Just a Little Kiss

by Renita Pizzitola

  He watched my tongue flick across my lips while I mentally begged him to just do it already. It was only a matter of time until this window of opportunity came to an abrupt halt. One of the guys would walk in, and we’d have to jump apart, looking guilty and flustered. I’d seen enough rom-coms to know how this went.

  What the hell was he waiting for? Maybe he wanted me to make the first move. Which was a big hell, no. He said he was going to kiss me. I refused to initiate.

  Mason took a deep breath, slid his finger over my chin and said, “We got it all.” Then he left. He freaking turned around and left.

  What. The. Hell?

  I brought my cup to my mouth and chugged half the contents. It was almost easier to drink that way. Or maybe not. Gross. I shivered.

  Turning back to the fridge, I popped it open and reached back in for the orange juice.

  “Hey, T. Whatcha doin’?”

  I grabbed the juice and turned to face Owen. “Thinking about getting drunk. You?”

  He laughed. “Getting drunk.”

  I feigned shock by gasping and pressing my hand to my chest. “Does Colby know?”

  He shrugged. “Hey, I’m almost eighteen.”

  “Last I checked, twenty-one was the legal drinking age.”

  He eyed me up and down. “And last I checked, you were only nineteen.”

  “Got me there.” With a grin, I hopped up on the counter and stared at Owen. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Shoot.” He leaned against the kitchen table and crossed his legs.

  “Your cousin Mason, how well do you know him?”

  He smirked. “Why you asking?”

  I waved him off. “It’s for a friend.”

  “So what does your friend want to know?”

  “Does he like to screw with girls?”

  Owen raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”

  “Does he do the whole flirt-and-tease-then-leave-them-high-and-dry kind of thing?”

  Owen shrugged. “To be honest, he gets quite a bit of attention from girls.”

  I scoffed. “Yeah. Noticed.”

  “But I don’t think he’s a bad guy. I mean, his best friend is a girl. I assume he respects them.”

  “A girl best friend?” I sipped my drink. “That’s interesting. But he is single, right?”

  “He’s never mentioned a girlfriend to me.” Owen smirked. “And I did hear Colby and him talking about you.”

  I loved how Owen never kept secrets from me. We had this little bond thing where sometimes he’d ask me questions about girls and I’d answer honestly, and if I ever had a question about the guys, I’d trust him to give me the scoop. Even if it wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

  “So what were they saying?” I asked.

  “You know, Colby was being Colby. He was protecting your honor or some shit. Basically it was a big ‘you’d better not fuck her over’ speech.”

  “I get Colby is trying to help, but it annoys the hell out of me when he does that crap.”

  “I know, but it’s not really his fault. Brody is the one who made him feel like it was his job or something.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “After he, uh…”

  “Got another girl pregnant,” I offered, hoping to move the conversation forward and having no desire to dwell on that detail. We were broken up when it happened. It wasn’t my business, anyway.

  “Yeah. After all that happened, I heard him telling Colby he wouldn’t be around much—not that you’d want him to be, anyway—but he worried about you and wanted to know you’d be okay. He said he didn’t want to see the girl he loved with some piece of shit who’d never appreciate her. Then he asked Colby to watch out for you.”

  My chest constricted around my heart, and my throat tightened. I was glad to know why Colby was all up in my relationship business, but it killed me to know this conversation took place. I’d tried so hard to have a clean break, but these words were messy.

  I wasn’t in love with Brody anymore, that much I knew. Of course, it took me almost a year to figure that out, but it finally hit me one day. I couldn’t be currently in love with something that no longer existed. Life wasn’t meant to work that way. If I still loved anything, it was the memory of him. The relationship we’d once had. But it was no longer him. I hadn’t spoken to him in over a year. Who’s to say he hadn’t changed? I didn’t know him anymore. And I would like to believe he felt the same way, but hearing what Owen said stirred up all sorts of worry. I wanted Brody to move on, not just physically, but mentally. I needed him to.

