And then suddenly, Collin leaned forward and kissed me, his lips moving lightly across mine and sending a jolt of electricity down my spine. I shivered and closed my eyes, relishing how soft his lips felt. I’d never expected to be kissed like this. It was slow and tantalizing, like a wave washing up on the shore. My heart beat violently, and the sound of my heavy breathing filled my ears. Pulling me closer to him, Collin buried both of his hands in my hair and gently guided me as he deepened the kiss. I hummed in appreciation, feeling the heat from my gut spread to my limbs.
Collin hadn’t been lying. Kissing was his super power. He knew just how to touch me and how to keep me begging for more. There was strength in his every move and an underlying tenderness that made me melt. All I had to do was follow his lead, and he handled the rest.
I wasn’t sure what do with my hands, so I found myself working them up his sinewy arms and to the back of his head. The slow, deliberate pace of his kiss began to work up in speed as I funneled my fingers into his hair. He groaned into my mouth, pressing more hungrily against me. I nearly lost my seating on the desk, but managed to stay upright by clinging to his neck. He ran his hands up and down my back, leaving delicious trails of electricity crawling along my skin.
It was blissful torture, unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.
I wasn’t sure how long we remained like that. It could’ve been hours or only seconds. But the abrupt sound of the back door opening pulled us apart. Collin retreated several steps away, raking both of his hands through his hair. He cleared his throat a few times, his face flushed. I remained on top of the desk, pretty sure that if I even tried to stand on my feet I would collapse immediately to the floor. Instead, I grabbed the nearest book I could find and held it in front of my chest as Ally came bouncing into the room.
“I’m headed to my shift at Dwight’s,” she said. “Good night, you two.”
“Night,” I squeaked as Collin simply waved.
Ally paused at the door. Her gaze moved down to the book in my hand and her eyes narrowed. “Doing a little light reading?”
Glancing down at my hands, I grimaced when I saw Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. “Um...yeah, it’s my favorite.”
“Right.” Ally’s gaze shot back up to my face and she gave me a knowing grin. “Don’t read it all in one night, okay?”
And then she was gone, leaving me to hyperventilate as Collin broke into a hoarse laugh.
“That was...” He coughed and ran a hand over his chest. “That kiss was something.”
I needed my boy translator. Was something good or bad? Could he really tell it had been my first time? Did I have any potential?
He turned his back to me and walked to the other side of the room. “I don’t think we’re going to have any problem writing the song now.”
“No kidding.” I laughed nervously. “That was probably more than enough.”
“Right.” He turned back toward me suddenly, wearing a serious frown. “I think we’d better call it a night. Start fresh tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” I slid off the desk, pleasantly surprised that my knees didn’t buckle. My face still felt beet red, but there was nothing I could do about that until I could shove my whole head into our fridge at home. “Tomorrow.”
Collin walked me out and stayed with me as I waited for my mom to pick me up. The whole time, he was unusually quiet. No cracking jokes about me finding him irresistible. No snipes about my virgin kissing card being revoked. We stood side by side in near silence, the charge between us undeniable.
And when my mom finally arrived, I said goodbye, managing to look his way one last time. My stomach jolted when I realized he was already watching me, his dark eyes clouded with an emotion that made the heat instantly return to my stomach. Oh, how much I wished in that moment that we were still in his room. Alone.
I make a quick escape, plopping myself into the front seat of the car and feeling my heart thump loudly. And as I laid my head back against the headrest, fielding Mom’s questions about my evening and her soap gift, I thought about our quest to write the perfect love song.
We couldn’t be sure until tomorrow if our plan had worked, but there was one thing I knew: kissing Collin had been far more amazing than I ever could’ve imagined.
And if this song required a little more of that particular kind of practice, I certainly didn’t mind.
Chapter Seventeen
As it turned out, Collin and I wouldn’t get to start fresh on our song the next day after our epic kiss. Or the day after that. Between school and double practices, as the football district games approached, we were hardly able to see each other except in passing.
