Page 11

Chapter Eleven

FALLON

OH. MY. GOD! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my fucking God! I just kissed Mackenzie! How did that happen? Why didn’t I stop it?

She practically begged me to say no, and yet I ended up begging her to kiss me.

I wanted her to kiss me. And what a kiss it was… Wow!

Our mouths molded together perfectly. Her tongue did things to my body I didn’t even know could happen.

My knees almost buckled when I felt her hands grab my ass. Holy shit! I had never felt a want for someone so intensely.

I brought my fingers to my lips, still feeling the vibration of her kiss against them. Why did she stop? Why did I let her stop? Why didn’t I stop her sooner? This is so not good.

I hit my head against the door and sighed. That should not have happened, and I shouldn’t have wanted it to happen again.

I slumped onto the floor and closed my eyes.

A few minutes later, my phone went off with a text alert:

Drea: Hey, love, just seeing if you can pick up a shift tomorrow?

A distraction, good! Perfect timing, Drea…

Me: Hey! Yeah, of course, no problem. Everything okay?

Drea: Thanks a million! Yeah, Kaia has some family stuff going on.

Drea: So, what’s going on?

Oh, nothing Drea, you know, just over here making out with hot neighbors!

Me: Nothing just got home, you?

Drea: Were you out partying???

Drea: Ugh, I just got into a fight with Skylar. Of course.

That comment about partying stung with the memory of Mackenzie’s harsh words, but I knew Drea didn’t mean it how she had.

Drea and Skylar were always on and off again. They were hopelessly in love and had been for over three years. Drea was stubborn and refused to admit it, but Skylar—despite everything—loved her and was incredibly patient. Drea didn’t handle labels well, but without Skylar, she’d be a wreck.

Me: Lol hardly. I was on the rooftop. Relaxing, well trying to anyway.

Drea: Alone?

Me: Sadly no, Mackenzie had the same idea. Sorry about Sky.

Drea: Yeah, it’s fine. I’m still working on getting my shit together, but you know we will work it out. What happened? Did you fuck her? Finally!!

Me: Haha no definitely didn’t fuck her.

Although, a twisted part of me kind of wanted to. That kiss really messed me up.

Me: I’ll fill you in tomorrow okay, go make up with Sky!

Drea: Yeah yeah okay xx

When I plugged my phone in on the nightstand and got into bed, my body was still buzzing from the kiss. The feel of her lips on mine, her hands on my body. I could still feel the phantom touch of her, and I wanted to go back for more.

I tossed and turned for about twenty minutes, trying to get her out of my mind, with no such luck. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. My traitorous body could still feel her, too.

The need was too heavy to resist and I finally caved, slipping my hand in between my thighs. I was already soaked from only a few thoughts of her.

I closed my eyes and tried to picture anyone that wasn’t Mackenzie, but of course, nothing worked. My mind kept creating images of her laying naked in front of me.

Every stroke of my hand against my throbbing clit was her hand. Every plunge of my fingers in and out of my needy pussy were her fingers, curling inside me. Every nipple pull, every caress of my breasts, they were all her.

I could feel the orgasm building up and getting closer.

Her name was just a whisper on my lips, but the desire for her was a scream. “Mackenzie.” I couldn’t hold it in as her name came out in a breathless moan.

When my orgasm finally came, I rode the wave of my ecstasy until the high finally dissipated. Then a wave of shame quickly washed over me.

I just… to Mackenzie…

“Fuck.”

When I got to Brewed Awakening the next morning, Rylee asked how things were going with Mackenzie. I apologized a million more times and told her things were okay.

She asked how the apology went, and I told her it went better than I expected. I left out the part about the kiss. I felt like that wasn’t my story to tell, and I didn’t really want to relive it, especially what came after… that was the wrong choice of words.

The whole situation was messed up. How did I go from hating her, to kissing her, within a matter of days?

After my talk with Rylee, and getting coffee, I walked to the bookstore and smiled when I saw Drea at the register getting cozy with Skylar.

“Looks like you two made up,” I said as I walked toward them.

“That we did. Thanks for telling her to get her head out of her ass.” Skylar smiled when Drea swatted her arm playfully.

“That’s what I’m here for. What was it about this time?” I glared at Drea, knowing she had somehow started it.

“Look, we don’t need to rehash the past, alright? Let’s just move on.”

Skylar laughed and shook her head. “Let’s just say she thought she was complimenting her favorite part of me, but she definitely wasn’t. Luckily, she really knows how to apologize.” She winked. “Anyway, I’ll let you two get to work out here. I’m headed to the back. I need to finish taking inventory so I can place the order for the truck.” She kissed Drea goodbye and disappeared.

After Skylar left, Drea turned to me. “So, tell me about the roof. What happened?” She nudged.

