“Okay.” JJ steps closer.
“Okay, w-what?” My eyes widen, and I take an instinctive step back. Only, JJ’s still holding my hand, and he doesn’t let go.
“Then kiss me,” JJ says, gently tugging me closer.
“M-me?”
“You.” JJ smirks. “Don’t tell me you’ve never kissed anyone before?”
“I...” I feel a huge wave of guilt, because my first kiss was with his roommates. Both his roommates! What’s he going to think when he finds out? That I kissed them in this very room?
“Roonie?” JJ presses.
“I um, kind of kissed...” I lower my voice and quickly blurt out, “Tatencharles.”
“You what?” JJ frowns. “I didn’t catch that.”
“IkindofkissedTatencharles,” I say, talking even faster.
“Huh?” JJ frowns in confusion.
I know I can’t keep doing this, but I can’t meet his eyes either. Instead, I stare at a spot just below his collarbone and whisper, “I kissed Tate and Charles.”
JJ stiffens, and my heart skips a beat. I can’t take back kissing Charles or Tate, and the worst part is, I don’t want to. But I also don’t want JJ to hate me.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper as JJ frowns down at me.
“I’m not upset that you kissed them, Roonie,” JJ says quietly.
“You’re not?”
“I’m upset because they both got to kiss you, and I haven’t.”
My eyes widen and when JJ takes a step forward, I almost forget to breathe. My eyes drift shut as I wait for JJ’s lips to touch mine. My heart races in anticipation, and my toes curl in the new designer flats Charles bought me.
The seconds tick by and still no kiss. Did he change his mind? Is he just toying with me? Did he decide that he cares that I kissed his roommates? Does he think I’m an awful person? Is he staring at me with disgust?
“Well?” JJ drawls, and my eyes snap open. “Are you going to kiss me or what?”
Chapter 3
“You want m-me to kiss y-you?” I stutter.
“Don’t you want to?” JJ cups my cheek and leans a little closer.
“Of course I do,” I tell his lips, unable to tear my eyes away.
“And you kissed Tate... and Charles,” he adds, and my eyes snap up, momentarily forgetting all about his lips.
“They kissed me! Not that it makes a difference, because I kissed them back. But I—”
“They kissed you, huh?” JJ interrupts. “I like that.”
“You do?” I gape at him.
How can he possibly like that both his roommates kissed me? And why is he threading his fingers through my hair and staring at me like he wants to claim my lips, when we’re talking about two other guys kissing me?
“I like that they kissed you, because now...” he smirks, “you are going to kiss me.”
“Oh.” My eyes widen and drift down to his lips.
I want to kiss him so bad. And the way JJ’s staring at me makes me want to even more. His pupils are dilated, his eyes are glued to my lips, and when I bite my lower lip, he growls. It’s almost a beastly growl, which reminds me of Charles, which makes me wonder if JJ’s kiss will be just as rough and all-consuming. Or will it be short and teasing like Tate’s, leaving me wanting more?
I instantly feel guilty. I’m thinking about JJ’s roommates while my lips are this close to touching his. But I can’t stop wondering. What will kissing this Knight in Shining Armor feel like?
“Do I just...?” I place my hands tentatively on his shoulders. The hard muscles under his plaid shirt ripple beneath my palms, and he moves his hands lightly to my hips. I feel the warmth through my dress, but JJ’s touch is so light it’s barely even there. I wait for him to do something—to lean in or pull me closer—but JJ just stands there, waiting.
He really does expect me to kiss him.
My breath catches in my throat and my pulse pounds in anticipation. I stand up on tiptoe and lean in until I can smell the mint and chocolate on his breath.
I bite my lower lip.
I want to kiss him so much, but what if I’m bad at it? What if JJ hates kissing me? What if I do something wrong, or miss, or we hit teeth? What if I screw this up?
The kisses with Tate and Charles were perfect, but that’s because they kissed me. They knew what they were doing. They took charge. I can’t—
“Stop teasing me, Roonie,” JJ growls.
“That’s not—”
“Kiss me!”
His order makes me forget my inhibitions, and I press my lips against his. Heat explodes between us. JJ’s lips are soft yet strong, and he lets me take the lead.
My fingers thread into his plaid shirt, as if of their own accord. I tug JJ closer, even as I move my lips against his. He responds instantly, kissing me back, but he doesn’t deepen the kiss.
“Please,” I whimper, wanting more. Needing more. More than just this torturous touching of lips.
“Take what you want, Roonie,” JJ tells me. “Take whatever you want.”
With a moan, I twine my fingers through his reddish-brown hair and tug his lips closer to mine. JJ groans into my mouth, which only increases my desire for more. It suddenly feels like there’s too much space between us, and I press my body flush against his.
JJ’s chest is all muscle. I run my hands up and down his strong biceps, but it’s not enough. I slide my fingers underneath the hem of his shirt and trail my fingers along his scalding hot skin. I feel every hard ridge of his six-pack abs beneath my fingers, and moan against his lips.
“Are you going to take it off?” JJ asks in between kisses.
“What?” I flush. For a second, I think he wants me to strip, but then I realize JJ’s talking about his shirt.
“We don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with,” he says, suddenly serious. “If you want to stop, we stop.”
“No.” I shake my head and realize how that sounds. “I mean, yes. I mean, I don’t want to stop.”
I tug at the hem of his shirt, but JJ puts his hands on mine, stopping me.
“Buttons,” he whispers, his breath caressing my lips. “Here.”
He places my hands on the top button. They shake as I try to get it through the hoop. My breath comes out in pants, and JJ’s matches mine.
I kiss him the whole time I struggle to remove the shirt.
One button.
Two.
Three.
I slip my hands into his shirt, but they barely graze his pecs before someone knocks on the front door.
I jump back as if I were scalded.
What if it’s Charles or Tate? What if they see us like this? What if they hate me?
JJ may not care that I kissed his roommates, but they’ll care that I kissed JJ!
JJ, whose eyes are traveling down my body slowly, still burning with desire. My body reacts instantly, despite the waves of guilt surging through me.
There’s a second knock, this one more insistent.
“I’ll get it,” JJ mutters, heading toward the door.
“Your shirt,” I cry, rushing after him. It’s still unbuttoned. His hair is mussed. One look at him and Tate and Charles will know exactly what we were up to.