Still, that didn’t keep us from working on our song every spare second we got. We texted constantly about lyrics or changes to the tune. And sometimes, just about life in general. By the end of the week, we’d nailed down our song and resubmitted it to Mrs. Banks. All we needed now was her final approval, which had me eagerly checking my phone all day.
Collin: Any news??
Me: Not yet. Refreshing my email every 2 seconds.
Collin: Not good enough. Do it every 1 second.
Btw you still coming to the party tonight?
Me: Definitely.
Collin: Good. You better.
I smiled down at my phone as I sat on the edge of my bed. There had been no need to worry about that kiss changing things. We still worked well together. In fact, better than ever. And we’d perfected our song, I just knew it. Mrs. Banks was going to approve it.
But that didn’t mean I didn’t think about that kiss all the time. That toe curling, impossibly delicious first kiss. Sometimes, I could still feel the touch of his lips against mine. Hungry, insistent, and electrifying. I wondered if he thought about it, too.
Yesterday, I’d caught Collin staring at me twice during lunch. He turned away as soon as our eyes met, pretending like he wasn’t caught in the act. But I knew what I saw, and he was definitely thinking about me. The thought made me feel slightly giddy.
“Are you talking to that boy again?” Mom walked into my room, shaking her head. “You always get that silly look on your face when you’re texting him.”
“I do not.” I slammed my phone on top of my desk, as if to prove a point.
She crossed her arms and leaned against my dresser. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you? You can tell me, you know. I want to know what’s going on in my little girl’s life.”
“Mom, nothing’s going on. And I’m not a little girl anymore.”
“You’re right. I can see that.” Her eyes shone bright as she scanned over my Halloween costume for Susie’s party tonight. “You look so beautiful and all grown up.”
I stood and checked myself out in the mirror one last time. Lexi had loaned me a pretty shimmery blue cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline and Mom had helped me add a few layers of crinoline to the skirt to make it poof out. A pair of white wings rested on my back and a necklace made from toothbrushes hung from my neck. I’d pulled my hair up into a fancy bun and practically doused myself in glitter.
“I think this costume really turned out well,” I said, turning to check the back. “The tooth fairy was an awesome idea, Mom. Thanks for that.”
“Don’t forget your bag of tooth money,” she said, tossing me a silk bag we’d stuffed with cotton and a few coins for the sound effect. “There, perfect.”
She pulled me into a tight hug, the scent of her perfume filling my head. I couldn’t remember her ever being this sentimental when we were younger, but maybe things had changed since the divorce. With less time wasted in endless arguing, Mom could be involved in more of our lives. It was nice. And for the very first time I could remember, I actually felt grateful for my parents’ split.
My phone dinged and I peered at the screen over Mom’s shoulder to see that Mandy and Trina were here to pick me up.
“Got to go,” I said, picking the phone up and shoving it into my silk money b
ag.
“Make good choices,” Mom yelled as I ran from the apartment. “And have fun!”
Trina and Mandy greeted me with wolf whistles when I jumped in the back of the car. Trina had decided to dress up as Rapunzel this year, with a long golden wig covering her curly black tresses. Mandy was Khaleesi, her blonde hair braided in an intricate fashion and three small plastic dragons attached to her impressive replica of the Game of Thrones character’s costume.
“Hot stuff,” Mandy said, grinning at me from between the seats. “Does Collin know he’s going to lose it the moment he sees you?”
“I told you, it isn’t like that,” I said, leaning back into the rear seat, my cheeks flushing. “He doesn’t care what I look like. We’re just friends.”
They didn’t know about the kiss. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t told them yet. I usually told them everything. For some reason, this secret didn’t want to come out. If I told them the truth, the comments about Collin and me would only intensify. And then, I might start to believe them.
No matter what, I couldn’t let my heart go down that road. Collin had been very clear. He couldn’t fall in love. Setting my sights on a guy like that was only going to get me hurt. They couldn’t understand.