“Oh.” I groaned. “Nothing happened. We got locked out for a little while and talked, it was...” I had to search for the right word. I didn’t want to give Drea too much ammunition. “Tolerable.”

“Tolerable. That sounds better than horrible, I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess,” I said vaguely.

“Hmm... well, I would’ve done a lot more than just talking, if you know what I mean.”

A slight blush slowly crept up my cheeks. I wasn’t about to tell her the real story of what happened. The unexpected run-in with Mackenzie on the roof left me feeling so confused.

Mackenzie might have been right, but I was too afraid of getting hurt again to do anything about it.

Still, I couldn’t help fantasizing about what she would look like underneath her clothes. Or how her perfect breasts would feel in my hands. And the kiss when she cornered me outside of my apartment? It took everything in me to stop myself from inviting her inside.

I hadn’t been able to process any of these feelings yet, and I wasn’t about to tell Drea about our kiss. I hated that Mackenzie was right—a part of me wanted her, and I hated myself for it.

I couldn’t help those feelings, though. She made it difficult not to want her. Besides the fact that she was gorgeous, she wasn’t necessarily a terrible person, and she actually had a great sense of humor. We got off on the wrong foot, and we both said things we shouldn’t have. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew I needed to shake this feeling—it wasn’t good for my mental health.

Luck was on my side as the bell above the door chimed, and Drea looked up and greeted whoever had just come in.

“Saved by the bell,” I thought, thankful that I was able to avoid an awkward conversation.

“Hey there, welcome to Open Book .”

“Hey, thanks.” A familiar voice echoed through the empty bookstore, causing me to look up and freeze. What is she doing here?

My cheeks turned red, and embarrassment was written all over my face. The reason for my weak knees had just walked through the door, and any concept of knowing how to use my senses vanished instantly.

Mackenzie had only walked into the bookstore, and I felt as if my whole body was on fire. My legs were paralyzed and I couldn’t move or think.

She wore the same Guns N’ Roses shirt from the night we met, and I only hoped she was wearing shorts underneath. Because if she was naked under there—God, help me. Get it together, Fallon. Of course she’s not naked under there!

She gave me a confused look, but smiled slightly before turning away and continuing to walk around the store.

“What is she doing here?” I whispered. When I said I needed a distraction, Mackenzie walking into the store was not what I had in mind.

“She is hot, do you know her?” Drea asked.

I narrowed my eyes at her and let out an irritated groan. “Yeah, that’s Mackenzie.”

“Wait, hot, bitchy neighbor, Mackenzie?” She gasped. “No freaking way!” Drea was having way too much fun with this, while I, on the other hand, wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

“What the hell is she doing here?” I closed my eyes and pressed them into my palms.

Drea shrugged. “I don’t know, but you better go find out.”

I groaned. “Can’t I just pretend I’m not here? She’ll leave eventually, right?”

“Be serious. She saw you already. And the way you talk about her, she doesn’t seem like the type of person to ignore you. Just grow a pair and go talk to her.”

I glared at her. “I don’t talk about her that much.” Drea shot me an “oh please” look in response. Okay, so maybe I talked about her a little.

I wasn’t sure why I was even entertaining this ridiculous idea, but before I could stop them, my feet were moving toward her.

She was reading the back of a book from the fantasy section. The fact that she had good taste in books, didn’t help with the problem of wanting her.

She looked up at me and wore the most heart-stopping smile when I stopped next to her. “Good morning, Sunshine. What a pleasant surprise.”

“I’m not sure about pleasant yet, but a surprise, yes.” I smirked, crossing my arms. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve walked by a few times, and I wanted to check it out. I could ask you the same thing.”

“I work here. My best friend, Drea, is the owner.” I motioned over to the counter, where Drea was staring at us—not at all subtly either. “I work here part-time when I’m not working at the hospital. I’m an ER nurse, so I do have a job—two, actually.”

“I see that, my mistake.”

“Yes, well, enjoy your...” I turned the book to see the cover. “Kinky vampire book. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask Drea.” I turned and walked away.

“Hey,” she called after me, causing me to stop. “About last night…”

I froze, the memories of our kiss surrounding me. Why would she bring it up? I turned back around to face her. “Last night was a mistake, okay? Last night never happened.”

I couldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing how much that kiss affected me. It was just a kiss. Surely people were left dazed and breathless after a kiss all of the time.

It was totally normal to stay awake all night wondering how someone’s tongue would feel on a different set of lips. Or how their fingers would feel curled deep inside you… right?

I swallowed hard, desperately needing a gallon of water.

She narrowed her brows. “Is that what you think? That it was a mistake?”

“Well…” I sighed, trying to gather myself and search for the right words. I nervously twirled a loose strand of hair between my fingers, trying to regain my composure.

