Chasing Ivy (Oak Hill 1)

Dawson’s oceanic eyes became darker, his pupils dilating as he stared at my face. He ran a steady hand through his hair and rolled his lower lip between his teeth. My eyes took in every bit of his lips, the way they slightly curve

d inward and the way the lower one was slightly plumper than the top.

He had to be a good kisser; he had kissed tons of girls and they just kept on coming back, even after he’d all but thrown them away, spewing that he didn’t want a relationship.

I had to believe he wouldn’t treat me that way, though, or else I was going to be in big, big trouble. What if he didn’t want me as a girlfriend? Maybe he just wanted to kiss me. Or maybe not.

The low wail of sirens from outside sounded around us, and it was a welcome noise from the silence that had entrenched the room.

“So, about earlier,” he started, cutting right through the awkwardness.

My heart pounded viciously in my chest and I couldn’t help but start to feel like my world was about to come crashing down.

I blurted, “It’s okay, Dawson. You don’t have to pretend like it meant anything. We just—”

All the words dissipated on my lips when his rough palm rested on my cheek. I drew in a sharp breath as my body jolted backwards from his touch, but at the same time, he lurched forward. We were like magnets; as soon as I’d pull away, he’d come closer, like there was no other way for us to be.

“Dawson,” I whispered. “You’re,” I gulped, ignoring how amazing his hand felt on my face. “You’re my best friend…”

He nodded his head slightly and I continued, still whispering. “This will change everything…”

“I don’t care,” his tone was guttural and it caused something to explode inside me. Instantly, I didn’t care either. All the well-thought out arguments I had made earlier were diminished. Not a single one left in the background to keep me from making things messy or risky. I think, after hearing what he was trying to imply, after feeling his warm breath on my cheek, after waking up and feeling his bare skin on mine…that kissing Dawson was worth the risk.

He was worth the risk.

Things were shifting dangerously, but nothing could stop the way my body felt. Nothing could stop the thumping in my chest and the ringing in my ears. Nothing could penetrate what was happening in this moment. Not even the increasingly loud sirens outside his window.

He leaned in a little closer, dipping his body down to mine, eyeing me, watching to see if I’d pull away—but I didn’t. In fact, I moved closer.

Our lips were only millimeters apart; I could almost feel the softness of his on mine.

My heart strummed and my entire body felt electrified, and then his mouth fell onto mine in one swift, perfect moment.

And everything went calm.

Dawson’s kiss was dangerous; it shut the entire world out. It was the type of kiss that made you close your eyes even when you begged them to stay open.

I innocently fell into his body, moving my lips along his like they were meant to do that exact movement for the rest of my life. His tongue moved languidly across mine and if there had been real butterflies in my stomach, they’d be flying so fast that my whole body would probably take flight.

I let out a sound, one that I’d never even made before, and it quickly brought me back to reality. I was kissing Dawson so thoroughly that I didn’t even realize my phone was vibrating in my lap.

As soon as he felt the shift in my body, he pulled back, taking his lips off mine. Both of our chests were heaving up and down with such intensity that you’d think we’d just completed a triathlon.

I etched every inch of his face, wondering if he felt the same way that I did. If he had felt how right and life-altering that kiss just was. As if every single wrong in the world had suddenly been righted.

By the looks of his face, he had. He had felt it too. His mouth was opened a little and his eyes were widened beyond their normal size. The sharp angles of his cheeks were pinker than before and then he let out a sigh.

“Wow.”

The kiss was so powerful that my eyes had glossed over, suddenly blurring the edges around Dawson’s face.

I was at a loss for words, completely stricken to the point that I didn’t even know where I was. All I knew was that I’d just kissed Dawson and that it was the best kiss I’d ever had.

I wanted to spend the rest of my life feeling the way I just had with him.

My forehead scrunched when he tipped his head to my still vibrating phone, and then his attention went to the window.

The sirens I’d heard earlier seemed close, and they weren’t fading away. They should have moved on by now. They wouldn’t still be that loud.