“I missed you today,” he said.
She stopped and turned to look at him. “Blue.”
“Hey, drive along.” He winked at her. “Hey, Becky. Hey John.” He tried to knuckles the friend but John clearly didn’t have a clue so it looked odd.
Laylah had a forced smile to her lips and she grabbed his arm, marching him away from her friends. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What? I can’t hang out with you?”
She folded her arms and glanced behind her. He did the same to see Becky showing John what he was trying to do. She turned back to look at him. “I don’t know what you’re doing, Blue, but I don’t like it. We’ve never been close or even friends. Now you’ve asked me out on a date, and you’re acting like …”
“Like I want to go out with you and you know, be your boyfriend?” He wasn’t going to be vague. There was no way he wanted Laylah to mistake his intentions. He wanted her. Plain and simple. He watched her, waiting.
“Yes.”
“I do,” he said.
She looked away from him and shook her head. “I don’t think this is right. I want you to give me some space.”
“You’re telling me you don’t want to go out with me?” He stepped close to her, not wanting any distance between them.
“No, I don’t.”
“I find that very hard to believe.”
“You do have a high opinion of yourself.”
“No, I don’t. What I am is confident. I know what I want and I’m going after it. No questions asked, and you, baby, is what I want.” He stared at her as she looked at him, seeming completely clueless about what to say. To help her along, he grabbed her hip, and in front of the entire corridor of people, he slammed his lips down on hers, kissing her.
It wasn’t how he’d hoped to have their first kiss, but for now, it was going to have to do.
Tracing his tongue across her lips, he waited for her to open and the moment she did, he plunged inside, hearing her moan. It was quiet at first but deepened as he sank his fingers into her hair.
All of a sudden, the kiss that shouldn’t have been changed. She pushed him away hard. Right there in front of everyone, she slapped him across the face and stormed away.
He was left speechless as he admired her ass on the walk away.
What the fuck had he done?
He’d felt her submission. She’d wanted his kiss and he wasn’t going to allow her to deny it. He’d fucking felt it.
Blue touched his cheek as Becky and John came toward him.
“That wasn’t a good move, slick,” Becky said.
“Don’t worry. She hates everyone, and well, Laylah, she doesn’t exactly trust easy.” John slapped him on the shoulder, much in the same way he’d done with Mitchell, and they both left.
Seconds later, Mitchell was at his side, laughing his ass off.
“Shut up.”
“I’m sorry, but come on. This is going to be all around the school. How can you not find it fucking hilarious? The town hero can’t get the girl of his dreams and she slugs him right in front of everyone.” Again, more laughter.
To everyone, Laylah had rejected him, but he’d felt it. She’d enjoyed his kiss to begin with and then changed her mind.
He didn’t know why she had, but he wasn’t put off. No, he was intrigued, and what was more, he knew he was going to kiss her again, because it was the best fucking kiss of his life.
****
“I can’t believe I slapped him,” Laylah said.
She was outside for lunch with John and Becky. They’d opted for the warmth instead of the constant staring inside the cafeteria. Everywhere she went today, people pointed and whispered. She hated it. She’d never been the kind of person who craved attention and yet, here she was, getting it.
Blue had kissed her.
Really kissed her in front of everyone at school, and it was crazy how she’d responded. No one seemed to know that. Her lips, even now after a few hours, tingled. She resisted the urge to touch them and instead drank some of her milkshake. The pizza on her tray was unappealing compared to the one she’d shared with Blue just last night. She had to stop thinking about him.
“It was fucking epic,” John said. “I don’t think I’ve seen any girl slap him or reject him.”
Laylah winced.
“The cheerleading squad is going to be after you, babe,” Becky said. “You know he’s a man whore, right?”
John snorted. “Please, there’s no way all those rumors are true.”
“Please tell me we’re just talking about him screwing with the entire team and not anything else?” Laylah asked.
“You might want to wash your mouth out,” Becky said. “I heard he’s a player of the highest order. We’re talking lots of women. Even a cougar or something.” She shrugged. “Girls talk in the locker room and the squad has a whole host of things to say.”