“Okay, okay.” Mandy held up her hands. “Whatever. But as the Mother of Dragons, I’m ordering all of us to have fun. Eat some good food. Flirt a little. Dance with some boys. Let loose. We’re going to forget our problems tonight.”
Trina flashed me a smile in the rearview mirror. “Sounds good to me.”
I smiled back. It would be good to forget about my problems for a while. Dad had stopped by the apartment this morning to pick up Lexi for brunch. It had been impossible to avoid him. He’d hugged me, although I’d stood as stiff as a yard stick, and told me he loved me. And then he’d left.
The hard armor around my heart must’ve been thinning because that small episode had stung. I’d wanted nothing more than to throw myself into his arms and cry like a little girl. I missed him so bad. It was the first time I could admit that in months.
It used to be Dad and me. We were a team. Best buddies. But now, we were more like strangers. I didn’t want to think about that anymore. I wanted just what Mandy had prescribed: a night of fun and absolutely no worries.
The party was already crazy when we got there. Susie’s front yard was littered with jack-o-lanterns, grave yard markers, and an animatronic ghost that flew from the eaves down at our heads. We went inside to find most of the high school stuffed into her huge house and spilling out onto the backyard. All of the costumes were dizzying. It was hard to know who was who. At one point, we spotted Lexi in the living room near the fireplace. She’d gotten ready at a friend’s house and arrived early. She was in a skimpy crop top and loose linen pants, her belly button ring catching the light.
“What is she? I Dream of Jeannie?” Mandy asked.
“Princess Jasmine,” I replied, cocking my eyebrows. “She thought all the boys would like it.”
“I think it worked.” Trina smiled and waved at Lexi. “She’s got three guys from the baseball team surrounding her.”
It was true. They were all younger classmen, and they all seemed to be drooling over my baby sister. For a moment, I envied Mandy and Trina. They both had younger sisters about Lexi’s age, but didn’t seem to have nearly the amount of drama with theirs. Still, tonight was about having fun and I was determined not to let Lexi ruin it.
We moved deeper into the party where a deejay had set up and kids danced under the flashing lights. I couldn’t help scanning the crowd. Collin was here, somewhere. It was our first time to actually hang out since the kiss. For some reason, the thought made me feel all jittery.
And when I spotted him leaning casually against a tree just outside the dance floor, talking to a fellow teammate, my heart jumped into my throat. He was dressed in a tight black leather jacket and pants, with a bow and quiver strapped over his back. No one had ever looked so sexy in black before now. He looked like a Greek god.
All of a sudden, I was feeling utterly dorky in my tooth fairy costume. Why hadn’t I gone with the sexy nurse? At least three other girls were wearing that costume tonight and they looked drop dead gorgeous. Why couldn’t I have just gone with something normal for once?
I couldn’t face Collin yet. Not with my gut twisted in knots.
“Let’s dance,” I said suddenly, turning to the girls.
The music changed as if on cue and a song with a techno beat came on. Mandy and Trina nodded their approval and we migrated toward the dance floor, disappearing into the masses of our fellow classmates. I tried not to think about Collin or my growing desire to ask him to dance. The idea of Collin’s hands on my waist again sent shivers down my spine. Those weren’t the kind of thoughts I should be having about my song writing partner.
So I jumped and moved my body, throwing all my energy into the act until my lungs burned and my face flushed from the effort. Mandy and Trina let loose as well. We were all having a blast, not worrying about school, or family, or boys. Just us girls. It was a blast. Several songs went by, until the beat suddenly slowed.
“All right, ladies and gents,” the deejay announced from his booth. “It’s time to slow things down. Grab a partner and make your way to the dance floor.”
I pouted in disappointment, until a tapping on my shoulder made me turn around and I found Collin looking down at me. He had that gut-warming lopsided grin on his face. It was a dangerous grin. The kind that made me want to stare too long at his mouth.
