Page 11 of Not Your Enemy

My heartbeat had picked up, and I was almost suffocated by her woodsy amber smell as it wrapped around me.

Her fingers found their way to my braid, and she tugged on it playfully. “How mad would you be if I undid this?”

“I don’t mind,” I whispered, afraid that the words might come out scrambled.

She hummed pleasantly at my words before pulling the ponytail holder from my hair and slipping it around her wrist. Strand by strand, she undid my hair and ran her fingers through it. She took her time, not once pulling too hard or creating a tangle. It was both relaxing and exhilarating to be so encompassed by her warm presence. I did my best to focus on the movie, but my eyes kept shutting from how good her hand felt in my hair. Its strength a reflection of working with her hands, no doubt.

“I love your hair! It’s so silky and thick. Your shampoo smells great too, like cherries.” Her tone was casual, and I was scared even a simple “thank you” would come out shaky.

After a few more minutes of torturous pleasure, she ceased. Her body turned until she was facing me.

“Here, turn for just a second and let me braid it back for you.”

Following instructions, I turned away from her and tried to sit still as she worked. Her hands skimmed my neck a few times, each instance sending a tremor through me. I found myself wishing she’d linger there.

Once she finished the French braid, we settled back against each other. I looked over at Jade, who returned my gaze. My eyes took in her long lashes, rosy cheeks, and those plump lips. My mind caught up with my heart, and I realized I wanted to kiss her badly. To know what she tasted like, to feel her warmth even closer to me. But it was wrong. I shouldn’t, I couldn’t hurt my best friend like that. Still, I couldn’tlook away from her. What was a little kiss? Just one innocent moment didn’t have to mean anything.

Meeting her eyes for a second, I leaned forward to see what she would do. As if she’d been waiting for a signal, she met me halfway, and our lips pressed together gently before separating. But one little, innocent kiss wasn’t enough. Pressing my lips back onto hers, I lingered longer this time, trying to savor the feeling.

After a moment, I felt her tongue lick across my bottom lip, as if asking for entry. I gave it without thought, using mine as well as the kiss turned from curious to lustful. The arm that was behind me on the couch wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I placed one of my hands on the side of her neck and the other on her slim waist. Her hand wrapped around the end of my braid and tugged slightly, not enough to end our kiss, but just enough to tease me. As my tongue licked into her mouth, I moaned at the taste of her. It was so much sweeter and warmer than I’d imagined, and I just couldn’t help but need more.

She pulled away a touch, running a finger over my bottom lip and then bracing her hands on both sides of my face. Her lips were on mine again, and she gave me several gentle, slow kisses.

“Fuck, princess,” she said, and the words had me noticing how wet I was. What was with her that made me feel so strongly, regardless of how insignificant the situation was?

“I…I like you, Jade,” I said, sounding foolish as I placed one of my hands over hers. “But we shouldn’t do that again.” The words didn’t feel right, and I hated that I’d spoken them. Still, it was the right thing to do. Underneath the lust, I knew that. Although it was buried deep at the moment.

With a grin, she leaned forward and kissed me again,nipping my bottom lip with her teeth lightly before pulling away with a pop. “Why is that?” she asked as I tried to get my heart out of my throat.

All I wanted was to kiss her again, lie down on this couch with her and maybe kiss her in other places. Composing myself, I swallowed and shook my head. Her hands remained as if she just couldn’t stop touching me, rubbing her thumb along my cheek.

“Because your sister is my best friend, and I know this would upset her.” I felt bad bringing it up, as if Jade wasn’t aware of the discourse between the two of them.

“So, you’re saying that you want to keep kissing me, but you’re putting those feelings aside to appease someone else’s?” Fuck, when she said it like that, it sounded dumb.

“It’s more than that. I…I don’t want to hurt her. That would hurt me too.” It didn’t sound much better, but it was the truth. Her eyes examined my lips before she closed them tightly. Leaning forward again, she kissed my forehead, sending me into a tailspin of need.

“Honestly, I think that’s bullshit. But for now, I’ll drop it.”

Jade's words weren't as sharp as the loss of her touch or as cold as the distance she placed between us.

Chapter 8

It was 7:30 on Thursday morning as I lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling. Usually at this time, I was almost ready for the day and making my way downstairs to cook breakfast. It was just that I couldn’t sleep again, not because of guilt this time either. When I got to my room last night, all I could do was think of Jade’s kisses, her tongue against mine, the forehead kiss she gave me, her words and moans. She’d made me so wet and needy that I was desperate to come against my own fingers, pretending the whole time I wasn't wishing that Jade was taking me over that peak of desire.

But now it was morning, and I felt…odd. I was mad at myself that I didn’t feel guilty for kissing Jade when I should of. No, the only thing I felt was regret for telling her to stop, and that made me a terrible person. What was wrong with me? Jana and I had been friends for years, and here I was falling prey to her enemy after a few days with her. God, I was just awful because even now all I could think about was her tugging on my braid and biting my lip.

When I got downstairs, I was both relieved and disappointed that Jade wasn’t up yet. I started a pot of coffee and looked through the pantry for something quick to make. We’d definitely need to grocery shop soon; I’d depleted some stock in my time here. Grabbing a pancake mix box, I got started. While I worked, I checked to make sure I hadn’t missed any calls or texts from Jana, but alas, nothing new had popped up.

“Shit, I meant to tell you not to cook for me this morning; I need to run to Riley.”

I looked behind me and took in Jade. Instead of her typical morning look of messy bun and oversized tee, she was wearing a dark brown, knee-length skater dress with short sleeves and white Converse. Her dark hair was curled and looked voluminous against her face and shoulders. Lastly, her dark eyeliner made her eyes glow, as did the shiny pink gloss on her lips. My heart skipped a beat as I took her in. She was absolutely gorgeous, and it took me way toolong to realize I was staring at her like a gaping fool.

“Um…why?” It was all I could say, turning back toward the stove to hide my rosy cheeks.

“Issues at Canvas that Gabriel needs help with. It shouldn’t take me too long, but with the drive, it will be afternoon before I get back.” Thanking the heavens she ignored my staring, I turned back to face her.

“Okay, it’s no problem. I’ll save the extras in case you want some later.”