Page 28 of Pucking Only
Before I can respond, he cups the side of my face and yanks me in for a sudden kiss. I gasp, stunned. What is happening? What is he doing?
It crosses my mind that I should push him away, but for some reason, I don’t. His lips against mine feel… good.
More than good.
I find myself melting against him, my hands sliding up his chest and slipping around his neck. I brush my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.
His tongue pushes past my lips and his kiss turns more demanding. More dominating.
“Star…” he whispers, his voice layered with desire.
I feel a sudden jolt of panic. No…no, this isn’t right. I can’t let this happen.
Jerking my mouth from his, I push against him. I catch him off guard and he steps back.
“Skyler…what…?”
“Don’t follow me!” I snap as I slip away from him and rush back inside the bar. My heart is hammering in my chest and I feel panic surging through me.
Carson just kissed me. Carson! Why? Why would he do that? He’s not interested in me. I’m nothing but an unattractive nerd to him. No more than a little sister.
He made that very clear when we were fifteen and I stupidly confessed my feelings for him. I still remember how painful it was when he told me he preferred girly girls. That I wasn’t his type. That pretty girls like Elizabeth Norris, that bitch, were more his type.
That we could still be friends.
The worst part? I’m not sure he even remembers sayingany of that to me. My confession to him was so insignificant to him, he’s completely pushed it from his mind.
What could he possibly be thinking, kissing me like that? Is he just messing with me? Trying to keep me in my place?
Whatever his motivation, I’m not going to let him shake me. I’m not going to let him play with my emotions and throw me off balance. I’m not a child anymore, blinded by a foolish crush.
Carson Monroe is not going to keep me from getting what I want.
When I get back inside the bar, I head straight for Zander, who’s back where we’d been standing earlier. He sees me coming and grins. “There you are,” he says.
I force a smile and grab his hand. “I’m ready to go home.”
His brows shoot up and he hurriedly mumbles, “Oh, yeah! Yeah, for sure… let’s head out.”
Turning, I march toward the bar’s entrance, my grip on Zander’s hand never lessening. I don’t know if Carson comes back into the bar or not, but I tell myself I don’t care.
Like I told him earlier, he can’t tell me what to do or who I can hang out with. There are a million guys in the world so much better for me than Carson is, including Zander. So, I’m not going to stand around and let Carson play with my feelings and confuse me. I’m going to hang on to the nice guy I’m dragging behind me and pray that he has what it takes to make me forget about that kiss.
CHAPTER NINE: HUNGOVER
CARSON
Ughhh…myhead. It feels like I got nailed right in the temple with multiple hockey-pucks shot at me by the Hulk.
Groaning, I pry my eyes open and immediately regret that decision when the sunlight streaming into my bedroom sears my retinas. I squeeze them closed again and yank my comforter up over my head.
Fuck, how much did I have to drink last night?
Even though it feels like my brain is just sloshing around in my skull, I force it to recall the events of the previous night that led me to waking up on the verge of death.
The last thing I really remember is Skyler storming off after our kiss in the alley. Definitely not something I had planned to do, by the way. Still, it had been hot. Really, really hot. Maybe the hottest kiss I’ve ever had.
Her body had been soft and giving, and her curves had seemed to fit perfectly in my hands. I have no doubt if I’d reached between her legs, she’d have been wet. Feeling her respond to my kiss so eagerly…to have her touching me and toying with my hair…ugh, the memory itself has my body going hot and my dick twitching and fighting for life.