Us At First (Carolina Rebels 2.50)

She laughs. “My parents.” Her tone takes an abrupt shift. “Although, my dad hasn’t responded to me all day, so I don’t know why I’m bothering.”

The line moves, so I take her carry-on, put it on top of mine, and place a hand on her lower back to move us the few feet forward to let her finish her texts. Besides, I’m a gentleman when I want to be and for some reason, I feel like I should score some points with this girl.

“Oh, thanks. You don’t have to.” Her eyes fall to her bag and then to my arm. My hand is still on her back. It’s a warm back, even through the thin material of her pink shirt.

I shrug off her comment. Man, I wish I knew her better and that we weren’t in an airport. My fingers twitch with wanting to explore her body. A little higher and I’d touch her bra. Finally, it’s our turn and I reluctantly drop my hand. Sydney goes first and she waits for me. Probably because I have her things. We board the plane in silence and once we’re seated, Sydney’s legs start doing their nervous dance again. She checks her phone one more time while I text my dad and then we switch them to airplane mode.

“No response?”

“No.” She sighs. “Last time I came, I had to wait an hour before he picked me up because he was apparently busy with something else. I hope that doesn’t happen again, but I have a feeling it will since he hasn’t talked to me today. Maybe the chairs will still be comfy?”

Unlikely they were ever that comfy in the first place. But surely her dad won’t stand her up when she’s here for her grandmother’s funeral? “Maybe he

’s just busy and getting ready.”

“Maybe.” She doesn’t seem to believe that and for some reason, neither do I. “I hate takeoffs,” she mutters once we pull away from the gate.

“Why? They’re exciting. Think of it like first kisses.” She turns her head to look at me with confusion. “There’s the build of anticipation as we slowly make our way to the tarmac, which is like the build-up before the kiss. Then there’s the moment where they stop. That’s when you just know there’s going to be a kiss. Your heart’s beating a million miles an hour and you’re nervous and worried about how things will go, but you’re ready for it. When they start moving, you brace yourself. You might not like the adrenaline of taking off, but it’s like finally having someone kiss you. And then, you’re soaring. So, pretend someone’s about to kiss you.”

Her eyes drop to my lips, but quickly glance away. She nods, leans her head against the headrest, and closes her eyes. Her hand grips the armrest, but then flips over. Palm up. I glance up, but her eyes are still closed. Just as her hand is about to turn over, I take it in mine. She squeezes it while taking a deep breath.

She’s so going to imagine kissing me. Maybe I can kiss her before this is all over with. We have nearly two hours on this plane; plus, I’ve decided to wait with her if her dad is late.

I’m going to make the most of my time with her.

I’ve never been kissed before. Now, all I can imagine is a poor imitation of what it would be like if Ian kissed me, which is ridiculous. I don’t know this guy! But I’m guessing he’d be a great kisser. Aren’t all guys who have this confident, easygoing air about them great kissers? That’s what I’ve been led to believe, at least. My cheeks feel hot at the thought of kissing him, and if his equally hot hand wasn’t holding mine, I’d fan myself.

“Is it a good one?” I hear Ian ask in a whisper.

One eye pops open to look at him. “What?”

“That kiss you’re imagining. Is it a good one?”

My cheeks are burning now. Was it that obvious? The plane is in position and we’re at a complete standstill. In a second or so, we’ll move to take off. “I’ve never been kissed,” I blurt out.

Oh my god! The embarrassment is overwhelming, especially when his eyes widen in surprise. He has to think I’m a weirdo. What sixteen-year-old hasn’t been kissed yet? It seems like everyone back home makes out all the time. It’s annoying. Mostly because I want to be kissed, but I have too many nerves and I don’t want it to be just anyone, so these lips remain kiss-free.

Ian’s hand cups my cheek to turn my head toward him. “Close your eyes again.” The plane begins to move and I do. Why am I doing this? Why is he touching me?

My stomach somersaults, but I don’t know if it’s from Ian’s hand on my cheek, the feel of his forehead now against mine, or because we’re picking up speed and I really, really hate takeoffs. My hand tightens around Ian’s. I take a deep breath that is completely stolen when a soft brush of lips grazes against mine.

Oh.

My.

God.

My first kiss!

A jostle of the plane nearly snaps me out of it until Ian’s tongue glides across my closed mouth in a somehow gentle but demanding way, wanting in. I break into a smile, laughing a little because this situation—a random guy I met in the airport giving me my first kiss to calm my nerves—is so utterly ridiculous, but a tongue enters my mouth and I forget why I was laughing. My mouth takes over, moving hungrily in harmony with Ian, and it’s like all the nerves in my body have come alive.

Wow.

This is amazingly awesome and terrific and I need more of this. The kiss is frantic. Is that a low groan I hear from Ian? How can kisses be so consuming and good, especially with someone I barely know? Ian’s mouth slows, the tongue is gone, and one quick kiss is pressed to my forehead. My eyes are still closed; I can’t open them yet and ruin this feeling. There’s a current of adrenaline coursing through me. It’s delicious, making me nearly delirious. If I’d known kissing was going to be like that, I would have crossed it off my list a long time ago. I’ve been missing out.

Ian chuckles. “We’re in the air, gorgeous. You can open your eyes now.”

I open my eyes and sure enough, a quick glance out the window proves we’re in the air. That’s the first time the takeoff didn’t bother me. I didn’t even realize we were taking off. All future flights should start this way.