friend, but he was Drew’s and the only person who might understand why today was so hard.
My hand lifted and stilled. I hesitated, glancing into his watchful eyes. He gave a slight nod that I read as permission. My fingers combed through his hair, and my lungs seemed to expand in my chest. It was so soft.
His eyes closed, and his head tilted into my touch. “That’s nice.” His voice was a breathy whisper that danced across my teary cheeks.
It was different than the hair on his face. My fingers traced over the stubble at his jaw and gently trailed to his lips. His eyes opened, and I stilled. “Should I stop?”
“Only if you want to.”
I didn’t want to stop. His warm skin thawed the chill inside of me, and I’d never looked at a man so closely. My fingers traced down his sleeves and over his chest.
“Guys are so hard.”
He grunted and my gaze flicked to his, self-consciously checking to see if he was laughing at me. His lashes were low, hiding his eyes, but he still watched me. His arms shifted, and I scooted closer.
“I think you could get a girlfriend real easy.”
“I think you’re trouble.”
My hand stilled, and I stared at his face. “Why?”
“Have you ever been kissed, Avery Dean?”
My head slowly shook. “Boys pay no attention to me.”
“I bet they do. But you have this intimidating edge about you that probably keeps them at bay. I bet they watch you when they think you’re not looking.”
My brow pinched. I didn’t want to be intimidating. I wanted to be loveable. “Well, it doesn’t do me any good if they’re too chicken to say anything.”
“You like being asked?”
I shrugged. “Asked what?”
“By a guy… You like when they ask you? Beg?”
I laughed. “I think begging is a little too extreme to set my hopes on. I’m not that popular. A wave or a smile would be nice.”
His gaze dropped to my lips, and I shifted, not used to anyone looking at me so closely.
“What are you staring at?”
“Your mouth.”
“Why?”
“I want to kiss you.”
I frowned. “Why?”
His lashes lifted, his eyes turning almost pleading. “Can I kiss you, Avery Dean? I’ll show you how a good kiss should feel.”
“Are you screwing with me?”
He shook his head. “No. Just trying to salvage an otherwise shitty day. Say yes, Avery. Please.” His breathing shifted, and something tightened in the air around us. “I’ll beg.”
Never expecting anything like this from Gavin, I nodded.
His eyes watched me as he moved forward. His arms loosely curled around my back. “Shut your eyes.”
Everything went dark as my lashes lowered. His voice, a gravel scrape against my temple sent shivers down my spine.
“If you tell me to kiss you, I will.” His arms remained around my back, cradling me to his front as his voice traveled to my other ear. “If you tell me to make you feel better, I can. Just tell me what to do. I can’t bear to see you cry, Avery Dean. Tell me what to do.”
My heart tripped out of beat and sped into double time. Licking my lower lip, I tried to remain still on his lap as excitement rushed through my veins. His words put me under some sort of spell, and though I was hardly moving, I was out of breath.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
The soft press of his lips warmed my mouth. His arms tightened, and I sucked in a breath. Pressure built in strange places, warm enough to make my outsides shiver.
His mouth firmed against mine, not hard, but undeviating, as if seeking to get inside. My lips parted, and his tongue teased like silk along the seam, pushing past my teeth and licking deeper.
A rush of blood raced to my heart, and I shifted on his lap. Our heads tilted, as our mouths played, pulling, tasting, feeling. I liked the way it felt. All of it. Especially his arms around me. In that moment I seemed the only person who existed to him. His focus became a drug I wanted to take again and again.
His hand lowered to the back of my jeans and nudged me closer. Something pressed against my crotch and I broke the kiss, looking down.
His mouth kicked up in a half grin. “Sorry. You’re a good kisser.”
I had brothers, so I knew about erections. I’d just never seen one before. “Should I touch it?”
He laughed. “Definitely not. Drew would kill me.”
So? “Drew’s not here.”
His expression froze as he studied me for a silent second.