Page 52 of Penalty Box

I’d kissed my share of women before, but never like this. I didn’t usually feel totally aware of my skin and me inside it. On fire.

We broke apart for no other reason than breath, and I kissed the corner of her mouth, her jaw, the spot just under her ear that made her shiver. She tilted her chin up, eyes dazed.

“You should know, I’m still mad about the whole Toby Keith thing.”

I kissed her again, just to shut her up.

Cass deepened the kiss, sliding her hands into my hair and down to the back of my neck. Her fingers were warm against my skin, but made goosebumps shoot out all over. She drew me closer, her mouth moving against mine like we’d been doing this kind of thing for years. Melting into each other.

I braced one hand against the glass behind her, and the other settled low on her waist just above the dip of her hip. That sliver of skin where her shirt rode up burned against my palm.

She fit against me like something impossible and inevitable at the same time.

Every part of me ached for more. Her hand slid under my shirt, tracing the planes of my back, slow and easy. I could feel her breathing hard against me, her chest rising to meet mine. And the sound she made when I tugged her bottom lip between my teeth nearly undid me right then and there.

I pressed my forehead to hers for a second to catch my breath.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I said.

“It’s not.”

“Are you sure about that?”

And then we were kissing again. Her need met mine full-on, consuming us both in the heat of the moment. Her arms snaked around my neck, pulling me right up against her as she settled into me, hips angled to mine like she didn’t want even an inch between us. There was nothing soft about it now. It was urgent and hot. We’d spent too much time pretending we didn’t feel like this.

We staggered a little against the boards, fumbling and grabbing at each other with hungry hands. I grinned against her lips and she responded by biting mine just enough to make my pulse jump.

“I’m not sorry,” I said into her mouth.

She whispered back, “You better not be.”

A loud and sharp ringing pierced the air like a fire alarm. We froze. Our mouths still brushing, hands still clinging like we hadn’t gotten the memo. She blinked once, twice, then pulled out her phone, breath ragged.

I watched the blood drain from her face as “Dad” lit up her screen.

16

Cass

The chill of the rink clung to my skin long after the kiss ended. My lips still tingled, swollen with heat and want, but the rest of me felt exposed. It was like the cold had finally caught up to me, seeping through my jacket and straight into my bones.

I stared at my phone, Mason’s breath still warming the space between us, and I didn’t move. Not until the screen went dark again.

Dad.

The word echoed in my head like a warning shot. But for once, I didn’t run toward it.

Not when I could still taste Mason on my lips, with my heartbeat trying to crawl out of my throat.

His brows lifted slightly, but he didn’t ask. Just gave me a look that said enough. He knew what declining my dad’s call meant. We both did.

And we were fine with it.

“Now what?”

I slipped my phone back into my jacket and looked at him, still breathless. The heat in his gaze thawed me from the inside out. “What do you think?”

A grin curled the corner of his mouth, but before he could say anything, I grabbed his hand. We weaved past empty benches and half-dried skate marks on the concrete.