Balance (Off Balance 1)

My breathing deepened as the moment grew slow and quiet. Hayden stood to his full height, stepping in closer between my legs so his waist was pressed to the countertop. My lips parted, a breath rolling off as he stared deeply into my eyes. His hand carefully cupped my cheek, his fingers holding my jaw steady. I swallowed when his eyes traveled to my mouth, his head dipping down just inches away from closing the distance.

“You’re so pretty when you laugh, Aid,” he whispered, his nose rubbing mine. Goose bumps broke out across my skin. “Your whole face lights up,” he added, this time against my lips as his hand slipped into the back of my hair, kneading my head. “You can make fun of me all you want if it makes you laugh the way you just did.”

He closed the short distance and pressed his lips to mine, soft and gentle. My heart pounded, unsure what to think of this moment.

Tenderly, he pulled my bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled on it. I gave in with only a slight hesitation. A simmering heat washed over me when his warm tongue slipped inside and met mine.

I moaned, liking Hayden’s kiss. It was completely unexpected and I wasn’t sure what to think. Not that I could—or wanted to. Leaning into him, I pressed my chest to his, my back arched and my hands came up to his firm shoulders before sliding into his chalky hair. Even with the fabric of my shirt between us, the heat of his bare skin against mine was heavenly.

Hayden deepened the kiss as I tugged on his hair, and my thighs squeezed his hips, feeling pleasure streaming through my body. Our mouths mimicked each other’s, our tongues dancing perfect

ly as a sweet bliss hit both of us.

Hayden was a damn fine kisser.

And I had a pretty good idea he knew when he pulled me closer. He took control and set the pace, and I allowed it. There was no space between us, my legs wrapped around his back, and my heels pressed into him, wanting to feel him closer to me.

Hayden’s mouth became aggressive. Pleasure flowed through my body, starting from my head down to the tips of my toes. A blaze of warmth steadily grew between us and we both drew from it. I’d kissed a couple boys before, but Hayden’s kiss belonged in another league.

My hands moved from his hair down his neck and onto his firm pecks, skimming over his honey colored skin. He exuded strength beneath my touch, and I wanted to feel every inch of his body. Moving to his hips, the back of my knuckles danced over the V that dipped into his sweatpants. His stomach twitched, and he squeezed me just a little tighter. Sliding around to his back, I cupped his round ass. This time it was his turn to groan into my mouth, and I liked the sound of it. I gave his ass a little squeeze and he tensed.

“Hayden,” I whispered against his lips, but he didn’t process my words. His hands didn’t stop caressing and kneading my waist, my back, or my thighs. He was everywhere.

“Aid,” he mumbled on my lips, palming my cheeks.

“Hmm?”

“I want to feel you all over me.” Then he slammed his mouth to mine. His hands roamed my body, as if he couldn’t touch me fast enough. My panties dampened at his touch. Hayden moved my hand to the front of his pants to cup his hardness. I held back a grimace, my palms pulsated from my rips, but I sucked it up because curiosity got the best of me. The urge to dip my hand inside his pants was strong. I wasn’t a prude, but I didn’t have a ton of experience either. I’d had a boyfriend back home and we fooled around, but nothing serious. When he realized gymnastics was more important to me than having sex with him, he dropped me like a bad habit. I was fine with that.

My chest rose and fell, my breathing deepened at the contemplation of my hand exploring him.

The heat of his breath tickled my cheek. “What are you thinking?” he asked roughly.

I had a feeling the look in his eyes mimicked mine. Heavy and glossy, drowning in the intense air enveloping us.

Unable to find the right words, I showed him. My nails grazed the lip of his low sitting sweatpants ever so slowly. Hayden drew in a shaky breath and his hands tightened on my nape, my head tilted back. His jaw flexed as the tips of my fingers dipped inside and brushed his pubic hair. I swallowed hard.

“I think we should stop,” he said gutturally.

I paused, insecurity consuming me. “Oh, okay. Am I doing something wrong?” Maybe this was another reason my ex-boyfriend dropped me.

“No,” he murmured. “You’re not doing anything wrong, it feels good, but if you keep touching me like—”

He cut himself off, clutching my wrist tightly. My fingers were about to slide deeper when he stopped them.

“Adrianna. Do you know how good this feels?”

“No,” I answered quietly when he released my wrist. A brow lifted and he placed his hand on my hip. “Have you ever had a boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

His other hand stayed in my hair. “And?”

“We didn’t do much, just played around.”

“You’re a virgin,” he stated more than asked. I nodded, inhaling. “I don’t think this is such a good idea,” he said.

Just as I thought he was about to pull away, Hayden dove in for another kiss, claiming my mouth. For me, that was the green light to dive into him.