“Your kissing skills have definitely gone downhill.”
“I was just—you caught me—“ off guard, is what I plan to say, but the look on Josh’s face cuts me off. I’m not a bad kisser. In fact, I’m a really good kisser. And I’m tired of him putting me down. Tired of him acting like this is some huge sacrifice he’s making in his quest to get Ashley back. Most guys would give anything to be in his position, to have the opportunity to hug and kiss me whenever they want. I’ve never been treated so poorly in all my life, and I’m done with it. Lifting my arms, I frame his face with my hands and cover his mouth with mine. I’ll show him what a good kisser I am.
My pulse thrums beneath my flesh. At first it’s all about showing him up, proving myself. But as we find our rhythm, I start to enjoy it. His fingers tangle in the ends of my hair, and he tugs ever so gently. Our mouths open and close repeatedly, our tongues meeting, and I find myself melting into him. The diner falls away the longer his mouth moves over mine, the longer his hands are on my skin and in my hair. When we finally separate, I suck in a breath and blink myself back into reality. The room comes into focus, and my cheeks burn.
Josh’s eyes are wide, his face holding an awed, yet curious, expression. He pauses, studying me momentarily before swallowing hard and stepping back. He runs a shaky hand through his hair after releasing his hold on me.
“Um…let’s go ahead and sit down,” he says, his voice odd.
I want to feel satisfied by my ability to throw him like I did, but all I feel is discomfort for some reason. Everything about this feels wrong. Slimy. I want to turn around and march right out the door. But then my gaze flickers to the booth where Hayes and Ashley are seated, and I catch Hayes looking over at me. My heart skips a beat, his gaze reminding me of my mission. “Sure,” I respond to Josh, allowing him to lead me toward his table.
It takes all my willpower not to peer over at Hayes as I slide into the booth next to Josh. I want to know if he’s still watching, but I have to pretend that I’m into Josh, not Hayes. If I keep stealing glances at Hayes, it will be obvious that I still care about him, and our plan will be destroyed. So I place my hand on Josh’s thigh and keep my attention trained on him.
“Hey, Talia,” Chase greets me with a smile that turns my stomach.
I’ve known that Chase has a crush on me for months. He hasn’t exactly made it a secret. And he’s a nice enough guy. Not bad looking either. He’s just not the guy I’m interested in. However, I feel kind of bad that he thinks I chose Josh over him. “Hey,” I respond.
“So did you come here to eat or….” Nolan throws Josh a smirk, and the triumphant grin Josh tosses back causes me to frown.
“Yeah, I’ll eat.” I snatch up a menu. Even though I’m not hungry, there’s no way I’m going to give everyone in this diner the impression that I only came here to maul Josh. When I went at him like that, I only wanted to put Josh in his place and to make Hayes jealous. But the way Josh was glowing now gave the impression that he thought I wanted him or something. That I liked the kiss. And, okay, maybe I did a little.
I mean, it was definitely more enjoyable than our past kisses. But that’s only because I’m a good kisser. And it was a good kiss. That’s all. It meant nothing.
“Ready to order?”
I almost jump out of my skin. I didn’t see the waiter walk up.
“You okay?” Josh’s hand falls to my arm, his eyebrows knit together in concern.
A wave of goosebumps rise on my skin, surprising me. I clear my throat and nod emphatically. What is wrong with me?
“You know what you want?” I can tell by Nolan’s tone that he’s getting impatient with me.
“Relax,” Chase says to him. “Just give the lady a minute.”
I offer him a grateful smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Josh stiffen. When I glance at him,
“I was just—you caught me—“ off guard, is what I plan to say, but the look on Josh’s face cuts me off. I’m not a bad kisser. In fact, I’m a really good kisser. And I’m tired of him putting me down. Tired of him acting like this is some huge sacrifice he’s making in his quest to get Ashley back. Most guys would give anything to be in his position, to have the opportunity to hug and kiss me whenever they want. I’ve never been treated so poorly in all my life, and I’m done with it. Lifting my arms, I frame his face with my hands and cover his mouth with mine. I’ll show him what a good kisser I am.
My pulse thrums beneath my flesh. At first it’s all about showing him up, proving myself. But as we find our rhythm, I start to enjoy it. His fingers tangle in the ends of my hair, and he tugs ever so gently. Our mouths open and close repeatedly, our tongues meeting, and I find myself melting into him. The diner falls away the longer his mouth moves over mine, the longer his hands are on my skin and in my hair. When we finally separate, I suck in a breath and blink myself back into reality. The room comes into focus, and my cheeks burn.
Josh’s eyes are wide, his face holding an awed, yet curious, expression. He pauses, studying me momentarily before swallowing hard and stepping back. He runs a shaky hand through his hair after releasing his hold on me.
“Um…let’s go ahead and sit down,” he says, his voice odd.
I want to feel satisfied by my ability to throw him like I did, but all I feel is discomfort for some reason. Everything about this feels wrong. Slimy. I want to turn around and march right out the door. But then my gaze flickers to the booth where Hayes and Ashley are seated, and I catch Hayes looking over at me. My heart skips a beat, his gaze reminding me of my mission. “Sure,” I respond to Josh, allowing him to lead me toward his table.
It takes all my willpower not to peer over at Hayes as I slide into the booth next to Josh. I want to know if he’s still watching, but I have to pretend that I’m into Josh, not Hayes. If I keep stealing glances at Hayes, it will be obvious that I still care about him, and our plan will be destroyed. So I place my hand on Josh’s thigh and keep my attention trained on him.
“Hey, Talia,” Chase greets me with a smile that turns my stomach.
I’ve known that Chase has a crush on me for months. He hasn’t exactly made it a secret. And he’s a nice enough guy. Not bad looking either. He’s just not the guy I’m interested in. However, I feel kind of bad that he thinks I chose Josh over him. “Hey,” I respond.
“So did you come here to eat or….” Nolan throws Josh a smirk, and the triumphant grin Josh tosses back causes me to frown.
“Yeah, I’ll eat.” I snatch up a menu. Even though I’m not hungry, there’s no way I’m going to give everyone in this diner the impression that I only came here to maul Josh. When I went at him like that, I only wanted to put Josh in his place and to make Hayes jealous. But the way Josh was glowing now gave the impression that he thought I wanted him or something. That I liked the kiss. And, okay, maybe I did a little.
I mean, it was definitely more enjoyable than our past kisses. But that’s only because I’m a good kisser. And it was a good kiss. That’s all. It meant nothing.
“Ready to order?”
I almost jump out of my skin. I didn’t see the waiter walk up.
“You okay?” Josh’s hand falls to my arm, his eyebrows knit together in concern.
A wave of goosebumps rise on my skin, surprising me. I clear my throat and nod emphatically. What is wrong with me?
“You know what you want?” I can tell by Nolan’s tone that he’s getting impatient with me.
“Relax,” Chase says to him. “Just give the lady a minute.”
I offer him a grateful smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Josh stiffen. When I glance at him,
Similar Books