  “You okay?” Owen asked.

  “Yeah.” I shook off the unpleasant thoughts. “I’m good. Want to head back outside?” I slid off the counter.

  “Sure.” Of course, now I wondered if Mason keeping his distance had something to do with Colby again. Had he said something tonight? It’s funny how Mason had started the night with flirting and talks of a kiss, but as the party went on he became more and more distant. To the point where when given a perfect opportunity, he walked away. Seemed a bit too suspicious to me.

  Owen opened the back door. “You know if you hook up with my cousin, I’m gonna hear all the dirty details.”

  I swatted at him as I stepped outside. “Quit being such a little pervert.”

  He laughed as he closed the door.

  I leaned toward him and whispered, “But if you do hear anything, I expect a full report.”

  “Ten-four, T.”

  I turned and saw Mason watching our exchange. And it brought back our conversation from the laundromat. Could he really think I had something going on with Owen? It was a crazy notion to me, but maybe a little jealousy right now wouldn’t be a bad thing.

  “Owen, you bothering Felicity again?” Landon asked, while ruffling his kid brother’s hair.

  Owen swatted his hand away. “I’m not bothering her. T loves me.”

  Like Colby, Landon hated when we did the whole pretend-flirting thing, but Owen enjoyed getting under his brothers’ skin. It was almost like his way of proving he wasn’t a kid anymore. And, what could I say? It was funny, so I was glad to help. Not to mention it might be the nudge Mason needed.

  “It’s true.” I sighed. “Just waiting for the day he turns eighteen.” I sat in an empty chair, which happened to be directly in front of Mason.

  “Yeah, she said she’s going to make me a man on my birthday. Whatever that means.” Owen shrugged and sat in the chair next to me.

  “Try topping that present.” I raised my glass in cheers.

  Isla laughed while both older brothers grunted, but refused to egg it on. They’d learned the hard way that commenting back only encouraged us.

  “You may want to tell Mom to forget the cake. T said she has something sweet fo—”

  Colby hurled an empty red cup at Owen. “Okay, that’s enough.”

  Owen shielded himself and chuckled.

  With a laugh, I said, “That was a nice touch.”

  He turned to me and with his tone sincere said, “Thanks. I thought so too.”

  “And this is why we can’t have you around Felicity,” Colby grumbled.

  I scoffed, “Why’s that?” I don’t know if it was all the annoyed feelings that had been building up, or the fact that I was practically drinking straight vodka, but words kept tumbling from my mouth. “Because he’s the only one here who doesn’t treat me like someone else’s property?”

  Maybe it was my imagination, but the party suddenly seemed very quiet. Even Owen stiffened next to me. I looked around at my friends, most of whom averted their gazes. Can we say “white elephant”?

  With an annoyed huff, I stood, walked back inside and headed straight for the bathroom.

  It wasn’t like me to be such a buzzkill, but today had been the perfect storm. The conversation between Colby and Brody, Mason getting me all worked up and anxious for nothing and, truth be told, vodka had never been my friend.

  I splashed my face with cold water then d
abbed it dry.

  There was a soft knock. “You okay?” Isla asked through the door.

  “Yeah, just give me a minute.”

  My hair was extra crazy so I smoothed it down then poured the rest of my drink down the sink and took a deep breath. As I unlocked the handle, I heard Isla slide away from the door.

  I pulled it open. “Sorry about th—” But my words lodged in my throat as I stared at Mason.

  Chapter 10

  Mason

  Felicity glanced down the hall. “Where did Isla go?”

  “Back outside.” I stepped into the bathroom, backing her in, and closed the door. “Do you think I’m one of those people?”

  “One of who?” She looked completely flustered, and I knew I’d caught her off guard but I had to know.

