The Harder You Fall (Rixon Raiders 3)

“I can’t wait to see the skyline.” Her smile was easy, her words light, but I felt the lingering tension between us.

I’d been a dick the other day at lunch with my mom. But when she’d brought up college, I had immediately gone to a dark place. I knew Mya thought it had something to do with her applying to Cleveland, but she was so far off the mark. That was the only good thing to come out of that conversation. Cleveland wasn’t Pittsburgh but it was close e-fucking-nough. Two hours was nothing. We could have stopovers, spend the weekends together, see each other every other day if we wanted.

But that was the dream.

The reality was much different.

The reality was that my father wouldn’t want me going off to Pittsburgh still dating Mya. He’d want me single; available to date a long list of suitable girls.

Girls like Kellie Ginly.

Pittsburgh was a long way from Rixon though, long enough that we could keep it a secret from him, if it came down to it. Because I couldn’t lose her.

“Where’d you go?” Mya brushed her nose across my jaw, commanding my attention.

“Just thinking.”

She cupped my face, turning me into her. “No thinking. Not today.” Mya kept her voice low, her words only meant for me. “We’re going to go to New York, to celebrate the new year, and have an amazing time with our friends. The rest can wait, okay?”

Nodding, I pressed my head to Mya’s, letting my lips brush over hers. Her fingers tightened into my hoodie as she leaned closer, letting me deepen the kiss.

This.

This was what I needed.

Her kisses.

Her touch.

Just her.

Someone cleared their throat, Jason I think. But I didn’t care, and I didn’t stop. I kept kissing Mya, letting my tongue glide and tangle with hers. Igniting a firestorm inside me, flames searing me inside out.

I would gladly burn for this girl.

“I hope to fuck they aren’t going to do this for the whole ride.” There was no mistaking it was Jase this time. Mya chuckled against my mouth, the sound wrapping around my heart like a vise.

“We should stop,” she breathed.

“No,” I slid my hand into her hair, anchoring her face to mine, “we should keep going.”

“Ash…”

“Mya...” She didn’t resist when I captured her lips again, kissing her harder. Deeper. Kissing with her with everything I had.

“Babe, if they carry on,” Flick said, “we might have to stop.”

I finally broke the kiss, sliding my eyes up front to where Felicity sat beside Jason in the front of the minivan we’d hired. She leaned closer, whispering something to him. “Fuck,” he muttered, his eyes hard on the road.

“Everything okay up there?”

His eyes met mine in the mirror, and he grumbled, “I don’t know whether to high five you or throw you out of the van.”

“Me? What the hell did I do?” I smothered a grin, settling back against the seat with Mya tucked into my side.

Rixon was miles behind us now. Exactly where I wanted to leave it. Because my girl was right; this was our weekend.

And not a single thing was going to ruin it.