I swallowed. “Back there, when you said you wanted to kiss me. . .”
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Did you mean it?”
His eyes zeroed in on my mouth. When he leaned down, his lips hovering above mine, I squeezed my eyes closed. Every nerve ending stood at attention. My breathing rasped in and out of my lungs, while my pulse pounded in my ears. Everything around me was magnified times one thousand.
“What do you think?” he whispered.
CHAPTER NINE
“Carson!” Jeremiah Dermot yelled from the hallway.
My eyes fluttered open, and I was staring straight into the dazzling blue of Carson’s eyes. His hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer. I could practically feel his lips on mine before Jeremiah yelled again. “Dude, let’s go, man!”
Carson sighed, then straightened just as Jeremiah and Greg ambled into the kitchen. “Yo man, you’re supposed to be our DD and drive us home. And we need to jet.”
Grumbling, Carson squeezed his eyes closed, and said, “Okay. Just one second. Be right there.”
Then he turned back to me. “Crap. I totally forgot they had to leave early, and I promised them. . .”
“It’s fine,” I said, feeling equal parts relieved and desperate for him to stay.
“Be here when I get back?” His eyes scanned my face earnestly, causing my stomach to turn inside out.
“Yeah, sure,” I said.
He nodded and flashed me a megawatt smile before he turned to the guys. “Okay, pin-heads, let’s go.”
Once he was gone, I exhaled and spun around toward the counter. Leaning forward, I pressed my forehead into a kitchen cabinet. After my interaction with Carson and our almost-kiss, I wasn’t sure I could stand upright without the added support.
What the heck just happened? I almost locked lips with Carson Brooks. My insides squeezed at the thought.
“You know he doesn’t really like you, right?” Olivia called from behind me.
My head snapped up, and I spun around to face her in all her snotty bleach-blonde glory. Her overly lipsticked mouth spread into a smile as she drew closer. “He only invited you because he feels sorry for you.”
I swallowed. “How do you know that?”
“He told me.” Olivia glanced down to her manicure like she was talking about the weather and not crushing my spirit. After a moment, she turned her eyes back to mine and added, “I just thought you should know. I mean, as your friend and all. I’d hate for you to get hurt.”
“Right,” I said, though I had no illusions as to how much of a friend to me Olivia really was. “Um, thanks.”
“No problem.” She shrugged. “Us girls gotta stick together.”
Just as she spun around to leave the kitchen, Ethan appeared in the entryway. Sidestepping him like the plague, she disappeared into the living room.
Hand in pockets and looking sheepish, Ethan strolled toward me. “What did she want?”
I shrugged. “Oh, you know, the usual.” I stared at Ethan, my emotions a tangle of knots with the knowledge that he disappointed me tonight. Suddenly, I was tired. Spent. I didn’t know whether to believe Olivia or not, but I wasn’t sure it even mattered. Carson Brooks and I hooking up was the craziest thing I could think of.
“Hey, about the game in there. . .” Ethan drew closer and reached out to nudge me in the arm. “I’m sorry. I acted like an idiot. I just wanted to test a theory.”
“A theory?” I asked, hating the way my throat ached. Why did I feel like I was going to cry?
“I wanted to see if Carson likes you.”
“Oh.” I swallowed. “And your conclusion?”