Falling For My Nemesis

Carson shrugged. “Nah. It won’t be that bad. We’ll have my Jeep. And I can skip practice in the morning.”

“Carson Brooks is going to skip his morning swim practice?” My eyes widened as I teased. I clutched at my chest like I might have a heart attack. “Someone alert the press. Call the Sweet Water Gazette STAT!”

“Haha. Funny.”

I jabbed him in the ribs, and he grabbed my hand, playfully tugging me forward. Once I was right in front of him, he brushed a lock of hair from my eyes, and I thought, This is it. Then he attacked my ribs with his fingers.

“No!” I screamed, breathless. “No. No. No.”

“Oh, someone’s ticklish,” he crowed, laughing.

His fingers moved lightly over my ribs and my back as I squirmed in his arms, laughing until my stomach hurt. “Stop,” I begged.

“Not until you say please.”

“Puh-lease,” I wheezed.

He stopped but made no effort to move his arms. Instead, he kept them wrapped around me, my back pressed into the warmth of his chest, and everything inside me came alive. My heart knocked against my rib cage, my breathing quickened, and my palms dampened. Suddenly, my senses heightened. I could smell the shampoo in his hair, feel the warmth of his breath on my neck. Blood pounded in my ears as his fingers gripped my waist and slowly turned me.

“Hey,” he said, his voice husky. His eyes scanned my face, landing on my mouth.

“Hey,” I whispered. And then his mouth was on mine, warm and soft, and everything I thought it’d be.

His long arms tightened around me, pulling me further into his chest as he lifted me slightly off my feet, and I thought, this is what a kiss should be like. All other kisses before this one had been a waste, just practice for the main event. Because nothing compared to kissing Carson Brooks.

He angled his head, guiding my lips apart, deepening the kiss as a little sigh escaped my mouth. His lips teased and coaxed. He nipped my lower lip, then kissed me harder, his tongue brushing mine, and I wondered idly where he learned to kiss like this, then decided I didn’t want to know.

Dragging his fingertips up my arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake, he slid them into my hair, angling my head, both of us sinking into the kiss further—a tangle of lips and limbs and breathless sighs until my stomach tightened and everything inside me burned, a fire ripping through me from the inside out.

When he pulled away slightly, he helped me find my footing, his breathing heavy. Then he swallowed and stared into my eyes. “Mia, I was wondering. . .I wanted to ask you if—”

“Mia, are you finished yet?” Ethan’s voice boomed, startling us apart. I jumped, and Carson’s arms fell away, back to his sides.

My cheeks burned guiltily as Ethan entered the room, eyeing both of us strangely. “You ready?” he asked, his tone clipped.

“What? To go where?” I blinked through the haze of confusion, the kiss having killed a couple thousand brain cells, thinking it was a miracle I could even speak.

“The movie? You said we could go to the late showing. Remember? If we’re going to make it, we need to leave now.”

“Oh, uh.” I glanced back to the boxes, then to Carson. How did I tell him I’d rather stay there and pack boxes with his brother? And okay, maybe I wanted to kiss him again, to see if we could recreate the moment we just shared or if it was a one-time fluke. I was betting it wasn’t a fluke.

“Forget it.” Ethan shook his head, obviously sensing my hesitation, his shoulders tense.

Carson stepped forward, grabbing the bag of wrapping paper, and catching my eye. “It’s cool. You guys go. I’ll finish up.”

My stomach sunk. “You sure? Weren’t you about to ask me something? I can stay if you need me to?” Please say you need me to.

Carson stepped closer and reached out, touching my hand briefly. He opened his mouth to say something, his eyes locked on mine, and I willed the words out of them, whatever they were.

I wanted to ask you if. . .

You’d go to the dance with me?

You’d go out with me?

Be my girlfriend?

I was dying to know.