“Want to dance?” he asked, tilting his head to one side.
“O-okay.”
I swallowed hard and let him take my hand. Glancing over my shoulder at Mandy and Trina, I saw them watching me with excited grins. They both gave me two thumbs up and I grimaced at them. Collin led us to the middle of the dance floor and pulled me around, placing both of his hands on my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, remembering exactly how it felt last time I’d touched him like this. Of course, it had only been the two of us then. Not a backyard full of people. Still, I couldn’t deny feeling like every nerve in my body was on fire.
“Nice costume,” Collin said, dipping his head to whisper in my ear. His warm breath on my neck nearly drove me crazy. “I was enjoying watching you dance out there. If I’d known the tooth fairy was that gorgeous, I would’ve tried harder to stay awake when I put my tooth under my pillow at night as a kid.”
He’d been watching me dance. I laughed nervously and tried not to squeak when I talked. “It never would’ve worked. We tooth fairies know when we’re being spied on.”
He pulled back just enough to pin me with an amused expression. “So you’re saying you’re kind of like Santa Claus?”
“He’s a distant cousin. Magic runs in the family.”
“Ah, makes sense.” He licked his bottom lip and I immediately felt my blood temperature rise.
“Are you supposed to be some kind of emo Robin Hood?” I asked, more to hide my reaction than anything.
“No, I’m Hawkeye.” He furrowed his brow at my clueless expression. “From Avengers? The sick guy with the bow?”
I shook my head. “Sorry. I’ve only seen Spiderman, and that’s because Trina has a major crush on Tom Holland.”
“Audrey, you’re killing me,” he groaned. “Here I was, thinking you’d find me irresistible as a superhero...”
I suppressed a smile, feeling oddly pleased that he’d been thinking of me. “Don’t worry,” I said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure you know as well as I do that even as emo Robin Hood, you still look good.”
His eyes widened. “Was that a compliment from Audrey Black herself?”
“Maybe...” I laughed again. “But don’t get used to it.”
He increased the pressure of his hand on the small of my back, drawing me closer to him, so that any space between us quickly disappeared. “I won’t,” he whispered next to my ear. “But at least I know you think I look good
. That’s all I needed.”
I shivered, even though the late October evening was unseasonably warm. We swayed for a few more minutes, and while I couldn’t have told him what song was playing, I knew exactly where his hands were on my body at all times. From the one, tantalizing moment when he brushed a stray curl off my neck, to the slow descent of his broad hand down my waist. They were all innocent touches in their own way, but nothing about them felt innocent. Instead, I spent most of the dance on fire, barely able to breathe.
It was hard to say if Collin was as effected as I was. But his ears appeared a little red on the tips and he wasn’t making any of his wise cracks. It was unusual and only made me feel more nervous. At least his incessant need to act like a cocky jock was easy to react to. This silent and reserved side of him was unsettling.
“Do you think we finally got it?” he asked, breaking the silence, his voice lower than usual.
I inhaled the scent of his cologne and had to keep myself from sighing. He smelled ridiculously good. “Huh? Got what?”
“The approval. For our song.” He cleared his throat and his chest expanded with a deep breath. “Think Mrs. Banks has replied to your email yet?”
“Oh.” I dropped my hands from his neck, feeling silly for forgetting the very reason we’d been texting back and forth so much today. Of course, that was what Collin had been thinking of the whole time. Not how close we were dancing or how this very pose was so similar to the kiss from last week. “Let me check.”
I dug my phone out of my bag and opened my email account. The top line was a reply from Mrs. Banks. My heart raced at the sight of her name. Clicking on the message, I read it aloud.
Solid rewrite, guys. This version of your song is a winner. I’m not sure what you did differently to turn things around, but keep it up. Start practicing. Performance is only three weeks away.
Dare You to Kiss the Quarterback (Rock Valley High Book 1) Page 12