.

“Why not? Are you seeing anyone?”

He shakes his head again.

I have to cover all my bases. “Do you like boys? It’s okay if you do—”

“No,” he says.

“All right, well. If you won’t kiss her, let me ask you this. Would you stop her if she tried to kiss you?”

His tan gets darker and I realize he’s definitely blushing. Vincent drinks more beer, tipping the can up high. I have to smile when he grins and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Yes or no?” I probe. “Would you stop her?”

Staring at the can in his hand, he quietly says, “No.”

I grab his arm, jumping up and down two times before getting control of myself. He smiles and shakes his head yet again.

“You’re crazy, Zae,” he says in his quiet, deep voice.

I can’t stop smiling. “I know. Nice talkin’ to you, Vincent.”

A flutter of anticipation hits my belly when Brent Dodge comes back in the room with cards. Several people cheer and pull out chairs at the kitchen table. Brent finds me in the crowd and his lips tip up, seeming relieved to find me still there. Another flutter ripples, and I realize this little game is all a prelude to a kiss—the exchanged glances and flirtations—the lead-up is sometimes the best part.

I move to the corner and grab ahold of Kenzie’s elbow. “Excuse us,” I say, pulling her away from Kyle. Her brow crinkles at the disruption, and Lin moves to fill the spot.