Page 107 of Only Ever You
“I didn’t.” I shake my head. “The only other time anything happened with her was at the Harvest Ball, and only because I was drunk out of my mind—not that it’s an excuse. But I didn’t choose it. And I never liked her.”
“Did you…” She sucks in a breath, her voice wavering. “Did you…invite her to the Harvest Ball?”
I rear back, blinking, trying to make sense of the question. This conversation is getting more bizarre with each fucking second. “No. She asked me. I said no.” I clear my throat, my pulse beating wildly. “I wanted to go with you, but since you agreed to go with Turner—I went alone.”
“This is insane. I just…I don’t understand.” She takes a step back, then another one. “None of it makes sense.”
“Because she lied,” I say, quietly but firmly. “And because you and I stopped talking, she got away with it.”
“No.” Her whole body shakes, tears building in her eyes. “That’s not…that’s not possible…”
She turns, reaching for the door, probably forgetting we’re still trapped here.
“Isla, wait—”
“No.” Her voice cracks. “I can’t…”
Desperate to keep her here, I act on instinct. In a heartbeat, I’ve spun her around, and she’s pressed up against my chest.
A gasp escapes her lips, and I take the opportunity to dive in, crashing my mouth to hers. I kiss her hard and fast, holding her tightly.
Her lips move in sync with mine. Something warm and aching settles under my skin. I trail my tongue over her bottom lip, urging her to let me in. Instead, she breaks away suddenly, palms pressing to my chest, as if she needs the space to breathe.
“You can’t just—” Her voice falters. “You can’t kiss me like that.”
I stumble back, and when I’ve righted myself, I snort, breath uneven. “Then stop kissing me back.”
The quiet that follows my words sends a pang to my heart. I want this. I want her. I want us. But I can’t force her. And if she doesn’t want it, I’ll respect that. On an inhale, I step back, putting distance between us.
“Don’t,” she rasps.
The single syllable is barely audible over the pounding of my heart. “What?”
She steps into me, grabs my hoodie, and pulls me down. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around her, eyes searching hers.
“It was the same for me too. I wanted my first kiss to be with you,” she whispers. “You said that the kiss…in your room wasn’t our first. What did you mean?”
The corner of my mouth tips up. “You kissed me to shut me up. That’s not how the first kiss works. And for the record, the kiss a moment ago wasn’t our first either. We both need to want it for it to be considered.”
“Okay then.” She stands on her tiptoes, our lips a hairbreadth away from each other. “Just don’t let me go…please,” she begs and then presses her lips to mine.
The kiss is wild and hungry, the kind that makes a person unsteady. I stumble back a step, pulling her with me. When my back hits the wall, the impact barely registers. All I feel is her. Her mouth, her heat, the way she fits against me like this is where she’s always belonged.
I’ve kissed girls before.
But this is different. This is too much. Too real.
I never want it to end.
Her tongue brushes my bottom lip, and I let her in. The intensity of the moment only grows stronger as we take the kiss deeper. She slips her hand under my hoodie, her fingers tracing my abs. Then, she drags her fingers over the waistband of my jeans, scraping my skin with her nails, mapping territory. Her touch alone sends my brain into overdrive.
A needy sound tears out of my chest before I can stop it.
Fuck.
Nothing I’ve done before could’ve prepared me for this. Not even close.
I slide my hands down her hips, gripping like I’m afraid she’ll disappear if I don’t hold on tight. I don’t just want her. I don’t know how to stop wanting her.