  “People who treat you like someone else’s prop—”

  “Oh, that. Maybe. I’m not sure. If you listen to what Colby’s been telling you then…I don’t know.” She turned, took a few steps like she was about to start pacing, but quickly ran out of room. She kept her back to me as she went on. “Like if you think I’m off-limits and that’s why you haven’t k—”

  Fuck that. I closed the gap between us, reached around her body to take hold of her chin then turned her mouth toward mine and kissed her. A part of me knew it was better to catch her off guard. If I gave her time to think, she’d spend more time in her head than in the kiss.

  I started it slow and sweet, wanting it to be right and not just some pent-up sexual frustration taken out on her poor mouth, but then she made this little sound that tested every bit of my self-control.

  I drew away slightly and whispered, “You aren’t off-limits, Felicity. But you definitely push me to mine.” Then I shifted to better align our bodies, and she did the same, a good sign she wasn’t pulling away yet.

  Her tongue flicked against mine, lightly, almost tentatively, as her hand slid up my chest. She fisted my shirt, but just as quickly she let go as if she was holding back, which just confused the hell out of me. If I moved too fast, would she completely shut down again? Or was she waiting for me to make the next move?

  My fingers pressed into the small of her back, pulling her flush to me, but I didn’t dare move my hand. No matter how bad it wanted to roam her body, I tried to give her some of that control she supposedly needed.

  But this time she pulled back, and something had changed in her expression. When she leveled her eyes with mine, it was almost like a challenge. “You seem pretty within your limits to me.” She smiled then moved her lips to my neck, slowly kissing her way up to my ear.

  My body was rigid and tense as I tried to figure out what the hell she wanted from me.

  Then she whispered, “Where exactly is your breaking point?” She ran her hand up my thigh making her way inward.

  I sucked in a deep breath and captured her wrist. One minute she was unsure, the next she was going in for the kill. What the hell? She didn’t even seem to know what she wanted. Though a part of me suspected the sudden boldness was a front, hiding the uncertainty and her attempt to regain control of whatever mixed emotions she was feeling. But I was done playing games.

  Time to do this my way.

  I grabbed both her hands and held them above her head, pressing them into the wall with only one of mine. “You know why I didn’t kiss you earlier, though I had the chance, time and time again? Because you were expecting it. It’s like you want everything to happen when you think it should happen. But where’s the fun in that?”

  She stared at me, but all the challenge was gone from her eyes, replaced by the kind of look that invited me to do all sorts of things to her body. But I wasn’t done yet; we needed to get shit straight before we pushed things further.

  “How many rules do you have for yourself, huh? Does it make life less scary that way? No surprises?”

  She rolled her eyes, and I knew I’d struck a nerve, which is exactly what I’d wanted—all the pretense dropped so for once she’d really live in the moment.

  Several emotions flitted over her face, like annoyance and indignation followed by worry and doubt, and then fear, maybe? Whatever it was, I didn’t like that one. I wanted that one washed away, so I brushed my lips over hers then pulled back slightly. “If you think you’re going to be able to hide behind some ridiculous rules you have for yourself and never plan to let go, then this is probably a waste of our time.” My lips returned to her jaw as I slowly made my way to her ear, and my free hand lowered down her thigh. “Because if there’s one thing I can promise you, it’s that you’re about to lose all control.”

  I slid my hand up her thigh, pushing her dress up along the way. I reached her hip then ran my finger along the top of her panties.

  “Out there, you can convince the whole world that nothing gets under your skin. You can laugh and joke, while inside clinging to that tiny bit of self-preservation that forces you to put on a smile and act as if you’re in complete control of your life. But in moments like this”—I brushed my thumb over her stomach, which hollowed as she sucked in a giant breath—“what’s the point if you can’t let go of all that bullshit?” My lips pressed into the tender spot behind her ear, and she softened against me. I slowly moved down her neck and up her jaw and finally to her lips, but then I pulled back. “When I said you pushed me to my limits, that was a good thing. It’s what I want. But now the question is, are you willing to let someone push you to yours?” My finger traveled along the seam of her panties, making its way toward her inner thighs. Her skin was hot and tempting, but I kept my pace slow, waiting for her decision. I knew what I wanted, but there was no way I’d do this if she wasn’t fully in it with me.

