Breaking Stars - J. Sterling Page 0,51

for touching her.

An immature notion, I know, but I still felt that way.

Once the craziness took over my body, I knew I needed to confess some things to her. Paige needed to hear that I didn’t want her dancing with anyone else. I didn’t want her touching any other guy in this town. Hell, I didn’t want her touching any other guy in any town. Ever again.

Note to self: Good luck with that request.

When Paige told me she wanted me, I nearly lost it right there in that bar. She’d said the words I hadn’t allowed myself to think when it came to her. I’d spent so much of my spare time convincing myself that a girl like Paige would never be interested in a guy like me. How many hours had I wasted being foolish?

No more.

She was still talking, and all I wanted to do was silence her. So I covered her pretty little lips with mine. They were so soft, and her tongue tasted like whiskey and sweet-and-sour mix. I’d never enjoyed the taste of whiskey as much as I did in that moment. I wanted to drink her in forever. My life before kissing Paige had just ended. Kissing her changed everything, and I knew it the moment her lips touched mine.

“You’re gonna break my heart,” I told her, wanting her to know how hard I planned on falling for her.

She gasped and pulled away from me. My mind instantly went to worst-case scenarios, and I figured I’d just blown the whole thing. Hoped I enjoyed kissing her, because I’d never get to do that again.

“I think you might break mine.” Her words sent fireworks shooting through my chest and ricocheting across my heart.

“I don’t ever want to,” spilled from my lips, and damn if I didn’t mean it. Every single word.

“Take me home, Tatum.”

If I thought for one second that I couldn’t be more aroused, I was instantly proven wrong with those words. I wanted her. I’d wanted her since I first laid eyes on those long tanned legs, but I couldn’t go that far. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.

Pressing my body against hers, I cupped her firm ass in my hand and squeezed. She let out a quick sigh that worked me up even more. I had to detach my real brain from the one in my pants, so I sucked in a deep breath and said, “We gotta take it slow, Princess.”

Then she growled.

Paige literally stopped rubbing her hands all over me and growled. And I laughed and almost begged her to do it again. The growling part.

“Don’t call me that. Seriously, Tatum. Don’t,” she warned, but my eyes fell on her lips and all I wanted to do was suck them into my mouth and nibble.

“Fine. I won’t. But still. I can’t go throwing you into the sack the first chance I get.”

Her eyes closed and she smiled. “Throwing me in the sack? You’re so Southern.”

“No shit, sweetheart.”

“Well, I wasn’t asking you to take me to bed, Princess.” She smirked as she threw my nickname for her back at me. Then her voice softened. “I just want to be alone with you. You know, without worrying about someone watching or being photographed.”

Feeling like an idiot for forgetting who I was kissing, I suddenly became aware of our surroundings. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it.” Even though we were in my hometown, I scanned the doors and windows of the bar, looking for prying eyes.

“Why would you? That kind of crazy only happens to me. And to be honest, even I forgot all about it when we were inside.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss against my nose.

Who the hell does that? Apparently Paige Lockwood does, and I’d be damned if I said I didn’t enjoy it.

“Let’s go home, babe,” I told her, “but you’ve gotta drive.”

While I was nowhere near hammered, I’d been at the bar long enough this evening to know better than to get behind the wheel. Having one or two beers was one thing for my one-minute drive home, but spending hours at the only bar in town was another. I liked to think I knew my limits, although everything was in question since this girl drove into my life.

“I have your mom’s car,” she announced and I threw my head back in surprise. Mama didn’t let just anyone take her car. Hell, she’d never even let me take it, but here she