Slow, I remind myself.
I need to take this nice and easy.
Once I’ve set her on the cushion next to me, she rises to her feet before staggering toward the kitchen like a drunk. I’m tempted to reach out and steady her, but I know she’ll shy away from my touch. Already, the recriminations are setting in. I can see the play of emotion on her face. I mentally will down the boner in my athletic shorts and drag a hand through my hair before following her out of the living room and into the entryway where she waits.
With the door held open.
If I’m not careful, she’ll boot my ass out before I can even say goodnight.
Just as I pass her, I stop. “So, what did you think?”
She blinks in confusion. “Of what?”
“The lip ring.”
When a blush blooms in her cheeks, I whisper, “Now imagine it against your clit.”
Her eyes grow impossibly wide as her jaw turns slack. A smirk curves my lips as I close the door and head for the stairwell.
And that, my friends, is exactly how you make an exit.
21
BROOKE
Seconds tick by as I stare at the closed door in shock. My fingers tremble as they rise to my lips before gently sweeping across the plump flesh. Without looking in the beveled mirror hanging over the credenza, I already know they’re swollen. I have no idea how long we kissed. It could have been minutes or hours. It’s all a blur. What I do know is that when I finally pulled away, the movie had ended.
Crosby Rhodes.
I just made out with Crosby Rhodes.
The bad boy of the Western Wildcats football team.
No matter how many times I silently repeat his name in my head, it still sounds just as farfetched. Did he actually admit that he’s wanted to kiss me for a while, or was I in some kind of fugue state?
No way. It can’t be true. He’s always been such a jerk. There have even been a few times when I wanted to punch him in the face. And just to be clear, I’m not the kind of girl who loses her shit and gets violent. That’s never been my style. But over the last year and a half, Crosby has managed to find a way to push every single button.
Almost like it was purposeful.
I shake my head to clear it of all the warring thoughts in my brain. I have no idea if this changes anything between us. It’s not like we were friends to begin with.
So…what does that make us now?
As I walk into the living area, another guy pops into my brain and I stumble to a halt.
Oh my god…how could I make out with Crosby when I’m interested in someone else?
A mixture of disgust and disbelief bubbles up in my throat. The only rational explanation is that I was out of sorts from my visit with Elaine. I can’t imagine something like this happening under any other circumstance.
At least…I don’t think it would.
As I step across the threshold of my bedroom, my gaze gravitates to Crosby’s neatly folded T-shirt on my desk. Had I been thinking clearly, I would have given it back to him. Although, I think we can all agree that if my brain had been functioning properly, I wouldn’t have made out with him in the first place.
I peel off the skirt and sweater before unsnapping my bra. A groan of relief slides from my lips as the tight fabric falls from my shoulders. I don’t have cute little bras that are delicate and decorative in nature. Nope, the ones I buy are purely utilitarian. And if I can find something that minimizes the girls a cup size or two, the happier I am.
Normally, I’d grab a tank top from my dresser drawer and pull it on. Instead, I gravitate to the navy T-shirt. I’d meant to wash and return it but haven’t gotten around to doing it. For a moment, I stare at the material before raising it.
Don’t do it.
Ignoring the voice in my head, I hold the soft cottony material to my nose and inhale deeply. The scent of Crosby’s woodsy cologne inundates my senses, just like it did when I was settled on his lap only a handful of minutes ago.
Ugh.
Why does he have to smell so damn delicious?
My eyelids drift shut as my belly flutters with newfound awareness. Being wrapped up in his scent is all it takes to remind me of what it felt like to have his mouth coasting over mine and his lip ring dragging across my flesh. Arousal flares to life deep in the pit of my belly as my core floods with heat. If I’m being completely honest, the feel of the metal was just as sexy as I thought it would be.