“I mean…” I cleared my throat, but no words came.

She smirked slightly and nodded. “Interesting.”

Damnit! I hated that I was letting her get to me. She was just a woman, and it was just a kiss. I shouldn’t have been so affected by a damn kiss!

With that reasoning, I finally found my words. “Look, it was a good kiss, okay? I’ll give you that, but?—”

“But it was a mistake. We got caught up in the moment, right?” she finished for me.

“Yeah, right.” I sighed.

She nodded and put the book back, acting like she was unaffected by my response.

Was she really unaffected? Was the kiss not good for her? Did she not think it was a mistake, or did she agree with me that it was?

“I’m glad we’re on the same page, then.” She smiled. “The kiss was… okay, anyway.”

I gaped at her. “Excuse me?”

She couldn’t have been serious. The way she acted during that kiss told me something vastly different.

She winced. “I’m sorry, It’s just… I’ve had better, to be honest, and?—”

I took a step closer until I was inches from her. “That’s bullshit,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry, Fallon. It’s true, I?—”

I kissed her, stopping her words and letting it consume me. She tasted of strawberries and citrus, and I couldn’t get enough.

When she gripped my arms and brought our bodies closer together, I let in a sharp breath.

Her mouth was claiming mine, and there was nothing I could’ve done to stop it.

She played me, I knew she did, but I couldn’t find the energy to care. I had to taste her again.

I desperately wanted to lift her shirt and find out exactly what was underneath. My grip tightened on her shirt, pulling us closer, but it still wasn’t close enough.

Eventually, reality intruded on our heated bubble, and I broke the kiss. My body still buzzed from it, and I waited for air to return to my lungs. I tried—and failed—to steady my breath while our eyes locked.

She brought her fingers to her lips, and my cheeks burned. “Was that a mistake, too?”

“I… uh…” I couldn’t form words. Seriously, what was wrong with me?! Had I lost all common sense?

“Well played, Wildcat.” I scowled, but it wasn’t very convincing.

She laughed as she brought her hand to my face and wiped at my bottom lip with her thumb. I couldn’t move. I was frozen in the moment, unsure of what to expect next.

“Well, I’d better go. Tell your friend she did a good job with her store. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

I spoke softly, still confused by what just happened, and not trusting my voice to hide how I was feeling. “Yeah.” What just happened?!

She turned and left, and my head dropped into my hands.

I turned back around to see Drea and Skylar staring at me, their mouths and eyes wide open. When did Skylar even get back?

“Don’t!” I said, holding a hand up.

Drea mimed zipping her lips, and I went back to work.

What was wrong with me? I fell right into her trap, and the worst part was, it didn’t bother me.

I spent the rest of the day in a haze, partly focused on work, partly confused and asking myself what the hell had happened.

The next few weeks were just plain awkward. The kiss had definitely shifted our dynamic. We used to bicker and throw insults, but after the kiss, it was… different. We would smile at each other politely, not saying anything aside from a few words.

There was one instance in the elevator where it was a little crowded and our fingers touched. We both looked down before quickly moving them away. Maybe I was crazy, but I missed her touch. I knew I wasn’t ready to cross that line again, so I told myself to erase those thoughts from my mind.

It had been a long, hectic day by the time I got home from work, and I was ready to curl up on the couch and watch some reality TV.

I locked my car and headed inside, stopping before I got to the mailboxes.

Mackenzie was standing there, wearing the tightest pair of jeans I had ever seen anyone wear. The way her ass was being hugged… I blinked the thought away and checked my mail.

She must have sensed someone next to her because she stopped, but didn’t say anything or look up.

When I turned to open my mailbox, she cleared her throat. “Hi.”

I looked at her and smiled slightly. “Oh, hey.”

“How are you?” She turned back, continuing to get her mail.

“I’m good,” I said slowly. “How are you?”

This is so awkward.

I tried to calm myself and take a deep breath, but the scent of her overwhelmed my senses. She smelled like cinnamon and something that was just… her. It was erotic and way too dangerous.

She laughed. “I’m good.”

“That’s good.” We started walking to the elevator, the sounds of our breathing filling the hall.

We rode in awkward silence, and she spoke once we stepped off. “Thanks again for the coffee, and I’m sorry for how I reacted in the hallway that morning. I wasn’t in the best mood to begin with. I know it’s not an excuse, but…” She trailed off, shrugging.

I blinked. “Oh… uh… you’re welcome, and I get it. I should’ve watched where I was going.”

She smiled. “It happens.” When she got to her apartment, she stopped to face me again. “Well, bye, Fallon.”

She looked as if she wanted to say more, but must have thought better of it as she turned to open her door.

“Yeah, bye,” I said, and went inside.

That was…