“I want you to go with me.”
Kate blinks, her eyes focusing on me. “W-what?”
“Hear me out, okay?” I let my hand fall down, so I can take her hands in mine. “I know it’s selfish, and I know it’s not fair of me to ask, but I want you to go with me. You and Penny, you guys are my future.”
“You want us to apply to the same college?” she asks, as if the thought hasn’t even crossed her mind.
“Yeah, we can sit down, check everything out, find places that we’ll both like.”
“But you have colleges scouting you. We’re talking about Ivy League schools here, Emmett, and I don’t think…”
I lean down and kiss her, stopping any protest from passing her lips. As always, she melts into me, her fingers digging into my shirt, holding on to me, as my tongue slides into her mouth and tangles with hers. My fingers dig into her hair, tilting her head just slightly to get better access. A soft moan rips from her throat.
Sighing, I break the kiss, slowly pulling away.
“I don’t care about the Ivy League schools. I don’t care about football. The only thing I care about is you, Kate.”
Kate slowly pries her eyes open, her blue irises dark with need.
“You can’t mean that.”
“But I do. You’re the most important person in my life, darlin’. My once in a lifetime, and nothing, and I really mean nothing, will ever get in the way of that.”
“Oh, Emmett…” Kate cups my cheek and presses her forehead against mine.
“Once in a lifetime, Katherine Adams.” I brush her hair off her face. “Say you’ll go with me.”
“I’ll go with you.” She kisses me. “You’re my once in a lifetime too, Emmett Santiago.”
“Good, because if you said no, I’d have to take you with me the old-fashioned way.”
“And how’s that?” Kate chuckles.
I get to my feet quickly and pull her up. Bending down, I throw her over my shoulder.
“Emmett!” Kate yells in protest, but I can hear the laughter in her voice.
“Caveman style, of course.”
“Put me down!”
“I don’t think I will. Not before you pay up, at least.”
“And how should I pay up? Because I think I feel dizzy hanging like this.”
I pull her upright but don’t let her down. She throws her head back to get her hair out of her face. Tightening my hold on her with my right arm, I push the strand that got stuck out of the way.
“Why, you’ve gotta kiss me first, darlin’.”
The End
Want more Emmett and Katherine?
Click here to read Kiss Me First Bonus Scene!
New to Blairwood University? You can find more of Emmett and Kate in Kiss To Conquer, next interconnected standalone in this college series.
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Acknowledgments
You didn’t see this one coming, now did you? I feel like, at this point, I keep repeating myself. But it’s true, not all my stories are planned. When I first created Emmett and Katherine, they were these characters in the background, an already formed couple that help move the storyline along. Not all the jocks have to be manwhores; some are genuinely nice guys. And this guy already got his girl.
I never thought too much about how it happened until I got to that one part of Zane’s story in which Emmett is talking about Kate and mentioning their relationship. And my brain instantly started to wonder, but how did they get together? And once I started thinking about it, my heart wasn’t content with summing it up in just a few sentences; no, the whole story had to come out.
If you follow me on social media, I did talk a little bit about how I had a hard time sticking to one book after finishing Kiss To Forget―not because I didn’t like the characters or because I wasn’t inspired. Sometimes my mind just needs to process things, and that process is different depending on the characters and storyline. While I had to mull over Zane and Jackson, I was ready to dive right into Kiss Me First.
I hope that you enjoyed this unexpected surprise and glimpse into the world of Emmett and Katherine. We’ll be seeing more of them as they go off to college and make new friends. And who knows, maybe one day, I’ll take you back to Bluebonnet Creek, Texas!
A big thank you to my beta team, both old and new members. I can’t tell you how much you girls help me when it comes to working through my ideas on how to make this story perfect. And also, thank you for helping this little foreigner bring some southern charm to the pages of Kiss Me First.
Thank you to Lindee for creating a stunning photo that just screamed Kate and Emmett, and to my lovely designer, Najla, who always knows how to make the most beautiful covers.
Thank you to all the bloggers and bookstagrammers who helped me share the news about this release.
And, as always, thank you to you, my readers. Thank you for reading and loving the stories I give you, even though they’re sometimes a bit unexpected.
If you have a moment, please consider leaving a short review online.
Until the next book…
xo,
Anna
Playlist
Shawn Mendes - There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back
Calum Scott - You Are The Reason
Parachute - Kiss Me Slowly
Ed Sheeran - Perfect
Gabby Barrett - The Good Ones
Morgan Evans - Kiss Somebody
William Michael Morgan - I Met a Girl
Brad Paisley - She’s Everything
Brett Young - In Case You Didn’t Know
Taylor Swift - Love Story (Taylor’s Version)
Did you enjoy Kiss Me First?
Check out the first chapter of my coming of age hockey romance, Lines!
Chapter 1
AMELIA
“Stone Cold” is playing on the radio as I drive my Volkswagen Golf to the school. The car may be old, but it’s reliable. Kind of. Maybe I heard some strange noises coming out of it a time or two. But it’s something normal, right? Strange noises coming out of old things give them charm, give them character. People say it all the time.
Anyway, the car is mine, and that’s all that matters to me. The last three summers I was working my butt off helping my aunt in her hair salon and saving money so I could buy myself a car.
It’s the first day of school and the first day of my senior year. The beginning of the end. I’m one step closer to freedom, one step closer to getting out of hell and starting a new life—life away from this city and its people.
The phone on the console in front of me starts ringing. Lowering the music, I give a quick look at the screen before connecting the call and putting it on speaker.
“Where are you, Lia?” My best friend’s voice comes from the speaker.