Page 34

BETTER THAN IN THE BOOKS

TEMPEST

“ D on’t stop,” I whispered. Though I wasn’t sure I even heard it myself. My heart thundered in my chest so hard, that I was sure a tornado was brewing inside of me.

Flynn’s eyes went all dark, and I watched his gaze drop to my lips again.

The entire world went into slo-mo with every centimeter he leaned in closer.

One hand came up to cup my cheek, and where I expected sparks, I got a soft warmth like a fuzzy blanket, cup of tea, and a cozy fire.

But when his lips finally met mine, his beard brushing against my skin, that heat turned to pure lava.

His mouth was impossibly soft yet firm, tentative at first and then more certain.

My first kiss.

I’d written dozens of them. First kisses that sparked fireworks, that melted heroines’ knees, that changed lives in an instant.

But nothing I’d ever written came close to this reality.

The warmth of Flynn’s palm against my face.

The faint scent of his cologne mixed with a scent all his own.

The gentle pressure of his mouth against mine, coaxing me to open for him, rather than demanding.

And that beard that made every cell in my body tingle when it rubbed against my skin.

I didn’t even know I was a beard girl. Until now.

I was frozen for a heartbeat, overwhelmed by sensations.

My brain was fritzing and then my body told it to fuck off and pure instinct took over.

My hands found his chest, feeling the solid strength beneath his blue shirt as I leaned into him.

His other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer, and a small sound, an actual whimpered little moan, escaped.

Flynn growled or purred or groaned, I didn’t even know except that the sound went skittering from my chest, down to my belly and pooled right between my legs. He deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue past my lips, and I followed his lead, letting him show me how our mouths fit together.

Every romance novel I’d ever read or written had attempted to describe this feeling, this dizzy, breathless, alive feeling, but the words I’d so readily relied on my whole life were now completely inadequate.

He broke the kiss way before I was ready, nibbling at the corner of my mouth, teasing me with soft brushes of his lips across mine and his whiskers across my cheek. I kept my eyes closed for a moment, afraid that opening them would somehow break the spell.

“Tempest,” Flynn murmured, his voice lower than I’d ever heard it. “Look at me.”

I opened my eyes to find him watching me with an expression that made the lightning and lava in my chest send shockwaves to my stomach. This was so far beyond the butterflies I’d written for my heroines. Wonder, heat, and something else I couldn’t quite name pooled in his eyes.

“You’re fucking delicious, Tempest. That was...” he started.

“My first,” I confessed without thinking, then immediately wanted to snatch the words back.

His eyes widened slightly and flashed between mine, studying me for at least a thousand and one years, which was really only a second. I saw a multitude of thoughts and emotions run through his face and swallowed down the fear that he was about to judge me like everyone else in the world did.

“Your... first kiss?”

I nodded, heat rushing to my cheeks with the realization of what I’d really just admitted. “It’s weird, I know, but?—”

“No,” he said, his thumb brushing across my lower lip in a way that made me shiver.

“It’s not weird. And I don’t want you to think I’m some misogynistic asshole who thinks virginity is hot, but, fuck, Tempest. I can’t tell you how goddamned turned on I am to know I’m the only man who ever gets to have this with you. ”

Flynn pressed his forehead against mine. “I want so fucking much to get to be the only man who gets to do a lot more firsts with you.”

I had convinced myself that first kisses, and sex, and falling in love weren’t actually important to me.

I had to because I was sure I’d never get to experience any of them.

If they didn’t matter, then it wouldn’t hurt so much that I missed out when everyone else around me got their cake and had fun eating it too.

But I was wrong.

I was so, incredibly, stupidly, wrong.

Because I was falling in love with the cocky, arrogant, sweet Flynn Kingman. And I was scared out of my mind, and maybe the happiest I’d ever been at the same time.

He wrapped a stray strand of hair from my carefully done party do, and tucked it behind my ear. “I really wish I didn’t have to leave right now.”

“Do you? Have to leave?” The questions slipped out before I could stop them.

He smiled, and this time, it wasn’t that same flirty grin I’d grown so used to. He took a breath and shook his head but then leaned in and kissed me again, briefer this time but no less intense. “I do. But I’ll call you from the combine. And text. Probably too much.”

“I don’t want to be a distraction.” Why did I say that? Because my defenses still weren’t sure this was real. “But if you really want to... I’ll, you know, make sure to have my phone handy.”

God, I sounded so dumb. Did kissing kill brain cells? Probably.

Flynn stepped back reluctantly, his hand sliding down my arm to squeeze my fingers before letting go. “I’ll see you in a week, my queen.”

