Page 7 of Send It

Colson

“Where are we going?” She asks as we pass her street, and continue down the four lane.

“My house,” I state. “You want me to take you home to your parents drunk? Or do you want to let them think you’re at Stassie’s and let me take you home tomorrow?”

She knows I have a valid point, and she is more than a little bit wasted. We pull into my driveway and she hesitates to get out of my car.

“Why are you doing this?” She asks. “One second you are a pain in my ass dragging me out of a party and the next you are taking me to your house so I don’t get in trouble.”

I keep my voice low, and almost mumble. “I think you know why.”

She nearly slurs, “If I knew I wouldn’t ask, Colson.”

Finally I’ve had enough, “You are driving me crazy, Lincoln. Like actually fucking insane. I can’t be around you, because I have a hard time controlling myself, and you constantly flirting with me only makes it worse.”

Her lips tilt into the cutest fucking smirk, and it completely proves my point. “See, stop looking at me like that.”

She unbuckles her seat belt and chuckles, “I just think it’s funny. I thought you hated me.”

I shake my head, “I could never hate you. It’s just easier to push you away than to fight this feeling I have that I know is wrong.”

Leaning over the center console she runs her finger down my jawline, “You liked my dress?”

I look at her jean covered legs, and wonder just how drunk she is. “What dress, Linc? You have jeans on.”

She shakes her head, “No, not these. My winter formal dress. From sophomore year.”

I think back to that day and smile. “I loved that dress.”

Lincoln looked absolutely stunning that day.

A black dress that fit her body like a glove with a slit up to her hip.

Her dark hair was curled down her back, and I was so fucking jealous.

I had a date, I had Reiss, I had everything but Lincoln.

She went with some junior on the baseball team and I wanted to rip his hand from her back.

For the first time ever, I was scared of how I felt.

The way she is looking at me now through hooded eyelids makes my heart pound against my ribs and the tension that has pulled between us is ready to snap like a rubber band. I want to kiss her.

“Let’s go inside,” I say, ruining the moment before something happens.

I can see the disappointment in her eyes as she opens her door and staggers down the driveway into my house.

When we get inside, she grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and nearly downs the entire thing.

“Thirsty?” I ask, and she smiles.

“You could say that.”

I shake my head and smile, “See that is exactly what I’m talking about.”

She crosses the kitchen and hops up on the counter, her feet hanging over the ledge. “I can’t help it, I have a flirty personality.”

“You weren’t flirty before I ripped you away from Jackson.”

Her eyes burn into mine, “Because you showed up with Brielle.”

It all starts to fall into place, “You cozied up to Jackson because you wanted to make me jealous?”

“It worked, didn’t it?” She smirks, her eyes glassy from all the alcohol. “I don’t want Jackson.”

The air instantly gets heavy between us, and I slip between her legs. “What do you want, baby Bane?”

Her hand slides behind my head, and threads in my hair. I try my best to cram my feelings down, but the way her breath is hot against my neck makes the hair stand on my arms.

“I want you, Colson.”

My entire body ignites with a desire that I’ve never felt.

“Liquid courage?” I ask, tilting my forehead against hers, and she shakes her head.

“I hate you, but I want you.”

I get it.

I hate that I love her, too. Things would be so much easier if I could forget this feeling.

“You don’t hate me,” I say, leaning in closer, our lips almost touching. I feel her breathing turn shallow, and I swear I can feel my heart beating in my fucking ears. “In fact, I don’t think you hate me at all.”

Her eyes fall to my lips and it’s like she’s begging me to kiss her, and honestly, my strength is dwindling, and despite my best efforts, I cave.

My lips fall so gently against hers, and time stops.

I rarely lose control, but I’ve lost it. My body, my mind, my emotions. Nothing is within my reach at this moment.

As the kiss deepens, her thighs tighten around my waist and the only thing separating us is our clothes.

This is the closest I’ve ever been to Lincoln, and instantly the guilt starts to creep into the corner of my mind. The only thing I can think about is what will happen if her brother finds out, or worse, comes walking in.

Jerking away, I create distance between us, “We can’t do this.”

Her cheeks are flushed, and the confusion is evident. She hops off the counter, her converse hitting the tile with a thud. “Can’t or won’t?”

I feel like my heart has sunken into the very pit of my stomach, “Both, Linc. It’s Reiss we’re talking about, he will flip his shit.”

“I can make my own decisions,” she argues. “I can talk to him, Colson.”

“No!” I nearly shout, “No, I mean… he’s not gonna be okay with this. This isn’t okay.”

“It feels okay,” she whispers, tugging my shirt to where I’m standing closer to her. “It feels right, and you know it.”

“You say that now, but how is it gonna feel when your brother finds out? He will never forgive me, Lincoln. I can’t do that to him.”

She stares at me for a moment and it hurts me to see the disappointment in her eyes. Instead of arguing like I know she wants to, like she usually does, she steps back and drops the hem of my shirt.

“I’m gonna shower.”

She glides past me and heads toward my room. She never looks back over her shoulder and it kills me.