“The games I like to play aren’t considered a sport.”
“What kind of games do you like to play?”
His brown eyes twinkled in that way I knew meant trouble. “Have you heard of spin the bottle?”
“Duh,” I said, giggling to hide my nervousness.
Cocking a brow, he said, “Ever play?”
My cheeks were suddenly burning, and I had trouble meeting his gaze. “No. Of course not.” The thought of my first kiss made my stomach twist and my heart race.
“I can show you how if you want.”
As if it would protect me, I clutched my journal a little tighter to my chest. I hadn’t expected Jamie to flirt with me again. At the fair, I’d looked like a girl, and I knew without needing to be told that I was a pretty one. But today, I was back to wearing my cargo shorts, and Avengers tee with my favorite red cap turned backward. “No, thanks.”
He leaned a little closer, making me want to say yes. “Are you afraid, Barbette?”
I considered lying, but I had the feeling he’d see right through me. “Yes.”
Lifting his hand, he tugged on one of my curls. “Then, I can wait.”
“Wait? Wait for what?”
“For your first kiss… and for you to get over my cousin.”
“Wha—I…” As I struggled for words or a plausible lie, Jamie plucked my journal from my hands. My heart pounded as I made a desperate attempt to steal it back. What if he read what was inside? Everything I felt but was too afraid to say was in that book. Cruelly, he held it out my reach. “Give it back!”
“Admit that you like my cousin.”
“No, I don’t. Now give me my book!” I shot to my feet, hoping that would give me an advantage, but he stood too, and pretty soon, I was chasing him all over the Portlands’ front yard. After a few minutes, I was beginning to tire and ready to give up when he stumbled over a rock. It slowed him down just enough for me to tackle him to the ground. “Jerk!”
I fell on top of him, but somehow, he managed to flip onto his back, sending me to the ground at his side. And that was when I realized he was laughing. Against my will, I began laughing, too. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my journal lying in the grass a few feet away. Propping my head in my hand, I made no move to rescue it. I wasn’t sure how long we lay on the ground, staring at one another. Eventually, he broke the spell.
“Tell me something about you that no one else knows.”
My gaze flew to the grass, hoping it hid my blush. Jamie might as well have asked me to take off my clothes. Remembering all the stories Ever told about him, I wondered… would he stop me if I tried?
Something inside my chest tightened at the thought.
Did I want to try? Isn’t that what boys and girls would do when they liked each other? First, they kiss and then they—
Suddenly, my heart was beating fast. Too fast. I no longer knew how to breathe.
I didn’t like Jamie. I liked Ever.
Frustration made my fists ball in the grass because it felt like a lie. Ever was the boy who taught me my first secret handshake, the boy I’d learned to climb trees with, and the only one who hadn’t run away when I sat with boys instead of girls.
But while I was locked inside these past few days, Ever wasn’t the one I couldn’t stop thinking about.
“My favorite color is red.”
Jamie seemed surprised and excited for some reason. “Mine too.”
“Really?” I arched a brow as I looked him over. As usual, Jamie was covered from head to toe in dark clothing. “It’s not black?”
“Really?” he mocked back. “It’s not pink?” I knew he was making a dig at the getup I wore to the carnival.
“It’s red.” Suddenly, I felt boneless and lay back in the grass. Jamie and I shared a favorite. I wondered how many more there were.
“Mine too,” Jamie echoed, his tone lighter than before. He seemed to be debating something before he spoke again. “He doesn’t know that you like him, you know.”
Dread filled me until I felt sick. Oh, no. Jamie really did know about my crush. “What are you talking about?” I asked, anyway. There was always a chance I was wrong. About a lot of things…
Shifting onto his side, Jamie pinned me with his beautiful brown gaze. “Ever. He just thinks of you as one of the guys. He’s never going to see you that way unless you make him.”
It only took me a few seconds to realize that Jamie was right. I’d been so busy hiding my crush that I never considered what could be if I only had the courage. “How do I do that?”
I told myself that I only imagined the disappointment I glimpsed in Jamie’s eyes, especially when he reached out and fingered one of my curls. “I’ll show you.”
I didn’t even get the chance to ask him how before his lips pressed against mine. His eyes were closed tight while mine were bugged out of my head. Jameson Buchanan had stolen my first kiss.
No, no, no…
My hands found his chest, ready to push him the hell off. Before I could, his hands circled my wrists, pinning them to the grass. I struggled to free them, but it only made him kiss me harder. One of the guys or not, I realized Jamie was much stronger. And probably always would be.
I should have kneed him in the balls, but slowly, I relaxed in the grass, letting him kiss me instead.
Sensing my surrender, Jamie pulled back a little, softening the kiss, and forgetting that I was unwilling, I chased his lips. I felt his body shake as he chuckled, and then… I felt his tongue. Gently, he teased my lips until they parted, and he slipped inside. It took me a while to notice that his hands were no longer closed around my wrists and that I was free to sock him… so why didn’t I? Seconds passed, and my eyes drifted closed. The kiss continued, deepening until our lips were bruised, and we both ran out of breath.
I no longer felt alive when he pulled away. I needed him.
“How many girls—” Still panting, I was unable to complete my sentence. It didn’t matter because Jamie already knew what I was asking.
His eyes were still closed, his cheeks pink when he answered. “One.”
I swallowed down the emotions bubbling up, but my voice shook even more when I spoke. “Including me?”
Slowly, his eyes drifted open, showing me his cloudy gaze. “Yes.”
“I—But you—” I was struggling with the realization that I was Jamie’s first kiss, and he was mine.
“I really wanted to kiss you.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to kiss you!” Shoving him away, I quickly sat up.
He’d tricked me. Just like he’d tricked Rachel into feeling her boobs at the fair. Jamie was just as inexperienced as I was. He was just better at hiding it.
My angry gaze met his blank one, but I wasn’t prepared for him to kiss me again. And I wasn’t expecting to kiss him back.
“Yes, you did,” he whispered against my lips. “But I’m not my cousin. I’m not blind. I see you, Bette. I can’t stop seeing you.”
My inhale was sharp, and the ache in my stomach doubled.
“Bette?”
His soft, wide lips found mine again, and just that quick, I was addicted to his kisses. “Something to remind you that you’re mine.”