There was a promise in his eyes that sent those sparks inside burning again.

I watched him walk away, touching my still-tingling lips in wonder. Was this how all first kisses felt, or was it just Flynn ?

“Tempeeeeeeeeest,” Freddie’s voice carried from inside the house. “Abuela wants to know if you’re staying the night.”

Reality crashed back. I was standing on my family’s porch, all of them just meters away, feeling like I’d just been fundamentally altered by Flynn Kingman’s kiss.

“Coming,” I called, taking a moment to compose myself before heading inside.

But I couldn’t stop smiling. “Sorry, Abuela, I can’t stay. I’ve got sorority business I need to get done tonight.”

By business, I meant examining every millisecond of what just happened with Parker and a whole lot of leftover dulce de leche cake. I went home and prepared for a deep dig on my feelings.

“Spill it, Navarro.”

Parker blocked the doorway to our room, arms crossed, expression determined. I’d barely gotten my foot in the door before she ambushed me.

“Spill what?” I tried to keep my face neutral, but Parker could read me like a romance book.

“Whatever has you looking like that.” She gestured vaguely at my face. “You’ve got this weird glow thing happening, and you’re rarely smiling when you come back from your family’s place.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I edged past her into our room, dropping my bag on the bed.

“Oh my god.” Parker’s eyes widened with realization. “He kissed you, didn’t he? Flynn Kingman kissed you.”

I opened my mouth to deny it, but what came out instead was, “How did you know?”

“HA!” She slammed the door and did a little victory dance. “I knew it! You’ve got that just-been-thoroughly-kissed face.”

“That’s not a thing,” I protested, but I couldn’t hide the smile.

“It is absolutely a thing, and you are wearing it like a billboard.” She plopped down on my bed, eyes gleaming. “So? How was it? Is he as good as he looks like he’d be? Did he use tongue? Wait, hang on.”

Parker pulled out her phone, thumbs flying.

“What are you doing?” I asked, suddenly nervous.

“Emergency meeting of the Baby Donkey Sitters Club,” she announced. “This is big news.”

“Parker, no?—”

“Too late.” She grinned unrepentantly. “And... sent.”

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “It’s not that big a deal.”

“Um, Flynn Kingman, campus heartbreaker and your nemesis-turned-crush, kissed you, and you’re saying it’s not a big deal?” She raised an eyebrow. “Either it was the worst kiss in history, or you’re lying.”

Before I could respond, there was a rapid knock at our door. Parker bounded over to open it, revealing Hannah, Alice, and Bettie, all wide-eyed and expectant.

“That was fast,” I muttered.

“We were already in the common room,” Alice explained, rushing in. “Is it true? Did the Flynn Kingman kiss happen?”

I sighed, knowing resistance was futile. “Yes, okay? We kissed. It was nice. End of story.”

Except in my romance novels, it was just the beginning and I hoped this held true in real life .

“‘Nice’ she says.” Bettie shook her head, closing the door behind them. “Honey, men like Flynn Kingman don’t do ‘nice’ kisses. They do earth-shattering, life-altering, panty-melting kisses.”

“Bettie,” I covered my face, which was on fire.

“What? It’s true.” She sat at my desk chair. “Now give us details. And don’t leave anything out.”

Surrounded and outnumbered, I surrendered. “It was... my first.”

Four pairs of eyes widened in perfect synchronization. The words hung in the air between us. It was one thing to admit I’d never had a relationship, but confessing I’d never been kissed felt embarrassingly juvenile.

“Your first kiss?” Hannah asked gently. “Ever?”

I nodded, suddenly self-conscious. At twenty-two, I was practically ancient to just be having my first kiss. “I know it’s?—”

“It’s sweet,” Alice said firmly.

To my surprise, no one laughed. Instead, Hannah squeezed my hand. “That’s okay,” she said softly. “We’ve all been there.”

“So, how was it?” Parker prompted.

I thought about Flynn’s lips on mine, the way his hand had cradled my face, how safe and wanted I’d felt in his arms. “It was perfect,” I admitted quietly. “Better than I imagined.”

“See? Earth-shattering.” Bettie nodded sagely. “The point is,” she continued, “we’re here for you. Whatever you need. Advice, pep talks, someone to help you pick out date outfits?—”

“Or first-time lingerie,” Alice added with a wink .

“Oh my god, we are not there yet.” I covered my face again.

“But you’re thinking about it,” Parker teased. When I didn’t immediately deny it, she crowed triumphantly. “I knew it.”