Chapter Eleven

 

Elle

 

 

 

He’s going to kiss me. I’m sure of it. Either that or I just nodded and agreed to something completely different.

I’ve never had a guy ask for permission to kiss me before. Not like this. Not all sexy and wordless and… Gosh, this is so hot. I’m about to lose it.

“Elle.”

My name comes out of his mouth like a low murmur. I don’t wait for him to do anything. I can’t. I put my hands on his chest and close the distance between us. As soon as our lips touch, fireworks explode inside of me and travel to every nerve ending in my body. We kiss each other with an urgency I’ve never experienced before. My blanket falls away, and his hands find their way to my back. I can’t help but let out a small gasp when his fingers land on my bare skin. The sounds I make seem to spur him on, and before long I’m feeling delirious. I tug on his hair while our mouths explore each other.

His hand slides to the small of my back. I slip mine under his shirt as well, a small moan escaping my throat when I touch his muscled stomach.

Why haven’t we done this before? It feels so good. So right. I never want it to end.

But then he pulls back. I try to get him to kiss me again, but he shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Elle.”

I frown. “Sorry? The only thing you should feel bad about is stopping that kiss. Did I do something wrong? Was it not good?”

He groans. “It was amazing, but we can’t do this. Maggie will be furious when she finds out.”

“She doesn’t have to find out,” I whisper.

Colton jumps up from the couch and extends his hand. “Come on, let’s go outside where we can talk more freely. I don’t want my sister to walk in on this conversation.”

We grab our jackets from the hook by the door and slip on our shoes. I follow him down the narrow path leading to the now deserted beach. We walk in silence for a few minutes, but that doesn’t mean my thoughts aren’t racing through my head at a hundred miles an hour. Maybe Colton is right. What were we thinking? He’s my best friend’s brother. I just got out of a relationship. The timing is all wrong. It’s all so impulsive. It’s all going so fast all of a sudden.

It’s also really, really amazing to kiss him. Gah, I can hardly believe it. That short make-out session was even better than I dreamed it would be.

We sit down about half a mile away from the house, and I feel sixteen all over again, sneaking out of the house to talk to my crush. The idea is so silly that it makes me laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Colton asks.

“Nothing. Just… the two of us here, hiding from Maggie.”

He leans back on his hands. “Yeah, I don’t want Maggie to know. She won’t approve.”

I roll my eyes at his remark. What a silly excuse. “She’s not the boss of you, is she? Don’t get me wrong, I love her and I know you do too, but let’s be honest. She doesn’t own us. We don’t need her permission.”

The way he looks at me short-circuits my brain and now my hands start to get all clammy. For the love of cute kittens, why does this have to happen after the best kiss ever? I’m sure Colton doesn’t want to kiss a sweaty dumpling like me. At least, I hope he still wants to kiss me.

“You’re absolutely right,” he says. “She’s got nothing to say about what we do or don’t do, but she’ll be all over this if she finds out. She’s going to think it’s wrong because I might be leaving Summerville Creek soon. She’ll argue that it will make living together awkward, and that I’ll break your heart when I leave. I know for a fact that she’ll think us getting together will jeopardize your friendship with her.”

I laugh, but it comes out as a weird high-pitched sound thanks to my nerves. Great. Now my hands are even damper than five seconds ago. “You sound as if you’ve already talked to her about us kissing.”

“Nah. I went out with one of her friends from college once. It didn’t turn out well. We got into a big fight and Maggie chose my side. Their friendship was ruined, and so was my relationship with that girl. So yeah, I get where she’s coming from.”

His words feel like a punch in the face, but I realize he might be right. There’s no right way to do this without sneaking around. “So, what do you suggest? That we ignore our feelings and stay friends?”

Even in the moonlight, I can see the tortured look on his face. “I don’t know.”

“Friends,” I say, munching on the word. It doesn’t taste good, but I guess it’s better than nothing. “But only until we figure out what this is.”

“What do you mean?”

I shrug and scoop up some sand with my hand, to avoid having to look him in the eye. “I was thinking she might be okay with us dating if we were serious about each other. Like in Friends, when Ross finds out Chandler and Monica are together and in love.”

He grins. “You’re comparing our lives to those of two nineties TV show characters? That’s all fabricated and scripted.”

“Sure, but we can write the script of our own lives. That’s a thing, right? Owning your truth and all that.”

“True.” Colton grabs my moist, sand-scooping hand in his and I finally dare to look at him again. He throws me a loaded look, one that causes every hair on my body to shoot up in a synchronized move. “I like you, Elle. A lot. And judging by the way you kissed me, I’d say you like me as well. So why don’t we go out on a couple of dates to see where this will lead? And if it turns out that we’re both crazy about each other and right for each other, then we tell Maggie. For now, this can stay our little secret.”

I narrow my eyes. “You want to secretly date?”

“If you put it like that, it sounds weird, but yeah. I guess we should figure this thing out in secret. Just the two of us. I don’t want anyone else’s opinion involved. I do want you to know I like you a lot.”

“You already said that a minute ago,” I say with a laugh.

He grins again. “I know. I feel like I can’t say it enough.”

All I do is beam at him. I want him to tell me every second of every day that he likes me. A lot. His words and the memory of his kisses will be enough to leave me basking in a glorious I’m-on-top-of-the-world feeling for days on end.

“Oh, one last thing,” he says.

“Yes?”

“You’ll have to fill out a form beforehand. You know, a pre-date questionnaire. Nothing too difficult, but I’d like to know how you want your pizza cut before I take you out.”

I slap him on the arm and laugh. “Don’t you dare. You’re not cutting my food, nor are you feeding me. And I’m not filling out anything.”

He wiggles his eyebrows. “We’ll see about that.”

“No, we won’t,” I say, still laughing. “I mean it, no funny business.”

He squeezes my hand again and grins at me. Gosh, how I’d love for him to squeeze my hand like that every single day.

“Walk you home?” he asks.

I get up and brush the sand off my clothes. “Sounds good.”

“The long way?” he asks.

I nod. I’d walk this entire beach back and forth fifty times if it meant spending more time with Colton.

Later that night, I’m tucked in bed, yet can’t sleep. I’m wide awake, going over my conversation with Colton. The fact that he wants to figure out if we’re right for each other feels exhilarating, but I’m also kind of confused. Are we a thing now? Like an exclusive couple? Or are we just testing the waters? What if he decides I’m not as amazing as he thought I’d be?

Oh my God, he’s going to realize I’m not worth his time and end this thing before it’s even started. I’ll have to move houses, find a new job, maybe new friends. What am I going to do?

I take a deep breath in. I shouldn’t think like that. He told me he likes me, mere hours ago. Surely that must mean something. The thought of his soft lips, his strong hands, his words, and his smile make me feel incredibly warm and happy. I can’t wait until we’re completely alone again.

Wow. I’m free-falling into the most massive crush ever.