Tempting Bride - Chapter 5 First Kiss

His gaze roamed over her body, making her hyper aware of the bikini she’d worn to impress him. Although, until this moment, she had been positive she could have shown up naked and he wouldn’t have been impressed. Her chest was still flat and her hips were nonexistent.

“No, you’re not.” His hot gaze met her eyes. “You don’t look the same at all.”

“I’m seventeen, Drew.”

“Don’t remind me.”

There he went again. He always put her in one of three categoriesfriend zone, sister, or kid. “I know, I’m soooo much younger than you, but could you give it a rest this year? I don’t even know why we hang out anymore.” She grumbled.

“Because you mean something to me.”

“Huh?” Her jaw dropped. “Did you hit your head playing water polo?”

He pulled her in closer and placed her hand on his chest, right over his heart. Her pulse sped up in response. Finally, he was holding her like a man would a woman.

“I’ve been a dick to you all summer because I didn’t want to screw up what we have.”

“You have other options, you know. Like talking to me,” she said. “We used to talk all the time.”

“And say what?” He cupped the side of her face and she leaned into his touch. “That I want you more than a friend should. Yeah, that would go over really well.”

Her heart slammed against her chest. “What?”

“Never mind.”

He let go of her, but she didn’t move an inch. In fact, she pressed her palm harder against his bare chest. “You can’t say you want me more than a friend should, and then follow it up with never mind.”

“I can and I did.” His jaw hardened, giving her a glimpse of the man he was becominghard and unyielding. Stubborn.

Well, she could be stubborn, too. “Coward.”

“Excuse me?” he all but bit out.

“I can’t believe you’re afraid of me.”

He gave her a look. “I’m not afraid of anyone.”

“Yes, you are.”

His heart beat faster against her palm. So cool on the outside, but inside …

“I still have the IOU you gave me,” he said. “Do you still mean what you wrote?”

“No.” It killed her to say the word, but the boy in front of her had turned into a guy she wasn’t sure if she liked anymore.

“There’s something I want to give you,” he said and grasped her shoulders. He dipped his head, stopping millimeters from her lips.

She gasped.

“Have you ever been kissed?”

No. I’ve been saving my first kiss for you.”A billion times.”

“Liar,” he said softly.

She licked her lips. “A million?”

He grinned, and her heart flipped. In that grin, she saw her long-time friend. The boy she’d secretly loved for years.

“Try again.”

“Zero,” she admitted.

“Good.” He brushed his lips across hers, and her toes curled into the sand. “That’s one kiss.”

“Are you going to give me a billion kisses?” she asked, breathless.

“I couldn’t last a billion kisses,” he said right before he kissed her again. This time, his tongue licked at her bottom lip. “I don’t think I can last three kisses.”

“Try anyway.”

He did as she asked, pressing kisses so sweet to her mouth, that she was pretty sure she’d have a toothache later.

“Let me in,” he whispered, his hands sinking into her hair.

She opened her mouth under his. Tentatively, at first, but then his tongue met hers, and she grew bolder. She followed his lead, did everything to him that he did to her, until he was groaning.

She slid her hands up his chest, touching him exactly how she always wanted, and looped her arms around his neck. One of his hands slid down her back, pressing her against him. His other hand roamed freely, touching her in places that made her sigh and shiver.

It was … amazing.

Thrilling.

Romantic.

How could a first kiss get any better than this?

Suddenly, he stopped, pressing his forehead against hers. She searched for his mouth again, but he turned away.

“Shit. We have to stop.” He sounded as though he’d been running for miles. “I can’t keep this up.”