Chasing Ivy (Oak Hill 1)

I was rolling with laughter when I looked up at his face. His mouth was opened wide but there was still a smile on it. He didn’t think I’d actually use that much force to kick him, but I was serious when I’d told him I’d been practicing.

I’d been going to kick-boxing with my mom for the past few weeks. I was channeling my true, inner Charlie’s Angel.

As soon as I stopped laughing and my body relaxed, my eyes slowly trailed down to his hand. He was sitting upright on his butt, but his palm was still splayed, wide-open on my upper thigh.

I stared down at it, feeling the air shift around us. It was like a nice, warm blanket encasing us, for just a second. No scary overthinking clouded the moment. Just his hand on my thigh, causing butterflies to erupt from deep within. I felt a strange pull in my belly and goosebumps spread along my arms.

The TV was still playing in the background but the only noise I could focus on was his breathing. I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that, but what I was sure of, was how alive I felt with his hand on my leg.

I wanted him to leave it there.

I wanted the thrill of his hands on my body.

I wanted him.

I wanted my best friend.

Chapter Six

Dawson

My hand is on her thigh. My hand is on her thigh and the only thing I can think about is how I want to inch it upward, towards her sweetest part.

What am I doing?

I’m ruining everything.

But I didn’t care.

My hand twitched forward, just a fraction of a centimeter. I waited to see her reaction. I waited to see if she would pull her leg back and scramble to her feet, but she didn’t. She took a sharp inhale of breath and I flicked my eyes up to hers.

The gold specks within her emerald eyes were sparkling, like they were egging me on. And did they ever.

I moved my hand even further, feeling excitement run along my veins. She was so perfect, and beautiful. And… just Ivy. My breaths were uneven. They were coming in spurts. I wanted to pounce on her. I wanted to lay her on her back and claim her mouth with mine. I’d imagined the way her tongue would feel along mine all fucking night.

Things were moving at a wicked fast pace. This morning, I looked at her like she was my best friend, but now I was looking at her like she was my lifeline.

Like I’d literally die if I didn’t feel her lips on mine in the next three seconds.

Slowly, I pulled my upper body upright, so I was caging her body within mine. There was nowhere for her to go. She could either sit here and push me away or lay back and allow me to claim her like my entire body was telling me to do.

She didn’t move, at all. Only her mouth. My eyes left hers and I stared down at her pale pink, heart-shaped mouth. It opened, just slightly, and I could smell the sweet, vanilla ice cream on her breath. I licked my lips, mere seconds away from kissing her, and then she jumped, letting out a small scream.

I shot my head up and looked in the direction of my door.

“Whoa, my bad. I thought you were alone.”

I clenched my eyes shut tightly and then opened them to stare at my older brother. I was about to tell him to get the fuck out and shut the door but my mouth halted when I realized he had a fucking terrible, swollen black-eye.

My shoulders slumped as I took in his appearance. He’d been in a fight. That part was obvious. Dark green grass stains covered the knees of his jeans, and his t-shirt looked loose around the neck, like someone had pulled on it. His dark hair was sticking up in several different directions and in addition to his blackening eye, his nose had a little dried blood just below his right nostril.

“What happened?” I asked, not taking my hand off Ivy’s leg. She was sitting with her back bone-straight to my brother. Her lips were smooshed together and she was staring directly at my face.

I glanced back up to my brother and his forehead furrowed before he asked, “Ivy?”

Her shoulders slumped and then she slowly swiveled her body towards the door.

“Hi, Emmett.” I couldn’t help but notice the pink blush that crept across her cheeks. It made me grin and when she looked back at me, she was acting totally opposite of the Ivy I knew; she was being shy. Ivy wasn’t normally shy around me, even with other people around. But looking at her right now, she looked ready to bolt out of my room in less than five seconds.