are resting, fingers fanned out, thumbs kneading the fabric of my soft t-shirt. I doubt she knows she’s doing it, moving instinctually as she stands before me, stroking my upper body.
In silence, we watch each other a bit longer. It should feel weird…awkward, even, but it doesn’t. No pressure. Nothing feels forced.
Charlie breaks the spell. “Technically, this isn’t our first kiss.”
“Technically that is true.” We did kiss briefly in my kitchen before my fucking roommates barged in.
“So. No big deal.” It sounds suspiciously as if she has to talk herself into not being nervous—a lot like I had to do when I was younger, psyching myself up for a football game.
“No big deal.”
“I mean…this is only going to take a few seconds, right?”
Right.
“So. Yeah.” She’s almost sighing, fingers playing with my hair.
“Yup.”
Charlie cocks her head to the side. “I’m not sure how I feel about you saying that.”
“Yup?”
“Yeah. For some reason…”
“It bothers you?” Huh. An odd thing to nitpick, but, whatever. I make a mental note to use bigger words when I reply to her and not dumb ones like yup and ’kay.
“Yes. I’m not sure why, though.”
“Huh.” Crap. That’s another one.
She’s stalling, and I don’t blame her. I’m a ball of nerves, too. The longer we stand here, the worse it gets until I want to throw up. This is worse than the nerves I had before the College Bowl, the first big championship I’d ever played in. Fifty thousand screaming football fans do not compare to this moment.
“Charlotte.” I wish my voice didn’t sound so weak.
“I know, I know, I’ll get there. Just give me a minute.”
“Just forget it.” I let my hands fall from her hips.
“No! Don’t!”
“All right. Okay, sorry.” I stifle a laugh as she reaches for my hands and places them back on her body. Back on her waist where it feels right.
They fucking belong there.
“Sorry.” She smooths back a few stray hairs, gathering herself. “I didn’t mean for you to stop touching me, I just… You get what I mean.”
I do. She’s nervous as the dickens and fidgety as a whore in church.
“All right. I’m going to kiss you now. Are you ready?”
Her pronouncement almost makes me laugh, but she’s serious, and I bite down on my bottom lip to stop the noise that’s creeping up my throat.
“Yu—” I pause, correcting myself. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Okay. Here I go.”
I clamp my mouth shut, trying not to press my lips together out of nerves as Charlie rises on her toes and leans forward, breasts once again pushing against my chest. It’s hard to say whether or not she’s wearing a padded bra, but dang—having the sensation of tits on my body is amazing.
Unreal.
I stand ramrod straight, still as stone, trying to keep my dick from getting hard out of sheer willpower as those lips of hers hover over mine, warm breath from her nose and mouth sweeping over my skin. She’s hesitating, eyes searching my face, presumably for the perfect spot to land her kiss.
Starting in the corner of my mouth, a gentle press of her mouth hits the small indentation. Pulls away.
Hums quietly, a delicate little hmm before moving in a second time.
Kisses the cleft in my chin she loves so much.
It tickles and I stifle a giggle—what am I, five? Jesus, Jackson, concentrate.
Charlie’s eyes are trained on my mouth—I can see them despite the light shining from behind her and into my eyes, blinding me. I might not be able to see anything but her silhouette, but I can still see the interest in her gaze.
The light suddenly flickers—goes out, the sound of the light bulb popping the only indication that someone didn’t shut it off from inside the house.
It’s dark. So dark, we stand waiting for our eyes to readjust, the only sounds our breathing and a car slowly passing by. I watch in my peripheral vision as it stops at the light, sitting far too long, its driver most likely texting.
Charlie’s hands cup my jaw, reminding me how good that felt when she did it earlier, only this time, it’s almost as if she’s memorizing the lines in my face now that she’s unable to see them.
I can finally see her better, better than I could with the porch light blinding me. The moon is full, and she’s alert, interested, beautiful. Intent on her goal, almost as if I’m not standing here with her, though I’m the focus of her mission.
I suck in a breath when her lips finally hover