Everyone in the cafeteria was suddenly on their feet, shouting and chanting “fight” like they couldn’t wait for it to happen.
Ronny stood up and grinned, just waiting for Jensen’s hit. And he was about to get exactly what he wanted before I stepped in the middle of them, placing my hands on Jensen’s chest and pushing him back. “Stop it!” I shouted, giving him another shove. “If you fight him you’re gonna get expelled!”
He didn’t budge. He didn’t take his eyes off Ronny. Hell, I wasn’t even sure he’d heard me. His eyes had taken on a glazed look, the storm brewing in them so dark they’d turned nearly black. His face had gone red with rage and his chest was rising and falling like he’d just run a marathon. I was looking at a boy I barely recognized, one who was out for blood. He was laser focused on Ronny like a shark that smelled blood in the water.
“It’ll be fuckin’ worth it.”
“Jens,” I said softer, reaching up to cup his cheeks. I pressed my fingers in and pulled his face down so he was looking at me. “He wants you to fight him. He wants to get you in trouble. If you’re expelled I won’t get to see you every day.” He blinked, his gaze beginning to clear as he looked down at me. “I want to see you every day,” I continued softly. “Please don’t do this.”
My words finally penetrated. I’d gotten through. I breathed a sigh of relief when he took my hand in his and turned, starting for the exit.
“Always knew you were a pussy,” Ronny called from behind us.
I don’t know what came over me in that moment; it was like I’d stepped out of my body for a second. But hearing that jerk call Jensen a pussy set something off. Whipping around, I balled fingers into a tight fist and put every ounce of strength I had into my swing, punching Ronny Culpepper in the nose so hard it made a sickening crunch.
“Oh shit!” Jensen cried as blood began to spew from Ronny’s nostrils. “We gotta get outta here, sunshine. Let’s go.”
He grabbed my hand once more and dragged me out of the cafeteria. His loud laughter bounced off the lockers as we ran down the hallway as fast as we could.
By the time Jensen pulled me into the janitor’s closet and slammed the door closed behind us, I was hyperventilating.
“Oh my God,” I gasped, my eyes bugging out. “I can’t believe I just did that.”
His smile was almost manic as he said, “I can’t believe you did that either. Jesus, Shane, I think you broke his nose. That was awesome!”
“It wasn’t awesome!” I cried. “What if I get in trouble? Oh my God! What if I get expelled! I’ll never get into a good college. I don’t know what came over me. I just snapped, and now I’m gonna get called into the principal’s office and they’re gonna kick me out—”
Jensen took my face in his hands and hunched down. “Shane, relax.” I clamped my lips together to cut off my rambling. “You aren’t gonna get in trouble. I promise. Ronny’s a dickhead, and there’s no way he’s gonna admit he got his nose broken by a chick.”
My heart no longer felt like it was going to beat out of my chest as I whispered, “You really think so?”
“I know so. You’ll be fine. I promise.”
I took some time to let that sink in as a calm started to wash over me. “I can’t believe I broke someone’s nose,” I finally admitted a minute later. I had to slap my hands over my mouth to silence a hysterical laugh bubbling up my throat.
“That was epic. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“I didn’t know either! It was just that he called you a pussy and I kind of lost it. I mean, I couldn’t just stand there and let him call you names. No one but me gets to do that.” I meant it as a joke, but something suddenly shifted across Jensen’s face, making the air in the little closet stuffy. “Jens?” I asked hesitantly. The way he was staring at me was making me nervous. “Are you okay?”
“You punched him for me.” It wasn’t a question, but I could still hear the confusion in his words.
I started to ramble again. “Well . . . yeah. I mean, I know you don’t need me to defend you, that you’re more than capable of defending yourself, but I didn’t want you getting in trouble. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t get to see you at school every day. It would be miserable. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, I just couldn’t—”
My words were cut off when his lips slammed down on mine. It was so unexpected that, at first, I didn’t understand what was happening. Then my brain got with the program and my lips parted on a surprised gasp. The second that happened, his tongue drove inside, flicking against mine.
The feel of it, the taste of Jensen, the smell of his cologne filling up the room, lit my insides up like a fireworks display. I lifted up on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss, suddenly consumed with a need to get as close to him as possible. My hands wrapped around his neck, my fingers tangling in his silky-soft hair as I moaned and tilted my head to the side to allow him better access.
It wasn’t my first kiss, but it was my first with Jensen, and it was by far the best I’d ever had.
His fingers pressed deep into my skin as he slid his hands down my ribs, my hips, my butt, where they came to a stop and squeezed. He used his hold to pull me tighter against him, bending me backward as he ramped the kiss up even more.
I was breathing erratically by the time he pulled back. My lips felt swollen and bruised. My skin tingled all over, and I felt a pulse between my thighs.
“Shit,” he hissed, resting his forehead against mine as he desperately gulped at the air. “Knew it would be that good. You got no clue how long I’ve been wanting to do that.”
“Really?” I asked, slipping my fingers down to the nape of his neck and gently running my nails along his skin. It made him shiver so I did it again with a smile.
“God, sunshine. I’ve been dyin’ to kiss you. You have no idea.”
I felt positively giddy and my smile reflected that as I let out a sigh. “I thought you weren’t into me anymore. When you stopped hitting on me and quit making jokes about getting what you wanted, I thought you’d lost interest.”
He gripped me harder, pulling me against him so I could feel just how interested he really was. My lips parted on an exhale. “Not for a second. I knew if I didn’t want to push you away, I needed to play it cool.”
“Well . . .” I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling dry and scratchy. “I’m glad you did. I’m not sure I’d have gotten to know the real you if we hadn’t had these past couple months.”
He lifted his head, his eyes bouncing back and forth between mine as his expression turned serious, even . . . concerned. “And now that you know the real me?”
“I really like you,” I confessed in a soft voice.
He gave me a smile that didn’t hold an ounce of arrogance. It was all genuine and it was the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. “I like you too, baby. A whole fuckin’ lot.”
For what had to be the first time in my life, I emitted a girly little giggle. I would have been embarrassed, but I was too damn happy. “So we’re . . .” I hedged, needing him to say the words so I knew they were real.