“Liam was being a jerk,” I remind him.
“Yeah. Talking shit. I didn’t like what he said to you. That was my biggest problem. He told you to shut the hell up.” Beck rubs his jaw, wincing slightly.
“Does it still hurt? Where he hit you?” I ask, pushing away from the car, so I can move closer to him. In the waning light, it’s hard to see if there’s a bruise on his face.
“A little bit. I can’t imagine how bad it would’ve been if he actually got a good hit in,” Beck says irritably.
“Let me see it.”
He turns his head to the side and I step even closer, rising up on my tiptoes, so I can examine the spot where Liam punched him. I peer up at his jaw, seeing the faintest shadow of a bruise there, beneath the light stubble.
He hasn’t shaved today and it sends a prickle of awareness through me. He’s so…masculine. As in, he’s built like a man. Big and broad and so ridiculously good looking, it almost hurts to look at him.
Hurts even more when I know what he feels like beneath my hands. What he looks like when he comes…
“Right there?” I ask, giving in to temptation and touching his jaw lightly.
He flinches but doesn’t pull away from my fingers. “Yeah. There. The asshole. Felt like he barely hit me at the time though.”
“It’s a very light bruise,” I say as I continue to touch it. His skin is so warm. A little sharp thanks to the faint growth on his chin and jaw. “Might even be gone by the time you come back to school.”
“Or the bruise will be worse.” His gaze finds mine, turbulent and intense, and I stand there with my lips parted, my fingers still on his jaw, struck dumb by his nearness.
“Makes you look tough,” I tell him with a faint smile as I lean in and inhale his warm, spicy scent, gently pressing my mouth to the bruise, like my kiss will heal him.
He sucks in a sharp breath when my lips make contact with his skin, and before I can pull away, his hand is on my face, steering me to his mouth.
He kisses me and I give in, my fingers clutching the front of his shirt as his mouth moves over mine. His other hand settles on my waist, his fingers sliding beneath my uniform shirt to touch bare skin, and I take a step closer, needing to feel him as well.
It’s as if I can’t resist him—and he’s drawn to me too. It’s as if we can’t resist each other. Anyone who would see us right now would probably notice nothing. Just two people sharing a kiss outside in front of a giant house on a pretty late summer night. It’s cooler up here near the lake, and the air is heavy with the fragrance of pine.
But it’s so much more than a kiss—at least for me. This boy means something to me.
I’m completely falling for him.
Actually, I’ve already fell for him.
His fingers slide to the back of my head, angling me to deepen the kiss. My skin prickles with awareness when his tongue touches mine, and I’m already throbbing between my legs.
That’s all it takes. One kiss in front of his house and I want him. That chemistry that’s always simmering between us, it’s undeniable. We’ve managed to ignore it for years, and now that we’ve finally given in, there’s no going back.
“You like it when I look tough,” he murmurs against my lips, making me smile as we end the kiss.
“I must.” I lean into his hand when he strokes the side of my face, his gaze warm as he drinks me in. “You were kind of hot, punching Liam like you did.”
“You thought I was hot?”
I nod slowly, turning my head, so I can drop a kiss on his palm. “Totally.”
His eyes darken. “Maybe I should get into fights more often.”
“Um, you better not.” I grin at him.
He grins at me in return.
“Did you get in trouble?” I ask. “With your parents?”
“Not really.” He chuckles. “Mom had me cleaning up around the yard this afternoon. She said tomorrow I get to help her reorganize the pantry.”
He makes a horrified face and I giggle. “I love reorganizing stuff.”
“I definitely don’t. It’s a form of punishment for me and she knows it.” A sigh leaves him and he loosens his hold on me. “Mom also said it’s punishment enough that I can’t practice or play in the game this Friday. She knows it’s making me crazy that I can’t be there, and she’s pretty positive I’ve learned my lesson.”
“Is there a lesson to learn?” I can’t help but ask.
“Yeah, don’t let rude pricks talk down to your girl.” He clamps his lips shut, his cheeks turning ruddy. “Uh, I didn’t mean to say that last part.”
My heart is tripping over itself at his choice of words, but I remain calm, despite the giddiness rising within me. “Or did you?”
His expression turns sheepish. “I didn’t mean to say it out loud.”
“And I didn’t mind hearing you say it,” I admit, barely able to contain my smile.
He pulls me back in close, dropping another kiss on my lips before he murmurs, “We’re probably moving too fast.”
I slide my hand up his chest, silently marveling, yet again, at the warm, firm muscles I feel beneath my palms. “Probably.”
“I sort of don’t care.” He kisses me again, his lips lingering.
“Me either,” I breathe into his mouth, wrapping my arms around his neck.
A car approaches, the lights flashing across us, and as it passes, the driver honks the horn, causing us to spring away from each other.
“Constantly interrupted,” Beck says with a chuckle.
“All the time,” I agree, swallowing hard. He barely touches me and I’m instantly rattled. Not like we can do anything out here on a public street.
I’m kind of glad that car drove by just now. I might’ve let Beck have his way with me on the hood of my car.
“You know what’s going on with Liam?” Beck asks out of nowhere, his voice clipped.
I frown at him. “If you’re asking if I’ve talked to him, the answer is absolutely not.”
“I didn’t think you were talking to him. I just—wondered if you’d heard anything at school.”
“Not at all.”
“From what I’ve been told, he’s super pissed at me. And in big trouble with his dad,” Beck admits. “He got his phone taken away.”
“Oh.” I feel sort of bad for Liam, but then again, I don’t.
He’s the one who started all of this.
“Guys on the team have kept me updated,” Beck says, explaining his source of information. “They’re mad at Liam because I can’t play this week.”
“I feel partially responsible for all of this, you know?” I tell him, before I blow out a harsh breath. “It’s my fault you got in a fight with Liam in the first place. And you guys are friends. I don’t understand what happened.”
“Hey, you’re not responsible for the fight.” He takes a step closer, his big hands settling on my shoulders and giving them a squeeze as he peers down at me. “You didn’t ask for him to say that shit to you, and I’m the one who inserted myself into the situation. It definitely isn’t your fault.”