With an overconfident arched eyebrow, Christian narrowed his stare at me, and I swallowed hard. I watched as he continued making his way over to me, one assertive stride after the next.
Slowly, I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly becoming dry. Out of nowhere, it felt as though I was under some spell I couldn’t control or begin to understand. His gaze immediately followed the movement of my tongue, and I found myself taking a step back while folding my arms over my chest and trying to stand my ground.
“Ummm … thanks,” I expressed, wanting to break the awkward silence. “You kind of saved me just now.”
“I do what I can. Kinley, right?”
“You know who I am?”
“Of course I know the name of one of the prettiest girls at our school.”
My heart beat faster, and I couldn’t help but notice how much he towered over me. He was tall, much taller than my five-foot-three frame. He was probably a little over six feet with dark hair and intense green eyes that had a hint of blue running through them. His chiseled jawline and facial hair only added to his sexy allure.
Not to mention he didn’t look his age. He looked older. It was probably easy for him to buy booze or sneak into clubs which I knew he did with Julian. At least that was what everyone at our school gossiped.
Christian was unfazed, standing there in all his glory as I tried like hell to ignore his muscular build as he took me in.
“Are you checking me out?” I blurted, mentally chastising myself.
The one time I needed to sound calm and cool, and I couldn’t pull it off. Not with the way he was staring at me.
“Would you like that?”
“No.”
“That’s not what your body’s telling me.”
“Well, you can’t read my mind.”
He gave me a sexy smirk, making my eyes roll.
“Fine. Try me.”
“I don’t want to embarrass you more than I already am.”
“I’m not embarrassed,” I shrieked, clearing my throat, my voice giving me away.
“Just remember you asked for it.” He stepped toward me, leaving no room between us. “You’re shocked that I know who you are, which is funny because I’ve actually asked around about you, but from what I’ve heard you’re fucking your best friend.”
I gasped. “I am not.”
“You didn’t let me finish. I don’t think you’re fucking Jax because you don’t strike me as the kind of girl who spreads her legs for a guy who isn’t solely fucking you, and Jax gets around.”
He was right. I couldn’t argue with him there.
“You don’t date. You’ve never had a boyfriend. So that tells me you’re either waiting for Prince Charming, or you have no interest in getting hurt. Which, let’s face it, we’re in high school, and the odds of a guy breaking your heart are very likely. Especially since you have no experience—”
“I have experience.”
He smirked. “I bet you’ve never been kissed.”
My mouth dropped open. “Yes, I have.”
“Hmmm…” He thought about it for a second. “I call bullshit.”
“I totally have.”
“Alright. Then prove it.”
I shrugged. “It was with this guy from another school.”
“You mean the guy you just made up?”
“I’m not making him up. His name was Joseph, and he was the best kisser. We actually made out a lot. We couldn’t get enough of each other.”
“Right…”
“Stop with the snide comments. I’m not lying.”
“Like I said, prove it.”
“I just did. I told you his name was—”
“I said prove it, not make up lies.”
“How am I supposed to prove it then?”
I never expected what came out of his mouth next. Never in a million years did I imagine one of the most popular guys in our school would challenge…
“You can prove it by letting me kiss you.”
Chapter 2
Christian
“Are you for real?” she asked, completely caught off guard by my challenge.
I knew she was full of shit. I’d been asking around about Kinley McKenzie since middle school when she walked into my science class with a turquoise backpack. It was the first thing that caught my attention about her.
What girl in the sixth grade didn’t have a pink or purple backpack? So naturally, I was instantly drawn to her, being that turquoise was my favorite color. I was going to ask her to be my science partner, but that fucker Jax beat me to it, and they’d been inseparable ever since. His head was so far up her ass, I was surprised he could still rail as many chicks as he did on a monthly basis. Supposedly, they weren’t into each other.
Although I couldn’t blame him if he was into her. She’d never been touched by anyone, and every guy at our school wanted to try to get with her just to say they were her first. On the other hand, I was drawn in by her ability to still smile despite all the shit she was going through with her mother.