  When she didn’t say a word in response or halt me, a small grin tugged at my mouth. Just because I wanted her to let go, didn’t mean I wanted her to feel powerless. “Anytime you want that control back, all you have to say is ‘stop.’ ”

  I lowered my lips back to hers, slowly tracing them with my tongue as my hand pushed between her thighs. She parted her legs. Was she lost in the moment or still trying to control what happened next? I moved my hand up her legs, over her body, to her chest.

  She tensed for a moment and then her body relaxed, her arms went slack above her head and she finally gave herself over to me.

  My body hummed with desire and the knowledge that, right now, this girl was mine. Completely and totally mine.

  She arched into me, and a soft moan drifted from her mouth as my fingers brushed her nipple. And that sound must have been hardwired to my dick because, fuck me, there was no way I could hear her moan like that and not lose my shit. Images of yanking her panties off and pushing my way inside her, flashed through my mind, and I fought like hell to suppress them. I had to stay focused on her, or I’d do something stupid. But one thing was for sure: she needed to keep her hands far away from me. If she touched me, game over. She may be willing to hand over control just this once, but what she didn’t realize was how little control I had over myself right then.

  I glanced up to where I’d pressed her hands above her head. “If I let go, will you leave them there?”

  “Do you want me to?”

  I tried not to laugh at the complete seriousness of her question and nodded.

  “Then, yeah,” she said.

  I let go of her wrist and ran my fingers down her arm. I twirled a strand of her wavy blond hair then moved along her body, making my way under her dress. I lifted her thigh and held it against my hip then moved my other hand down to her panties. She squirmed against me as I kissed her, slowly at first, matching the pace of my hand moving over her, but the more she writhed against me, the less willpower I had.

  I slipped my fingers into her panties and pushed into the warmth of her body, relishing the fact that she was just as turned on as I was, but also fighting with the knowledge of how good it would feel to be inside her.

  Her hands dropped to my shoulders and I stilled. My body begged for her to reach out again as sh
e’d done earlier. Run her soft fingers along my hard—No, fuck. I had to pull it together.

  But she must have interpreted my hesitation as a threat to stop if she didn’t follow my rules, because she whimpered in objection then reluctantly raised her arms again.

  Relief, and a tiny pang of disappointment, rushed through me. But then something flashed in her eyes, and she moved her hands back to my shoulders.

  “If I’m going to lose control, you have to also.”

  I stared at her in disbelief. Clearly, she had no clue what she was doing to me. How hard it was to hold it together. I’d never wanted anything more than I wanted her right then, and I wasn’t one to not go after what I wanted. No, this wasn’t for me. It was for her.

  “Trust me, Felicity, I’ve already lost all the control I can afford to lose right now. If I was smart, I would have kissed you out there where this never could’ve happened. If I had restraint, I would have come in here and only checked on you. If I was in control, I wouldn’t have you pinned against a wall.” I glanced above her head at where her hands should be. “I didn’t put your hands there to control you. I put them there in order to hang on to what I have left.” Then my mouth was back on hers, my tongue working its way past her lips. Fingers moving in and out of her as my own body felt like it was on fire.

  Her grip tightened on my shoulders but she didn’t move her hands other than that. So I gave it all to her, like I’d taken my desire, balled it up and handed it to her, desperate for her to find release for the both of us.

  There was a knock at the door and she stiffened, but I didn’t give a fuck who was out there. They could wait. Find another bathroom. Piss outside, for all I cared.

  “T? You still in there?”

  Dammit, it was Owen. Which was better than Colby but shit, I knew I’d lose this moment with Felicity if he kept talking.

  She cleared her throat. “Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  I felt the shift in her, but no way would we leave things unfinished.

  “It might be more than a minute,” I whispered then shifted my hand, pressed my thumb to her clit, and rubbed my fingers against the spot that made her legs go weak.